Andrews & Dunham Damn Fine Tea

1.5 tsp for 300mL water @100C, steeped four minutes, drunk bare.

I love this Assam. I don’t know which estates it comes from, or how many different offerings are blended in here, and I don’t care. Shiny brown leaves with lots of tips. Good body and heft, maltiness without bitterness and some really good nuances. Wakes me up nicely, too, especially during tedious office work. I may have two servings left in my tin. I could easily see keeping Tiger around all the time. This tea is well worth the price, and Andrews and Dunham are a joy to do business with.

Ooops.

1.25 tsp, steeped, er, God knows how long forgotten on my desk (11+ minutes), drunk bare.

I noticed yesterday that a five-minute steep brought out bitterness in the Tiger, but there’s no bitterness today. What I’ve got here, in my covered mug, is a thick and creamy Assam concentrate that remains, somehow, gentle. Not bitter. Not malty enough to strip paint (though there is a lovely pucker), and nowhere near acidic enough to upset my stomac, as some stronglybrewed black teas will. Floral and plum notes round out a chewy liquor that may well keep me awake through the night. A&D are correct; this one forgives a long steep. This is a really good Assam, mellow and easy-going, and well worth the price.

1.25 tsp for 250mL water @100C, drunk bare, steeped 4 minutes.

I’ve had a hell of a week. A chronic illness has been seriously bullying me since last Saturday; my writing is a hard slog; the dayjob took every drop of blood out of me; I needed to get groceries on the way home; I arrived home late, supper-less, grumpy, and in a muck sweat, put away the groceries, then did a good half hour of heavy cleaning in the basement. Done that, I was in a foul temper.

And then I saw a rock band (Caravan) and a tiger on my dining room table.

Things are looking up.

The dry leaf is dark and rich-looking, with only the occasional fleck of amber. The leaves are long and smell damp-earthy for an Assam, but in a very good way. The liquor is reddish-brown, almost as reddish as a good Keemun. Aroma is winy rather than malty, with some cocoa and plum notes. Medium to heavy body, smooth mouthfeel, mineral start and finish with sweet malt and again, a slightly winey finish. A really good Assam — though I long for the Captain (ahem). Some surprising but pleasing buttery notes as I get further down the cup. Some malty pucker, too.

Tiger Assam is restoring my good will. Seriously, I’ve got this tea-dork smile on. And I got a button to put on my jacket with my order.

It really has been forever and a day since my last tasting note, but that’s what having chirrins will do to ya lol.

I’m almost completely out of my supply of this one. SO GOOD. I iced it this time, didn’t really change the flavor. I used Agave nectar in Amber with it, and it made it taste really woodsy.

THANKS TO ANDREWS AND DUNHAM DAMN FINE TEA for this sample!!!!!
NOW that’s a good cuppa tea. Rivaling coffee, it’s strong strong strong! Love it! Deep dark black tea taken with three sugars, bold and heavy, with a note of tobacco smoke. Arrrrrr, matey.

This is a great basic Assam tea. It is malty and light. You can brew it dark if you wish or you can brew it light. Great tea! I’m going to miss it.

Backlogging.

I drink this tea more often than I record it. This is a sturdy, dependable black tea. It isn’t bitter or astringent. I like to add this to my own homemade chai.

Tune:Dave Mathews and Tim Reynolds-Eh Hee

Today is exceptionally damp and chilly, a real seashore sort of morning. Perfect for finally breaking open this bold Assam! Even at three and a half minutes this is quite strong and enough to shake the sleep from me. The initial flavor is old amber, woody with carob and a sharp port call of a finish. It has a refreshing aroma of peat moss and old books. I don’t need yancha every day, so I’ll see how many misty mornings I can make this treasure last.

I finished this all up today! This was a huge paint can full of tea! Delicious! This is a nice basic white tea. Obviously at the end of the tin are all the tiny crushed up leaves, so the brew wasn’t nearly as good as when this tin was first opened.

I opened this tea up about a month or two ago. It has been a blazingly hot summer so far, so all I’ve been drinking is cold-brewed tea or coffee. This one tastes very refreshing when cold. This last batch I made, I mixed this Bai Mu Dan with a pinch of Adagio’s peppermint. Delicious! The crisp, green and slightly floral tones mixed with the peppermint quenches my thirst. This is great! I’ve made this about 3 times already!

Thank you LiberTEAS for this sample!

What a nice black tea! I find it being a little more toned down black, but it certainly produces a very nice flavor (whatever the 5 teas may be).

There is a little smokiness along with malty and subtle sweet notes. At times, I could promise there is a touch of cinnamon and cream added to these leaves. Even after allowing the leaves to steep slightly longer, the liquid is still very smooth with little to no dry bitterness. It’s nice to have such diversity in one cup!

I’m certain this tea suits my taste just fine, so I’ve chosen to remove the seasonal implications and remind myself everyday is a special day with a delightful cup of tea at hand.

My husband still sleeps, and the morning light is golden. So I felt like something magical but simple. I brewed up some Mermaid’s Kiss in my birdy teacup (there’s a bird perched on the top of the handle, and the saucer is shaped like a leaf). While it steeped for 5 minutes, I spun on a drop spindle. When I stepped back to remove the leaves, they had unfurled so prettily. All green and tender. The liquor is a lovely light honey yellow. A hint of floral scent…

It tastes light and pleasant all by itself. I did not add sweetener or creamer this morning. It’s a simple morning, and doesn’t need it.

An all around magical mood calls for mermaids.

Oh dear. I’m starting to get to the bottom of this tin. I definitely haven’t logged all the times I’ve drank this!

I made some blueberry cheesecake muffins from a mix for an afternoon snack, and this is quite a good match.