Tea Review: Golden Assam (The Jasmine Pearl)

Golden Assam

The Jasmine Pearl
Type: Black
Origin: India
Product Description:

Golden Assam is a tippy, orthodox black tea with a spicier note on the tip of the tongue and deeper, richer smoothness than our traditional Assam. It offers a brisk, full-bodied brew with a very mild astringency. This tea is perfect for enjoying as a self-drinker or mixed with a bit of cream, allowing for its natural malty flavor, complimented by hints of vanilla to really shine.

 

This tea is grown in the Dinjoye Tea Estate, located in the Dibrugarh district of the northeastern Indian state of Assam. Dinjoye was the first tea plantation to be planted by an a native Indian during the colonial period and has nearly a century of expertise in growing high quality teas. Golden Assam is a Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe Superior (FTGFOP1) and won second place at the Global Tea Championship in 2017. It is made exclusively from the finest plucked tips of the tea plant and features black leaves with hints of gold and pale yellow.

Temperature: 208° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 2-3 minutes

The dry leaves have an aroma of sweet grapes with nutty and wood notes.

The liquor is bright red with an aroma of stone fruit, malt, berries, and a hint of brown sugar.  The taste is moderately astringent, malty, and fruity with a sweet fruity finish.

This had the bold body I expect from an Assam and the fruity notes that I associate with tippy teas added a nice layer of depth.  While the fullest flavor is in the first two infusions, a third infusion was still quite enjoyable.  Steeping for 3 or more minutes brings out the astringency for those who prefer a robust cup of tea.  I found that steeping for 2 minutes produced the best results for my preferences with the berry notes being more pronounced.  

This tea review was written in 2021. This tea was provided as a free sample without guarantee of a review.