Tea India Assam Black Tea, CTC Loose Leaf, 2 lb

Great tea, especially for the price. It’s by far the strongest tea I’ve encountered. Best way to adjust strength and astringency (bitterness) is steeping temperature. My first pot was at rolling boil and steeped for 3 minutes, its was stiff. Definitely what I would recommend if you’re planning on adding milk and sugar. If you like to drink tea straight up like I do, let the water cool down to 150-160 degrees Fahrenheit, and let steep for 5-10 minutes. It completely took away the bitterness and left a still strong, dark, malty tea. Absolutely delicious! Definitely recommend. Be aware, it’s CTC, not whole loose leaf. People in the comments don’t seem to understand the difference. CTC is naturally stronger. 1 teaspoon per cup of water is plenty.

I was a bit nervous about ordering a 2 lb. packet of tea, but the price was so tempting that I threw caution to the winds, and now I'm so glad I did. At less than half the price of the UK blends I've been ordering, this large sack will go a long way, even when I'm making 1-2 quarts of tea at a time. I opened the bag and immediately portioned it out into Mason jars for long-term storage, and there wasn't an excessive amount of dust. For my first pot, I used 5 level teaspoons of tea and enough boiling water to fit a Bodum caffetière without the plunger (about 1 litre), allowed it to brew for a long time (might have been 1 hour? it was still fairly warm), then carefully poured off the tea through a fine mesh strainer, and while it's quite strong, it's not excessively bitter or astringent. Given that Indian people boil this type of tea for a long time when making chai, I felt safe letting my tea brew a long time, as is my usual practice when making tea for iced tea. In this case, I had my first mug of tea hot (I have a heated mug), and put the rest in the refrigerator. This tea is strong enough that I think for subsequent pots, I can leave out the extra teaspoon "for the pot". I'm Asian American, and American enough that I drink most of my tea as iced tea, but I also enjoy it hot, and usually take my tea with sugar and lemon. I will definitely continue to buy this tea, and I will recommend it to friends who want something much better than what comes in tea bags or sachets. This is now my pantry staple.

I see many reviews complaining about this tea being "dust." They couldn't be more wrong! These Assam tea leaves are an example of the Crush-Tear-Curl process. They're not dust, they're tiny pellets. If you open a teabag of Yorkshire Red, you'll see something quite similar, and it tastes quite similar. To make a "proper cuppa", warm your teapot with hot water while your kettle is coming to a boil. Empty the teapot, add a Tablespoon of these black tea "pellets" and then pour full boiling water over them. The water needs to be boiling hard! Give it a stir, cover and let steep for 4-5 minutes, no longer. Pour it through a fine strainer into your mug. This will make a big mug of tea. Add milk, and sugar if you like. The milk neutralizes the tannins for a smooth, delicious cup! Enjoy!

I’m a big fan of Assam and have been eyeing this one for a while. I was hesitant about the CTC tea but based on the reviews and the fact that you get two pounds of tea for slightly more then I usually pay for one pound, I gave it a go. Overall, I’d say this is a good but unspectacular tea that nonetheless is reliable and does certain things very well. This is my first non teabag CTC tea and it took a few tries to figure out how to brew it optimally. If you are used to orthodox loose leaf tea, you will probably find yourself using less leaf and steeping for less time. I do think it is higher quality tea than what you usually find in teabags, but not as much so as with orthodox Assam. It brews quickly and makes a dark, red, powerful cup of tea. It’s aroma is recognizably Assam with malt and a faint ghost of fruitiness. The aroma pales compared to most orthodox Assams but it is pleasant. On the palate, the tea is strong and flavorful, though less malty than I expected. The flavor is perfectly fine, if rather one note. If brewed carefully, it is tasty enough to drink straight, though quite plain. It is better with milk, a classic Assam milk tea taste when brewed optimally, though again lacking in the more nuanced flavors of an orthodox tea. The tea is at its best with both milk and sugar. If you take your morning tea strong and with milk and sugar in a classic British style this does quite well. Unsurprisingly, it makes magnificent Masala chai and karak chai. Even if this is not how you usually take tea, I recommend trying it using the chai recipe on the tea India website. It truly is amazing stuff brewed in the Indian style. Finally, this makes outstanding iced tea, particularly when cold brewed. Overall, I prefer orthodox Assams and would recommend either of Ahmad’s Assams over this one. They are just more interesting and have more depth and nuance of flavor. I’m not hostile to CTC tea but it is its own thing. This is a workmanlike tea; a builders tea. Know what you are getting and what you want it for. If you like your tea strong and are planning on making Indian style chai, iced tea, or classic British tea with milk and sugar this is an excellent tea at great value.

