This tea marks the return of a delicious Autumnal Assam black tea. We are very excited that we have this rich and hearty, orthodox-style-leaf Assam black tea again for those of you who prefer a strong, slightly malty cup and also prefer the leaf to be orthodox (a.k.a. ‘full leaf’, or ‘whole leaf’ in manufacture).
We here at Tea Trekker are particularly fond of large-leaf, orthodox Assam teas, and our Dilli Tea Estate black tea is a classic example of this style of tea manufacture. This non-vintage Autumnal Flush Assam is similar in overall size to several of our historically favorite large-leaf Assam black teas; and seems to be the size that is preferred by so many of our Assam tea drinkers.
Tea Trekker’s Assam Dilli tea is lightly malty in flavor, and is bright & clean in the cup. This tea is comprised of large, flat leaves that have been given a slight twist, and are highlighted with a small amount of contrasting tip. Both the size of the leaf and the abundance of tips become more apparent when the tea leaves are steeped.
Dilli Tea Estate black tea’s tea liquor is a beautiful dark red-amber color and sparkles in the cup, in spite of the fact that it is very opaque and rich-looking. The overall flavor is deep and the style is bright – a winning combination in any tea, but especially in a large leaf Assam tea. There is a slight astringency to the cup and a very-well-balanced over-all character to the flavor that is clean, refreshing and overlays the core flavor. The aroma is straightforward and charming, with absolutely no ‘must’ evident in the focused aromatic, which exudes the enticing aromas of the drupe family: cherry, almond, stone fruits, etc.
– Please see the Steeping Instructions accordion for our suggestions for steeping –
Dilli Tea Estate is what is known as a ‘small-holder grower’, part of the Small Grower movement in Upper Assam. These gardens manufacture tea in the most traditional ways, without the use of chemicals and with only minimal mechanical processing. Similar to the tea-growing methodology in Yunnan Province in southwest China, their full-leaf teas are spectacular!