Assam Special Reserve Tea and Premium Teas
Assam Tippy Tea tin and in two glasses
Assam Tippy Tea in a glass
Assam Tippy Tea 2-3 loose leaf
Assam Special Reserve Tea
Assam Special Reserve Tea
Assam Tippy Tea tin
  • SKU: ASRT01

Assam Special Reserve Tea

Our hand plucked, whole leaf, single origin, tippy Assam black tea has a superb mouthfeel akin to a fine brandy. Savor rich and complex notes of honey, malt, biscuit, oak bark, orchard fruits, cacao. A truly distinguished choice for the connoisseur.

Each 1.06 oz Tin contains approximately 10-12 servings. Depending on steeping method, each serving can yield 2-3 cups, for a total of 20-30 cups per tin.

$13.00
Shipping calculated at checkout.
Sivasagar, Assam

Origin

Sivasagar, Assam

Season - First and second  (spring and summer)

Season

First and second (spring and summer)

Altitude - 300 ft

Altitude

300 ft

Cultivar - P-126

Cultivar

P-126

Card image cap

Tea Type

Whole leaf black tea

Indulge in the Luxurious Complexity of Assam Black Tea

Assam's teas exhibit a diverse and intricate range of flavors with malty notes, yet not all of them capture the essence of fine, aged brandy. This whole leaf black tea from the Sivasagar district of Assam certainly does. Boasting a bright amber hue, a luxurious mouthfeel, and an array of subtle notes including honey, malt, cacao, oak, smoke, and stone fruit, each sip of this tea unfolds into a smooth and perfectly balanced experience with a wonderful aftertaste. As you steep a cup, raise it to toast to the picturesque North-East Indian hills, the birthplace of this exceptional tea.

Our selection of this unique Assam Special Reserve tea stems from its status as a premium loose leaf black tea, distinguished by its unparalleled quality. This exceptionally smooth, harmoniously balanced tea is suitable for indulgence during both morning and afternoon moments. It stands as one of our favorites, embodying excellence in every aspect. Cheers!

Dry leaves

Long dark chocolate rolled leaves with golden buds with cacao, honey, grass, and floral aromas.

Wet leaves

Coppery leaves with sweet aromas of honey, black currant, wine, freshly baked dinner rolls, and chocolate chip cookies.

Tea liquor

Translucent with an amber color and a sweet, malty aroma. The Tippy Assam black tea is medium-full bodied with a rich mouthfeel mineral texture, mainly sweet, with a mild sour and bitter taste, minimal astringency, and a lasting aftertaste. Beautiful notes of brandy, honey, malt, oak, raisin, stone fruits, cacao, and smoke are experienced throughout the cup.

Tasting Profile

Fruity - raisin, plum, cherry, peach, dried mango
Sweet - Honey, malt, biscuit
Woody - oak
Fermented - brandy
Fire - smoke
Nutty & Milky - cacao

Caffeine Level

Caffeine Level Caffeine Level Caffeine Level Caffeine Level

High-Moderate

How To Make The Tippy Assam Tea

Steeping Instructions

Western Style

Number of infusions per 2.5 g serving: 4-5

1
Quantity
Quantity

2.5 gms of tea (use a digital scale)

2
Temperature
Temperature

120-150 ml (4-5 fl-oz) or 1/2 - 2/3rd cup of water at 90°C - 99°C (or 195°F - 210°F)

3
Steeping Time
Steeping Time
  • 1st infusion:1-2 minutes
    Pour and enjoy
  • 2nd infusion:45 seconds - 1 minute
  • 3rd infusion:45 seconds - 1 minute

Chaiwala tips if you want to add milk:

  • Boil 1 cup of water (8 fl-oz or 240 ml) at 212°F (100°C)
  • Add 2.5 g of Tippy tea and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
  • Strain into a cup or teapot.
  • Add a dash of milk and sugar if desired. Enjoy!

Gongfu Style

This Assam black tea works great for the gongfu method of steeping as it helps coax out all the subtle flavors.

1
Quantity
Quantity

We recommend 5 gm of tea

2
Temperature
Temperature

100 ml water (approximate 10-20 ml of water per 1 gm of tea) at 85°C - 90°C (or 185°F - 195°F).

3
Steeping Time
Steeping Time
  • Steep the tea for 10s, 15s, 20s, 30s, 45s, and then maybe a minute each time until it loses flavor.

More on: What Do You Need To Steep Tea?

Assam

Origin

Where your Assam black tea comes from

Golden-green rice fields, thick forests, manicured tea estates surrounded by blue hills, green valleys, and a red river, Assam is the largest Northeastern state in India. Situated just below the eastern Himalayan foothills, it stretches along the Brahmaputra River. This Tippy tea comes from the Sivasagar district from Aideobarie tea estate by the banks of the river Teok. 'Teok' means – 'The place of milk and ghee' in Tai.

