We don't know when or if this item will be available.
“Chain reaction: Feed the dog. Attention, kibble escape: reaches for the water bowl. Vaguely notice, don’t care. Dog notices. Dog eats kibbles, keeps the extra juicy one for dessert. Dog has a...” Read full tasting note
“I’m drinking this today instead of A&D’s Assam because I’m trying to rotate it out before it hits the 1 year mark. I’ve had it 9 months now and I don’t think it’s lost any flavour at all, but...” Read full tasting note
“This morning I decided to use the last of this tea (which was roughly 10g) and make a large batch of just over 1 litre. Part of it was drank this morning with breakfast and a few cups were left...” Read full tasting note
“This is my first cup today. Earlier, I just wasn’t feeling very good so I went back to bed and slept a couple of hours and I feel much better now. I am one of those people that if they don’t get...” Read full tasting note
Golden tips evoke the hot sun of the early June Second Flush Harvest. One of finest producers in region delivers a beautiful example of what is possible under the right conditions. Slightly heartier and creamier than some whole leaf Assams, this selection picks up deep malty notes of cocoa and subtle fruit.
Price: $15 / 100g
http://zentealife.com
Company description not available.
Chain reaction:
Feed the dog.
Attention, kibble escape: reaches for the water bowl.
Vaguely notice, don’t care.
Dog notices.
Dog eats kibbles, keeps the extra juicy one for dessert.
Dog has a choice: drink the water (it’s full), but not that patient and thirsty.
Dog goes for what seems to be the obvious choice: spills the water all over the kitchen and eats kibble.
Dog now satisfied.
Water everywhere, slippery, I fall once. Soaked PJ’s, bruised tooshie.
Haven’t had a decent cup of tea yet.
Take a break and read some Steepster notes.
Get inspired by this tea, decide to fix myslef a pot.
Tin is out of reach.
Pull out the mini bench from under the counter.
Stretching, on the tip of my toes.
Tin is really at an awkwardly high place…
Oh-oh…feel a bench slip coming. Water…spill not cleaned properly.
Damn kibble.
Major dangerous off balance feeling…tin is grabbed at last second…
I go flying… I mean, FLYING folks.
Stainless steel stove drawer ends my fall.
Ouch.
Assam tea tin: checked! Still firmly held in one hand.
I know tea dedication when I see it.
Tea is good right now…was it worth it? Let me think about that…
ETA : in this disarray, I forgot to describe the tea, sorry!
It provides such a beautifully rich malty smooth assam cup, a tad astringent just the way I like. It’s on the fruity side this one. Very good quality, at such a decent price once again. Zen tea is so affordable, perfect place if you are starting a straight tea journey, you can buy many samples for very cheap. I buy this one by the tin, time to replace it!
I’m drinking this today instead of A&D’s Assam because I’m trying to rotate it out before it hits the 1 year mark. I’ve had it 9 months now and I don’t think it’s lost any flavour at all, but sadly, it just can’t compete with my Tiger Assam. It has a Tiger on the tin! I’m suggestible and that gives it extra BAM for that.
Still this is a nice cup, and doesn’t require anything to enjoy it!
I am a former design student and I am also a sucker for packaging. I want to collect all of the labels for the Sherlock teas even if I don’t drink them. I want to wallpaper my tea cabinet with them.
Glad I’m not the only one! I’m happy I kept my old Tiger Assam tin – I divided my new order between the two tins nad now I have one Tiger for work and one for home. :D
I love the Adagio tins too, but I don’t know what to do with mine once they’re empty… :|
can you still get tiger assam? if so, from where?
You can! A&D sell it here: http://damnfinetea.com/
It’s a little expensive, but it’s good.
The Zen Tea Assam Mangalam Second Flush FTGFOP1 is an excellent Assam and a terrific value compared to A&D at $80/LB!
Yeah, there’s nothing wrong with it. It was an excellent introduction to Assam teas when I first starting drinking loose leaf. I just don’t enjoy it as much as I do the A&D one. (and not just bc of the pretty tin)
What do you like most about the flavor of the A&D compared with Zen Tea?
It’s been a while since I had them back to back, but I did a comparison earlier and this is what I wrote:
“So in summary, I think the Tiger Assam is preferable. Although I said I expected it to be stronger in my other post, it does taste stronger than the Zen Assam, while being slightly less astringent – both good things. Zen’s Assam is still good though – I’ll drink it on days where I don’t need quite as much kick.”
