Name: Mangalam Assam FTGFOP1
Brand: Joy’s Teaspoon
Type: Black tea
Form: Loose leaf
Price: $17.99 for 2 ounces
Review: Yes, I am still on my Assam kick, and this is another good one. The leaf is chocolate brown with a decent amount of gold tip. It infuses to a medium bodied, red-orange liquor in the cup and has a nose of fruit, tobacco and an difficult-to-place freshness. This tea has been well cared for.
While Mangalam Assam FTGFOP1 works just fine with food (like most Assams, it makes a great breakfast tea) it is smooth enough to sip on its own. I love its classic malty notes and balanced astringency. This is a nice cuppa for any season and it reminds this Chinese tea partisan that Indian teas can be mighty good in their own right.
My one quibble with this tea is its price: While there are some significant price breaks for buying larger quantities, $17.99 for 2 ounces is a tad high.
Affiliate Links in this Post?: No
Sample Supplied by Retailer?: Yes
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Following up on your earlier blog about price, I have had some very good Assams for much less than this. I would consider paying a high price like this for an, Assam but it would have to be pretty outstanding. “Good” wouldn’t cut it…there are so many good Assams for about a third this price.
My favorite Assam yet is actually a lot lower-priced than this; it was from Upton Tea Imports, Koilamari Estate GFBOP. Unfortunately, they no longer carry it. All the one-time batches that are unusually good or unusually low-priced keep tea interesting though! =)
I am an avid Joy’s Teaspoon follower and like this review!
I have sipped this tea as well and love it
So smooth but strong, sometimes those things do not go hand in hand. It is a more expensive tea which is why I rebrew a single bag multiple times. It resteeps well.
Also, I like that you state whether the retailer has provided the sample. Some blogs it is hard to know where the product is coming from or why it is being reviewed. Yours is just a small addition but I like seeing it