Nahorhabi Full-Leaf Assam

I added this one as a different tea since the other full leaf Nahorhabi said 2010 on it and the notes were all from a year ago. I believe this is the batch for this year based on Harney listing it with their new teas about a month ago or so.

This was deep, rich and malty to the extreme. So malty I felt a bit furtive while drinking it at work. Almost like I had a no-no beverage in the workplace! As it cooled, a buttery texture infiltrated the cup and made it even better. The only downside to this was that the second cup was not as punchy.

This is a sample that will pay off. I can justify the price of this one. :) Next time they do $25 free shipping and I haven’t just placed 2 other orders…a tin of this one will be mine. Oh, yes. It will be mine.

First time I tried it several months ago i over-steeped it. At 4 min this tea became bitter and i disliked it immediately. didnt want to try again until last night I was reading Nicole’s review Golden Tip Assam by Gong Fu Tea Shop which inspired me to try again. This time I steeped it only for 3min. 1/2 of a brew I made with whole milk(didnt have a cream) and 1tsp of maple syrup . Another half was plain. This tea is amazing both ways. Milk+ syrup is like creme brulee , so rich and satisfying. Plain is very malty, thick, muscatel flavors. the smell is intoxicating. Who needs a dessert after such cup of tea? not me;)

Solid Assam but a bit nondescript. Pleasant and suitable for a morning cup.

It’s Saturday, and that, in itself, is quite wonderful.
But, on top of that, I’ve got a cup of this right now. :D
ifjuly sent me some of this (she supplies me with the most wonderful teas… That woman, I tell you…), and I’ve been loving every cup of it that I’ve had.
It’s sweet, and bright, with notes of honey and fruit. This is definitely one I’d like to have around…
Seriously…I can’t stop sipping to type. ;)

http://i.imgur.com/UzOsEjP.jpg

(and yes…that is a Santa mug… still. lol)

Thank you so much TeaTiff for the sample swap! This doesn’t seem to be on Harney’s site anymore. Too bad because it is the perfect assam! This is what I think of when I think of an assam. I also thought this would taste like tomato soup like my new tastebuds seem to do to assams… it has hints of tomato soup but doesn’t quite get there. There is a lots of gold in these leaves which seems surprising to me for an assam. The flavor has the perfect amount of punch while still being very sweet and malty. Very dried grassy and chewy bread. The second steep didn’t have the perfect flavor that the first steep had.. a little weak. Such a great assam, a pity it’s not available any more.
Steep #1 // 1 tsp // couple min after boiling // 4 min steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 3-4 min

Got a generous sample of this one from Boychik!!
Been wanting to try it for a while. And after all the leathery and ink-y teas I’ve had tonight, it’s incredibly refreshing!!
I taste baked bread, raisins, honey. So nice in light of all these other teas I’ve had!
A very nice tea. Think the strongest flavor I am getting is raisins.
Scent wise the strongest smell is baked bread.
A very nice tea for tonight (:
Thank you so much for the sample, Boychik!

Sample from the lovely Cameron B.!

This is a different tasting Assam. I haven’t tasted one quite like it before. It’s very smooth and mellow, with some astringency and fruitiness. Unfortunately I didn’t find it as bold as mentioned. Seems a bit more like a Ceylon than any Assam I’ve had. Interesting for sure.

Sipdown 6/75

First tea of the morning! This sample came from boychik’s lovely swap package (I saw swap, but the rascal hasn’t told me what she wants me to send yet…). Another Indian Assam to try, hooray! I really want to branch out in this area. The leaves are short and somewhat broken, and they’re about half golden and half dark brown. Dry scent is extremely mild, but there’s a little bit of malt and sweetness. I steeped a level teaspoon of leaf for 3 minutes at 200 degrees.

Much to my surprise, the steeped tea has an interesting wine-y aroma. There’s also malt and the sweetness of dark dried fruit. This tea seems to transform in my mouth. At the beginning of the sip, the flavor is muscatel and heavily fruity (cranberries, tart cherries). However, near the middle and end of the sip, the flavor turns more toward the bready side, though it keeps a hint of fruit preserves. There is strong malt throughout, and definitely a fair touch of astringency. A tasty and surprising tea!

Thanks very much boychik

This is SUPER BOLD! Quite delicious too. Not the sort of thing I’d reach for every day but it is hitting the spot this morning :)

This bright, brisk and elegant tea was my morning cup today. It is a really beautiful tea to look at with a generous scattering of golden cooper downy tips among its dark brown leaves. The tea itself has a nice deep orange red colour after 1tsp was left for a 3 min steep in 225 ml at about 95°C.

This is not a particularly sweet Assam, though it does have some nice bright red fruit and citrus tones in its scent and in its flavour when hot. Also present in the scent were nutmeg and cinnamon, the upper tones fmalt, a hint of biscuit and a very faint note of molasses.

The fruity tones were really only strongly apparent in the hot tea and mixed with malt, nutmeg, cinnamon, the lower tones of malt and a touch of cocoa. It felt light and bright on the tongue, with tannins counterbalancing this by providing a little density in the mouth. As it cools a floral tone mixes with the spice and creates a spicy floral tone like gardenia that mixes with a woody sandalwood like tone. The floral tone keeps the sandalwood from tasting warm and heavy. The tea although tasting a little drier, remains bright and light and a little brisk. These tones come to completely dominate the fruit as it cools. The aftertaste is of spice with the deeper tones of malt. A mild sweetness is provided by the fruit.

The tea resteeps really well with the spice and deeper malt tones intensifying.

Altogether a really nice Assam,with a nice number of subtleties to keep it interesting!

Thanks boychik, this tea has many of the aspects I appreciate in my favourite assam. It is only a little lighter, not as sweet, and the floral spice note is stronger than my favourite. Thanks for sharing this special tea with me.