The perfect black tea to start the day with

I have always preferred milk tea to black tea. Black tea meant lemon tea to me. But of late I had been noticing that milk tea hadn’t left me feeling good. So I switched to black tea sometime back and fell in love with the form in little time. Not only that, I brought down the sugar in it, which added to the pleasure. Tea has a world of its own and exploring it in its different varieties is not possible with milk, I felt.

The comparison between Darjeeling tea and Assam tea, the two names closest to the mind of people in Bengal is a bit like Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. The basic difference, as all of us know, is that Darjeeling tea is about the flavour, while Assam is known for its strong brew. Each has its very own characteristics and superiority compared to teas produced anywhere in the world, hence has its own base of followers. And I believe since tea drinking, or for any drinking for that matter, is a personal choice, we shouldn’t compare greats and be content with our preferred tea- Assam or Darjeeling.  

I have always liked my tea strong. The kind made with a lot of milk and sugar and little tea has never been my thing. That’s why I don’t generally like the tea from a roadside tea stall. Hence my case rests with Assam tea.

Few days back I heard from James Warren Tea Ltd., a 150-year old co. making Assam tea. They wanted their new tea to be reviewed on this blog. It is a family-owned business with tea estates as old as the company, located in the south bank of Upper Assam. They say they are blessed with the finest tea gardens in the world. Two noticeable characteristics about their tea are that they make it single-origin and it is unblended, so one always gets the virgin taste. Also to retain maximum quality in the cup, they claim to do minimal processing of the tea.

I received a nice looking box packed with tea bags and a pack of tea.

I first tasted it in the morning, from a tea bag. I gave a full three minutes to the brewing. It came out perfect deep brown, with a light fragrance. And the first two sips told me it was a robust and full-bodied brew, just the kind I look for in my tea. It can give one the perfect pick-me-up during the day. They aptly call it ‘Tea as it should be’.

Those who prefer to take their tea with milk, and like it strong, should love it too. It makes good iced tea too and a recipe was given in the box. It is available on the brand’s website/ Facebook page.

Interesting to note, Assam 1860 doesn’t believe in the middlemen. So they have cut them out in the market and their 20000-strong team strives hard to bring the tea directly to the consumers, thereby keeping it fresher than other teas and affordable too.

The brand has a presence in social media including an active Facebook page, which I found pleasant to read.

Looking forward to continuing with the Assam 1860 experience.

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