What a nice treat to meet an Indian gentleman (tea) like Assam Mangalam!
Gentle, deep voiced, hearty and full of warmth, this is a good follow-up to some tasting sessions of things too sweet for me, and I welcome this Assam into my home.
Dark leaves with reddish tips, warm rich color, scents of rich chocolate, malt and a little pepper during the later steeps.
This is a tea to brew in a larger vessel, not a tiny gaiwan, I used a 'large' seven ounce pot with 3 grams of tea, very full-bodied but not a hint of bitterness to be found. I can see this tea being enjoyed with milk and sugar but as for me? Who needs it!
This particular Assam from the Mangalam Estate is from Zen Tea and I find their description perfectly fitting;
Golden tips evoke the hot sun of the early June Second Flush Harvest. One of finest producers in the 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.
FTGFOP1: highest quality grade (Note: A number 1 at the end to indicate the very finest), often hand processed and produced at only the best plantations, roughly one quarter tips.
Origin : Mangalam, Assam, India
Grade : FTGFOP1(Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe 1)
Steep : 1 heaping tea measuring spoon(3g) per cup. Boiling water. 3 min.
This is also an organic tea which I appreciate as well as the visually fine quality of the leaves.
Creamy and delicious, I will now be going back to see how many steeps I can get before he moves on from my mouth and into my memory! Luckily for me, the sample was over seven grams so we can meet again, perhaps tonight, under the warm, Californian moonlight.
Zen Tea may no longer be in business after the pandemic so I am on the hunt for new suppliers of these sorts of wondrous elixirs!