We are particularly fond of large-leaf, orthodox Assam teas, and our new Latumoni Royal Tippy is a classic example of this style of tea manufacture. This 2nd Flush Assam is even slightly larger in overall size than is one of our favorite large-leaf Assam black teas: Kama Black. And, our current selection, Royal Tippy, from the Latumoni Estate, is glorious, in part due to the excellence of this year’s harvest, and in part due to the incredible skill of the teamakers there.
Tea Trekker’s Assam Latumoni Royal Tippy tea is malty in flavor but also very clean and jewel-like in the cup. This tea is comprised of large, fine leaves that have been given a slender twist, 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.
Royal Tippy has the classic Assam malty flavor, and the tea liquor is a dark, copper-amber color and sparkles in the cup. 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 slightly raisin-y and nutty character to the flavor that is clean and refreshing and overlays the core flavor. The aroma is straightforward and somewhat light, with absolutely no ‘must’ evident in the focused aromatic.
– Please see the Steeping Instructions accordion for our suggestions for steeping –
Latumoni 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!