Given the peppy descriptors in this Assam from K Teas, I thought I'd have a cup on a sleepy morning when I needed to wake up but had a drag on from a late night in a beekeeping class I've been attending with my husband. I popped a heaped tablespoon of the short, lightly curled black leaves (and some tippy golden leaves in there, too) into our trusted breakfast tea pot and brewed the tea for four minutes with freshly boiled water.

After four minutes precisely, I poured out our cups. Nice and coppery red in color, I began to anticipate the sip even more as the pouring released a pleasant rush of malty sweetness.

I enjoyed this tea completely unsweetened, which is something of a new development for me when it comes to an Assam. However, this tea makes a fine candidate for that, though I expect it would take to sugar and milk as well quite nicely. This tea is a pleasant wake up tea. It's smooth overall, and there's a happy play of light astringency and perky maltiness in the taste. Bright and brisk, there are no surprises with this pleasant Assam. Tastewise, the cheery malty flavors you'd expect burst strongly on the scene and quickly fade to a clean and pleasing dry finish. No bitterness to the brew at all, you'll have a smooth and energizing kick start with K's Assam.

This tea would make a nice staple to have in the tea cupboard for times when you'd just like a straightforward, energizing cup of tea to wake up with. It's not the finest Assam has to offer, and you probably won't reach for it on a morning when you want something to savor, but it's just what you'd expect from the name. A good wake up and get to business cup!

— To purchase KTeas Assam Kick-Start, or for more specific information on ingredients or the story behind this particular tea, click here to go directly to the manufacturer's web site.

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