Today, we have decided to enjoy our new 1st flush Assam Langharjan SFTGFOP 1 (Special Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe – the highest grade in India) and share this blog post with you.
“Langhori” means small river “Jan” mean small stream this greatly resonates with the size of the leaf (also small, LOL).
As we brew the kettle up to 96 degree Celsius, we have carefully measured 3g of this single estate, pure black tea from the upper Assam region of India. We like our tea strong so even if our tiny teapot is super small we use 3grams of tea. This gave us about 4-5 brews which is a great amount of strong tea to have to save the middle of the day. The tea leaves are beautiful; small, slim and dark burgundy in colour with a plenty of golden tips. It smells like a biscuits dipped in melted dark cherry-chocolate.
We poured the liquid to the pitcher and were amazed by the superbly bright forest honey-like colour... so vivid and deep and beautiful to look at. The aroma is combo of honey & lemon. The taste is sweet and rounded and quite bold, great for neutralising your palate. Notes of cherry wood, honey & biscuits came through first, followed by cocoa and malt, finished by citrus astringency and textured, warm cinnamon spice.
Pure delight if you want something simple and easy for the day. I'd recommend to get a small yixing or clay teapot to enjoy this tea as the clay will enhance the earthy notes of this beautiful Assam tea.
A little more about Assams?
In the far north east corner of India lies Assam and it's plantations scattered along the Brahmaputra River which starts in Tibet. The river valley receives more rainfall per annum than any other location on earth. Teas from here are known for their depth of flavour, heavy & malty body. Historically, Assam teas were considered in the west for milk teas or as a base tea for English tea blends, but there are some 1st flushes which are full of flavour and are totally wonderful to enjoy plan as they come.