Cavocorax, Thanks for your comparison!
You’re welcome :D I should probably do an updated one sometime before I finish the Zen Assa, but that might not be fair since the A&D tea is brand new, and the Zen has been around for 9 months (sealed, but still?). Zen Tea is nice because they offer some really great sales so you can pick up a lot for a really good price.
thanks for the above discussion….I’ve ordered the tiger (as I got free shipping) and will find a reason to order from Zen as soon as I have a bit of spare change for tea again. Can’t wait to compare!
I hope you enjoy it! It seems to be a popular one so I’m sure I didn’t steer you wrong. :D
As long as it takes milk well, I doubt it will go to waste! I also ordered the ltd. spring Keemun from them…. Here’s hoping it’s interesting!
This morning I decided to use the last of this tea (which was roughly 10g) and make a large batch of just over 1 litre. Part of it was drank this morning with breakfast and a few cups were left over which became perfect for iced tea. It’s very nice actually, iced it has a wonderful musty/earthy tone that is stronger than when it’s hot. The fruity tones are also stronger when it’s iced.
It’s as smooth iced as it is hot and I’m sorry that I didn’t try this sooner.
Lately, I’ve been choosing my tea of the morning by reading Steepster notes, if I crave it after reading the note and it’s in my cupboard, that’s what I have.
This morning, you’re my choice, kitty! This is delicious and i have just enough left for a nice pot too, thanks :-)
A cup of assam in the morning sure is a good way to start!
Agreed!
This is my first cup today. Earlier, I just wasn’t feeling very good so I went back to bed and slept a couple of hours and I feel much better now. I am one of those people that if they don’t get the required amount of sleep, I start feeling really sick with Flu-like symptoms. Achy, cold-sweats, and feeling nauseous… and that’s just exactly how I felt this morning. I hope my body gets accustomed soon to the change of sleep patterns due to school starting up again.
Anyway, on to tea! It’s been a while (at least a week!) since I’ve had a really good Assam, so when this sample arrived today from Zen Tea I jumped all over it, deciding this would be the tea to start my day.
And it’s AWESOME! Deliciously rich. Sweet with caramel-like undertones. Delicious malt notes and an amazing creaminess to it. One of the nicest Assam teas I have ever had. It isn’t bitter, but then, I did take precautions to avoid it by steeping it in 200°F water instead of a full boil and steeping for just 2 minutes in my Breville One-Touch. This rendered the perfect cup of tea. LOVE this!
Sorry about the no-sleep wearies. (I crawl around with a wicked headache when I don’t get my usual ration.) Creamy and malt sounds beautiful.
@gmathis: that happens to me too, if it accumulates. Like if I go for a few days with not getting enough sleep each day … I get a horrible migraine. UGH! Fortunately though, I’ve come to recognize my symptoms, even if I don’t realize it right away. When I crawled back in bed, I mumbled to my husband who was getting ready for work that I didn’t feel well, and told him I thought I was getting the flu. Because that’s exactly what it feels like to me. And I think that somewhere in my head, I knew that it was actually that I needed some sleep, but, my brain wasn’t working so out came “flu”. Now after just a couple of hours of rest I feel like 100% better.
Yeah same here LiberTEAS I wonked myself out by not taking proper care of myself so have been lethargic and just feeling stupid for a few days now.
Hope you get better soon!
Thanks Azzrian… I really feel a lot better than I did this morning. I just could not sleep last night, I don’t know why. It wasn’t like I was “alert” or anything (like maybe I had too much caffeine), it was more like I just couldn’t get comfortable no matter how much I tried to.
I very much enjoyed Assam Mangalam Second Flush FTGFOP1 by Zen Tea: http://steepster.com/looseTman/posts/164482#comments
What are the differences between Zen Tea’s Assam Mangalam Second Flush FTGFOP1 and No 49 Assam FTGFOP1 by SST?
http://steepster.com/LiberTEAS/posts/104708#comments
Which tea is your current King of Assam teas?