Benefits of Assam Black Tea

The Tippy Assam black tea offers a delightful blend of flavor and health benefits. Packed with antioxidants, black may help boost immunity, improve cardiovascular, neurological health, and enhance focus. Additionally, black tea supports digestion and may aid in weight management making it an excellent choice for those seeking a delicious and healthy daily brew.

Read more about the Chronicles of Assam Black Tea, a one-of-a-kind malty, black tea that is produced in Assam.

Meet

Chaiwala Rhino

Hunted for its horn, the one horned rhinos were almost extinct, with less than 200 left by the end of the 19th century. Conservation efforts have revived their population and brought their worldwide numbers to around 3,000 now — the bulk of them in Kaziranga, Assam.

Chaiwala Rhino

Customer Reviews

Based on 2 reviews
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G
Gail Sample

Assam Special Reserve Tea

N
Nicole
Perfect

Just a gorgeous tea. It has everything I want from an Assam and more. Deeply malty and warming.

Tea-riffic Q&A Sips

Our Assam Special Reserve is also known as a tippy tea as it has abundant, beautiful oxidized golden buds which give it a sweet, delicate and smooth experience.

This is a beautiful loose leaf black tea that has wonderful aromas and flavors. It is lovely by it self or with a dash of milk and sugar. It definitely has strong malty and bold notes expected from an Assam tea but it is smooth as it is a whole leaf tea and steeps beautifully.

Assam Special Reserve can be enjoyed as is and provide a wake me up cup in the morning, or a peaceful respite in the afternoon. It can also be enjoyed with traditional Indian snacks like samosas, pakoras and bhujiya or with cookies, cheese & crackers or delicate afternoon sandwiches. A perfect afternoon tea experience!

Yes our Assam Special Reserve is wonderful steeped hot or iced.

All teas should be stored in an airtight container away from sunlight in a cool dry place. Our beautiful tins with unique artwork are a perfect way to keep the tea fresh and flavorful. All our black teas age wonderfully and preserve the flavors.

Our single origin Assam Special Reserve black tea is sourced from a small tea farm in the Sivasagar district in Assam.

Yes, we work directly with tea growers across India and personally select their best batches.

We focus on creating strong partnerships with farmers across India and personally selecting their best batches. Our teas are single origin, small batch, and directly sourced with a focus on flavor, season, and terroir. Our loose-leaf teas are all high quality with nuanced aromas and flavors, excellent for gongfu steeping or Western style steeping.

Unlike commodity teas or other Indian tea companies, which often sell broken teas, we offer whole leaf teas. When steeped, whole leaf teas provide a wonderful taste and flavor without the astringency and bitterness that comes with steeping broken teas.

We are tea sommeliers with strong connections to farmers across India. We select single origin, single batch, directly sourced teas with a focus on flavor, terroir, and season. By eliminating the middleman, we ensure that our teas are fresh, often weeks to months old, compared to commodity teas which can be years old.

Our focus on whole leaf teas ensures wonderful aromas and flavors that you will enjoy. Our customers enjoy our teas and we often hear from tea connoisseurs, “we did not enjoy Indian teas as much until we tried the exceptional teas offered by Herbs & Kettles.”

Our teas are farm fresh and packed at origin. We work with tea farmers who use organic farming methods and ensure that their tea workers are treated fairly, helping to uplift the entire community.

By working directly with tea farmers and maintaining strong partnerships, we eliminate the middleman. Our regional loose leaf teas are packed at origin, ensuring farm-to-cup freshness.

We purchase new lots every year, and our teas are often air mailed to us rather than shipped by ocean, ensuring they are weeks or months old instead of years old which is often a problem with grocery stores or commodity teas. We recommend trying it for yourself to appreciate the freshness and quality of our teas.

Yes, we share our passion for high quality Indian teas by offering seasonal and limited edition teas such as Darjeeling Yanki Red Oolong and Meghalaya Silver Needle. We buy new lots every year ensuring that each tea retains farm to cup freshness and also select new interesting teas for our collection.

Tea lovers may enjoy our premium subscription box - Herbs & Kettles Fine Tea Club, which includes fantastic, seasonal, limited batch teas that are often only weeks old, air mailed directly from our farm partners.

If you're looking for a Darjeeling tea based on the season or flush, we've chosen them with extreme care to ensure that each batch is exceptional and the best of the season.

For those who enjoy malty Assam teas, we have a premium collection, including innovative batches like Assam GABA and Assam Smoked Melody. Our Nilgiri Frosted teas are divine, and we also offer teas from lesser-known regions such as Meghalaya and Sikkim.

Additionally, we carry wild teas from Manipur and Nagaland in the extreme northeastern region of India, close to Yunnan. Can't decide? We offer tea samples to help you find your favorite teas.

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