Review: Mangalam Assam
This is a gorgeous, striking and very elegant tea which packs a punch. It has a full body and an intense flavor which is bright, full and round. It’s not heavy as to be overwhelming. This tea could be had by itself, as a jolt of pick-me-up, or taken with milk and sugar to soften and round out its taste.
According to the Joy’s Teaspoon site, this is a TGFOP1 Assam. As I wrote about in an earlier post, black teas use a special grading system based on the size and quality of their leaves. All this translates to the meaning that this excellent tea and high-quality tea is a Top Quality Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe.
Joy’s Teaspoon’s Description:
This Assam is of prime quality! Our Assam Mangalam is a carefully processed tea with large leaves and lots of golden tips. It tastes very deliciously malty and richly spicy. The color is dark amber.
Tasting Notes
Brewing Instructions
Steep at 203-212 F for 4-5 minutes. Use 1 teaspoon of tea for each 6 oz. serving.
For this tasting, I steeped at 212F for 5 minutes.
Appearance
I absolutely love the way this tea looks. It is striking, bold and elegant. The dry leaves are composed of large, spindly black and dark brown tendrils, with the tips set off by a luxuriously bright gold. They smell woodsy and dark, like a walk through the forest during a damp spring season.
The liquor from the tea matches the elegant look of the leaves, and is a dark and gleaming honey gold.
The steeped tea leaves expand to almost twice their original size. They are a rich chocolate brown and smells roasted and woodsy.
Taste
Steeped at 5 minutes with boiling water, the taste is rich and deep as promised by the leaves. It has a full body and an intense flavor which is bright, full and round. It’s not heavy as to be overwhelming. This tea could be had by itself, as a jolt of pick-me-up, or taken with milk and sugar to soften and round out its taste.
Pricing & Where to Buy
Pack Size: 2.0 oz tin
Price per unit: $17.99
This tea can be purchased on the Joy’s Teaspoon website here.