At this point, I would have to say that the Tiger Assam from A&D Damn Fine Teas is right up there with the finest Assam: http://steepster.com/LiberTEAS/posts/142885
It is difficult for me to compare the Zen Tea’s Assam and the SST Assam because it’s been a while since I’ve had the SST. I don’t usually keep the teas on hand for very long … I’m more of a taster than one who lingers over one tea for very long. I wish I could be of more help to you!
I haven’t tried the Mangalam, but I LOVE Tiger AND #49 both!!
Thank you both! Sounds like I’ll have to try both Tiger AND #49.
thank you for sharing this one with me Cavocorax it’s pretty tasty :) I had a weeeeee bit of licorice taste still in my infuser lol but i can taste the malty deliciousness of this one. Not a bad offering from Zen. It won’t replace any of my current favourites but it would do in a pinch!
It was the first Assam I’d had so for that it holds a special place in my heart : not so much in my cupboard.
hahaha
I actually kind of liked this one. Which are your favourite Assams, Sil and/or Cavo?
(Tiger Assam.)
LOL. I love Butiki’s Khongea Golden Tippy Assam.
Ha! Yes, Tiger Assam is wonderful. Agreed. I haven’t tried that one from Stacy, I don’t think. I need to order all of her Assams next time.
Do it! They are so good. Expensive, but good. Most “breakfast” teas are assam based, and I love most of them. :)
Yeah, I really love Butiki’s Caramel Vanilla and Premium Taiwanese Assams. They’re amazing. But so is the Tiger Assam. I’m not choosing between those. I want them all.
Ah, see, I didn’t care for the caramel vanilla Assam, but I have a feeling it was the flavouring that was weirding me out.
It’s a super mild Assam. Very sweet, very little bite. I really like it, as I find most Assams, brewed the way I want them to be, need some milk or something in them. They’re my “instead of coffee” tea.
as far as assams go…hard to pick a favourite as they have unique tastes depending on the region. I love tiger assam but then there are a couple from stacy i love and they are wildly different. i also quite like the taiwan tea crafts assams, which are different still, but more similar to stacy’s taiwanese assam
Thanks to Cavocorax for the sample! I just finished drinking a whole jug of cold brew, so a hot tea is muchly needed.
This is one mightily bold Assam. Maybe one of the most robust ones that I’ve had to date. Very dark and malty. This calls for some half and and half because I feel like something more desserty right now.
This one is so, so good with the cream. My mom always talks about the old-fashioned malts that she used to get in high school with her classmates, kind of like what Archie and the gang would have at Pop’s, and this is what I’d imagine those malts to taste like, except cold and thick like a milkshake. Wow, you know how awesome an Assam ice cream would be? Häagen Dazs ought to tackle that concept.
I had tea ice cream in Japan. It was AMAZING, although about $6 for about 1/4 cup…
Wow, that’s steep. Was it black tea? I’ve had green tea ice cream a few times but never really thought of black tea ice cream until now.
I think we chose Earl Grey. :) 3 of us shared it because $$$.
Day 4 of Little Terri’s Sipdown Extravaganza is well under way! Yay!
I started the day with 297 teas!! I’m back under 300, people! :)
Thanks to Cavocorax for this tasty Assam!
Woohoo! Now maybe you can get your total number of teas down by 20 each month? :P
I can help you get back over 300….
These posts read sorta like the good angel/bad angel of Terri’s shoulder. :P
I’m just jealous because 11+ hours work days mean I’m totally not close to 200 anymore….oh and teavivre arrived today…if I have time to go get it from the post offices
I love you guys! Have it said that before?
I can’t believe I’ve done nothing but sipdowns for 4 days, but it feels good to be getting rid of odds & ends!
Yay, TeaVivre!
i’m back at 229 sigh + teavivre + verdant on their way (not to mention teas for me with jenn and terri and the traveling tea boxes)
229 is better than 250!!
i suppose..but im currently looking at teas in ottawa, montreal and possibly online lol
LOL, I have several teapages open…trying to keep myself under control!!!
I’m not familiar with Assam teas on their own, although they’re in quite a few flavoured and breakfast blends I’ve had. I thought trying this and Butiki’s Taiwanese Assam would help me understand what “Assam” means, but the two teas are different, both in geography and taste. At least I know a little bit more than I originally did, but that doesn’t say much.
I really enjoyed this tea and every time I drank it I noticed something different. It’s fun for myself to note that I never would’ve liked this tea a year ago; it’s the mouth drying astringency that I’ve warmed up to recently.