When I first learned about CTC, or the cut-tear-curl method of processing tea, it sounded downright destructive. "CTC must produce an inferior grade of tea," I thought. This Tea India purchase proved me wrong. Not only is this a big package of tea, which can easily supply one person for 10 months or more, but it tastes great and is sold at a bargain price. I've been buying large amounts of exotic teas from overseas for a decade or more, so I consider my tea standards to be rather high. I am very pleasantly surprised by this tea. I'm glad I have the 2 pounds (and dwindling) of it in a jar in my cabinet, available whenever I need some nice, fast, tasty black tea. Despite the fine, almost powdery texture, I think it will retain its flavor for a year or more. "Fast" is certainly applicable to this tea and is one of its virtues. The fine granularity of leaf produced by CTC makes it possible to have a rich, dark cup of black tea after steeping for a mere minute or two. Don't use too much tea (it's concentrated) or steep it much longer than 2-3 minutes, or it may get too strong and bitter. Nonetheless, these features make for convenient brewing--Just steep for a few seconds, and pour! I find the flavor to be very comforting. It brings me back to my early memories of drinking Lipton or Tetley tea, the kinds I grew up drinking as a kid. But that doesn't mean it has a mundane or supermarket taste. It's very rich and full bodied. It calls to mind a warm and cozy kitchen. It has a smooth taste when prepared right, which is not difficult. At first I thought it might be too strong a tea to enjoy without milk, but later I accidentally drank a cup of cold Tea India tea with no milk, and it was great! I do think this tea pairs perfectly with milk, however. It's not labeled organic, but it certainly tastes clean and natural. Regarding the question of whether the tea has a "malty" taste, associated with its assamica pedigree, I'd say, yes, it does have a mild malty taste, and that contributes somewhat to the comforting character of the drink. I continue to buy more exotic and expensive teas while enjoying this one at the same time. I like to maintain a collection of teas, so I'm happy I bought this product and would do it again.

Great stuff. I can make it black as coffee with 3 teaspoons per cup and still it has no taste of mettle. Many other brands started to taste like mettle a few years ago. Finally found this brand and I love it. I’m came off the boat 60 years ago from Ireland where our tea was made way stronger than is common in USA.

I'm a tea connoisseur. All I drink. Hot tea in the morning and iced tea the rest of the day. I do a lot of searching and testing. This is a great tea. But beware....it's STRONG! Nothing wrong with that either. Just use a little less. I like mine stronger than most people can stand and this tea hits the spot. Rich, full and strong. It's loose and I always brew my tea from grounds - no tea bags for me. It arrived promptly and was fresh upon opening. I did use too much in the first batch but just added more water to tone it down. This is the second bag I've ordered so far and I'm a fan. Highly recommended for anyone wanting a great blact tea.

This is soooooooo good!! I love this tea. I brew it in my coffee maker like I'm making coffee two tablespoons is perfect! I usually switch it out with my coffee, and it does me good in the caffeine area. And the price is good for this product. I've been looking for good loose leaf tea for a while and I think this is the best I've tasted in a while.

Looking for great tea , better than red rose, full flavor and priced well below red rose. My wife loves it.

Thank you

I used to buy this tea in bulk at a local store until I moved It’s mellow and flavorful. Just love it!

Dark and malty. Perfect with milk

Using this for Asian style milk tea. The flavour is robust. End result is a good milk tea. If interested ....tea 40g to 1L boiling water, steep 5-6 min, strain, stir in 200g milk powder, 100g sugar. Drink hot or chill and serve with milk tea garnishes if desired. Instead of sugar sweetened condensed milk makes a rich tasting choice.