Review: TeaGschwendner Assam Ananda

Jun 30

Review: TeaGschwendner Assam Ananda

1 Tea Brands, Assam Tea, Black Tea, Irish Breakfast Tea, Irish Tea, TeaGschwendner Add comments

Patty’s Teaview Snapshot

"This is no wimpy tea, but just when you think it is heading into tannic bitterness it settles into deep and gentle sweetness, without sacrificing any of its stand up character."

Patty’s Teaview:	7.1/10
Other Teaviews:	Steven gave it 5/10, Cindy gave it 7/10, Dan gave it 5.0/10, Jamie gave it 7.5/10
Your Reviews:	Add your review »

teagschwendnerassamananda "Ananda translates to bliss--a state of mind that this charming blend of Assam teas delivers to each drinker. The early summer harvest offers a rich and malty mahogany cup of classic character." -- from the TeaGschwendner website

TeaGschwendner is a premier professional company and their website reflects their reputation for quality. Lots of information, lots of beautiful teas and accessories. Just a fun website to go play and learn on. I'm always happy to sample a TeaGschwendner tea.

So, I've been looking forward to this tea for several reasons. I love Assams; they were the first quality loose teas I sought out after learning that they were the foundation for my favored Irish breakfast blends. And, I have to admit to a preference for second flush teas. The sturdiness of the summer growth provides more foundation for the flavors to dance upon, whatever the variety. It just makes for a fuller and rounder flavor profile.

And this is a flavorful tea. The dry leaf isn't anything glamorous, small, wiry, deepest brown and dark black. Still, the aroma from my small sample was bigger than the bag containing it. A good malty and toasty Assam, this is a tea of substance. So, two teaspoons to 16 ounces of 212 filtered water, steeped for 5 minutes in my IngenuiTEA. Sweetened, no milk.

Again, malty, toasty, with a sweet undertone that brightens the cup. It's June as I write this, but we're having an unheard of cloudy and cool spell. Just perfect for this beautiful, coppery, bracing tea. Another aspect is very present for me, more a matter of texture and character - this tea is buttery, not exactly, but the only word I can come up with.

This is no wimpy tea, but just when you think it is heading into tannic bitterness it settles into deep and gentle sweetness, without sacrificing any of its stand up character. The aftertaste is sweet, buttery, malty, toasty, everything I've already said; the taste stays with you long after you've finished the cup.

And still the memory lingers, and pulls me out to the kitchen for a second steeping. I'm emboldened into a whole wheat PBJ to go along with this; I guess a California version of high tea. The second go-round is flavorful, but isn't as full-bodied as the first. Still, I think 3-4 minutes would have been fine for the first and left a bit more for the second. I'm already looking forward to finding out.

At almost $11 for 100g, or $26 for just over a half pound, this really doesn't fit into a starving student's budget. A couple of dollars less would have earned it another couple tenths of a point. Still, it's a fair price for what would be a great morning wake up call or afternoon bracer. I'd call it a super choice for an every day Assam.

— To purchase TeaGschwendner Assam Ananda, or for more specific information on ingredients or the story behind this particular blend, click here to go directly to the manufacturer's web site.