Sunday, February 9, 2014

Tea At Sea, Mountain Organic Indonesian Black Tea

Tea At Sea Description:
Organic grown in the Halimun Mountains of Indonesia at 800m above Sea-Level. Treated with natural spring water and fresh mountain air. These fully oxidized tea leaves have a smoky aroma, rich smooth taste of rolled up buds. Steep at 100°C and watch how the leaves slowly unfold to extract their natural flavour. Enjoy!

Steep 1.5 – 2 tsp for 5-8 min or until the leaves are fully unfolded.

Sample provided by Tea At Sea

My Review:
Tea At Sea is a new to me company out of Canada. Recently they offered to let Steepster people try their tea in exchange for reviews. So I jumped right on the opportunity.

I received two samples in resealable packets, that is a really nice touch. There is 7g of tea in each colorful pouch - enough to make two cups. A tag is attached to the packet with a description and recommended steeping temperature. The time is not listed on the tag but is listed at 5-8 minutes on their website.

Removing the leaf reveals a dark brown leaf with bronze colored thread like streaks. Dry it is slightly fruity with a wood or bark type note. I used my press and boiling water. I only steeped 2 1/2 minutes as I always do the first time with black teas calling for longer brewing times. The tannins in assam type tea can cause me severe burning discomfort if I don't proceed cautiously.

The result is a light orange/brown liquor that is bright and clear. I am wondering if I should not have steeped longer. There is a light roasted hint to the wet leaf scent along with the dry notes and a hint of cinnamon.

The sip is light to medium bodied - again this may be due to my cautious brewing. It is nicely malty. I found it to be silky smooth and very pleasant with a wonderful fruity aftertaste. It did not cause any burning sensation from the tannins. I also did not notice any dryness from astringency. This takes sweetener well and from other reviews will also handle milk if you are so inclined. I very much enjoyed this tea.

One little nicety that Tea At Sea includes with each order is a cork sailboat like the one shown below. I have to be honest and admit this is the first thing I grabbed when opening the package. It was assembled in a moment and is now proudly displayed above my tea table. No it is not in a bottle. I have neither the patience or attention span - look a squirrel. This is my first Indonesian tea and my first cork sailboat. Thanks Tea At Sea!

From their about Page:
Tea At Sea is a Loose Leaf Tea company with offices in Vancouver & Montreal. All of our teas are sourced directly from tea farmers around the world, we never work with wholesalers or agents. This way we maintain a very small selection of teas but can guarantee their quality and freshness.

Visit the Tea At Sea website.


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