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“I received this in my package from Harney & Sons in the Big-Harney-Mixup-of-2011. It was one of the few without duplication. The tea doesn’t stand out as the usual, high-quality tea that...” Read full tasting note
“What a lovely tea. I’ve been drinking this once a week for a while now. In fact, this is I think my second tin. It’s interesting as I think I like the second tin more than the first, but perhaps...” Read full tasting note
“This tea has a light, toasty, slightly sweet aroma. The first sip of this tea was exquisite. The taste is full and round and blooms in the mouth from a robust, toasted, almost meaty flavor to a...” Read full tasting note
“Pleasant aroma and texture, but it still takes like black tea.” Read full tasting note
This 2010 Mangalam is a vibrant broken leaf tea with good briskness and body, yet it is still an elegant tea. This will be the tea that Mike will drink most mornings (without milk or sugar).
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I received this in my package from Harney & Sons in the Big-Harney-Mixup-of-2011. It was one of the few without duplication.
The tea doesn’t stand out as the usual, high-quality tea that Harney’s usually has. It’s pretty to look at, dark with lighter color tea leaves interspersed in the tea. It smells rich and kind of nutty. The scent doesn’t translate to the flavor, though. The tea is extremely drying. I felt like I had been sucking on the vacuum the dentist uses to keep my mouth dry at appointments. It’s really uncomfortable. The flavor isn’t outstanding. I don’t see much complexity to it and it reminds me of a regular black. Granted, it’s a step above bagged teas, but not by much. As it cools, it becomes very, very bitter.
What a lovely tea. I’ve been drinking this once a week for a while now. In fact, this is I think my second tin. It’s interesting as I think I like the second tin more than the first, but perhaps I remember wrong since there was a little break between them.
We brew it strong at 2 tsp/cup and at 5 minutes there is no bitterness. The first few sips while it is very hot it seems bland, but as it cools in my 16 oz cup it unfolds nicely. I use a touch of honey to accent the flavors, and a splash of milk. There is wonderful malt, a little cocoa and I think a touch of caramel.
This tea has a light, toasty, slightly sweet aroma. The first sip of this tea was exquisite. The taste is full and round and blooms in the mouth from a robust, toasted, almost meaty flavor to a smooth, honey-glazed sweetness. Its briskness is refreshing and light, not bitter or smoky. The taste experience is full, complex, and lasting, requiring neither milk nor sugar. This really is an excellent tea and I believe it is now my new favorite Assam.
Big-Harney-Mixup-of-2011?
They accidentally sent half of my order as a duplication. When I called and told them what I received, the lady said to keep it and share. :) I’ve been doing just that! (Would you like some? I still have lots of Royal Wedding and a few others.)
I must say I bought a Mangalam Superb at Southern Season from the fine tea wall no less, and it was AWFUL. I guess I just don’t like that kind of tea…
Oh wow, THAT is the sort of Harney fiasco I would love to get into! Sadly, I am not a coconut fan, so Royal Wedding is out of my ‘tea comfort zone.’ Thank you so much for the offer though!
eek. it sounds like one of those things I’m almost curious to try just because it’s so terrible. Like one of those movies nominated for a Razzie! Snakes on a Plane anyone?
how did you brew it? Assam Mangalam is a wonderful estate and usually produces a depth of nuance not usually seen in Assam’s, including flavors of peach, malt, spice, and carob…granted each flush (and Assam has flushes just like Darjeeling, but they are not often advertised as such and are often blended with other flushes) and each season is different…but try using 3g per 8oz in 195-200 degree water and steep 2-3 minutes and I bet you will get a cup that lacks the astrigent tannnic bitterness and is wonderfully complex
I have never cared much for coconut, but I love Royal Wedding tea! Since drinking it, I found some frozen fruit pops with coconut and pineapple that are very good, so I guess my tastes are changing! I have always liked homemade ice box coconut cake, though!
I noticed that I brewed it for 5 minutes and your note says 1 min 30 seconds. I could understand it not having much flavor at 1 min 30 seconds, but really really surprised it was bitter as there is no bitterness for me at 5 minutes!! Harney recommends 5 minutes for all their assams, although that is pretty strong. But as Kashyap said, you might want to try brewing it longer! I use 2 tsp/ cup instead of the usual 1 because I like my tea strong!
I agree with Kitty. Try steeping again for five minutes. I was blown away by how delicious this tea is, and I also do not like overly dry, astringent teas. This tea does have a brisk quality but it’s a refreshing, not puckery briskness. Black teas should almost never be steeped for less than at least four minutes to get the full flavor so do try again and let us know what you think.