I enjoyed drinking this with and without milk as both emphasized and curbed different things in the tea. Without milk, it really drove home that this is a full bodied tea with a kick, with a good dose of malt and astringency and a touch of dried fruit. I often had it like that for early mornings, when I needed something to wake me up.
I chose to drink it with milk today as I didn’t want to deal with the astringency (ok, so I haven’t quite warmed up to it). I guess it’s common sense that milk brings out cream but this gets really creamy! It’s like the difference between milk in a Cream of Earl Grey versus milk in a normal Earl Grey- it multiplies the creaminess instead of just adding cream. I don’t know how else to put it without sounding even sillier.
The cream is good but my favourite part of this tea is its quiet sweetness. It’s a “brown” sweetness- like raisins, maple syrup, or dates. The dry leaf and now empty cup smell of raisins and cocoa and the lingering aftertaste is fruity dark chocolate.
Finishing off the last of this sample this morning. This is a nice strong morning tea. I wish I had time to make some pancakes to go along with this one. It really makes me think of hot maple syrup.
I steeped the leaves again this time for four minutes, threw it in a tumbler with half and half and sugar and plan to take it to work with me. I need some energy this morning! I just have to get through today and I have two days off. I plan to spend them with some pu-erh…
On another note, I think today is going to be the day I’ll put up my beloved Christmas tree. It’s almost time to get out all the Christmas decorations for the rattie cage too.
http://flic.kr/p/dtgFMz -—- A picture of my Fintan when he was just a little baby! Isn’t he just a ham?
Oh my gosh! That needs to be an illustration in a Christmas book!
Oh my what big feet he has like a Hobbit! You need to get him boots!
Awww thanks ashmanra…I’m a little bit biased =)
Bonnie I wish I could knit or something I’ve always wanted to make them all sweaters! Boots would be pretty cute too! I love those big silly feet…
Little felted wool boots would be adorable! LOL!
Creamy, malty, fruity… it is, it is! This is a super tasty Assam. And this is a super lame tasting note. Just don’t have much complex to say about this one. It’s a great tasting cup.
My! what an ordeal! Now stay in one place, for heaven’s sake!
LOL (sorry!). Hope you’re OK! :-)
Keychange, i’m standing still!!!
Caile, «LOL» to say the least! Too bad there wasn’t a camera on me, i would have posted it here. I’m ok thanks :-)
i’m glad you’re okay…
When I loose kibble, or cereal. .heh, really anything that lands on the floor for that matter. . .Ive learned my lesson to tend to it immediately. I have four dogs who always show up, but I bark a really loud “HEY!” at them, so I can get to the dropped items first. However, I have managed to slip on my one dog’s drool a few times. Usually I have to put him outside while i prepare food (he never drools except at food time and its a LOT of drool. yuck!!). But sometimes he thinks its food time when its not, and I don’t notice, until I slip on it. :)
Thanks Cryptickoi, just a little sore!
Caile, yay for preserving the tea at any cost, right? Paraplegic, but tea fortunate!!
Shelly, i have only one dog and he’s a neat freak and so obedient! i’m very surprised he did this!
Wow, guess you have to be organized with 4 dogs in the house! (I have a few cats also). But as much as I love him, I don’t think I could handle another dog. ( maybe the fact that he’s the size of a giraffe has something to do with that lol)
I have cats too. Its a zoo, I need to be in control. haha. My dogs are all spaniels 12-20lb. As for giraffe dogs, I don’t think I could afford to feed more than one of those regardless of what my patience can handle :D
Omg.. lol.. I’m sorry! Well, I’m glad you’re ok and the tea is safe. :)
Ouch, I hope you are not feeling too sore. So, now that you have had time to think, was the tea worth it? :)
Well roughage, I’ve consulted the tooshie, and all is find, was totally worth it. Not the tea’s fault. Must reevaluate my storage abilities, why such a favourite was kept so out of reach to begin with?
I’m so glad you’re ok!
Ouch! Glad you are OK & that your tasty tea was spared as well.
I’m so sorry for your day!
Thanks guys, I’m ok, really, thank god the rest of my day was better :-)
:(( Boooo glad you are ok, be careful, sometimes the hurts show up the next day. Relax and drink some tea.
Thanks Dex, i will :-)