Khongea Estate Assam

Hey Mike. I don't have an answer to your query, but I'm wondering what it was you found you liked in the Khongea that you didn't in the others. Is it less malty? I had a hard time finding a Keemun to match the Keemun A I had a couple years ago, because I don't like the basic taste of the leaf, which is wine-like in character. The "A", or whatever it was called, tasted more like cinnamon.

Ian

Hey Ian.

It's hard to explain. I think it is more of a malty taste and at times almost berry like. The other ones I tried (mainly from Upton's) were good but nothing that made me say Wow! this is good. I tried Stash teas Khongea and it is good and real close to the one I purchased locally. I would definitely get it again if I couldn't get this one.

I usually drink my tea straight but just a splash of milk in this one really brings out the flavor.

I know what you mean about the Keenum. If you want a really good one at a great price try special teas imperial Keenum. I find it as good as some Hao-Ya I have tried and only $6.50 for a 1/4 pound.

Drop me your snail mail and I'll send you a little of each if you want to try them.

Mike

Mike Boucher ( snipped-for-privacy@comcast.net) wrote on Tue, 18 Jan 2005 14:50:34

-0800:

• I drink mostly China black tea but was interested in sampling some Assam's
• to see what they were all about.
• I tried many of the more expensive ones but none of them did much for me
• until I tried a Khongea estate Assam from a little local tea shop. This was
• just what I was looking for my first cup of the day.
• The thing is I don't see a lot of vendors that carry this estate. Is this
• considered a lesser quality?

• Does anyone have and info or history of this estate?

this might not be the answer you want, but try tea from satrupa and rani tea estates. their teas are amazing, and sold directly by people that own the estates. very fresh.

available on the net here:

i have liked their kama black, with milk. silver needles is also one of my favorites.

if you like strong hearty teas with milk, try some of their CTC.

-- saurav

I've been very pleased with the service from those folks, and in general pretty pleased with the tea.

I did have a problem with one of the teas i bought from them, and the management was extremely attentive - even so far as to sample the tea i was complaining about. My problem turned out to be a combination of user error and lousy water quality where i was trying to brew it, but there was a great deal of attention paid to whether i was satisfied as a customer and whether the tea was in fact fit for drinking.

Kama Black with milk? I hadn't even considered that.

I keep meaning to ask about that tea here.

This stuff is broad leaf, rolled, appears to be fully fermented, steeps fine at 212f for up to 5 or 6 minutes and doesn't seem to get bitter, just stronger (but attempts at treating it like an oolong, brewing at 185 for 3 minutes, didn't result in worthwhile extra steepings). Brews up a dark amber, almost no red to it, and quite fruity.

With that collection of attributes, I'm not sure what to call it. But i still have half a pound of it in the cupboard.

iirc the only CTC they sell is the 'honey and cream', which has been out of stock for a while. The 'golden golaghat' is a better breakfast tea than the 'rise & shine' but on the other hand it turns out i don't care for breakfast teas.

The 'cream of assam' and 'single malt assam' are likely my favorites. I have 1oz samples of several others that i haven't formed concrete opinions of. The 'Zimpo Oolong' is very pleasant, but know nothing about oolong and have no ruler with which to measure it by.

I really don't recommend the 'earl of assam' which is out of stock anyway. Way too much bergamot. You could make a good Earl Gray by ceremonially waving the closed container above the teapot while your regular tea brews. OK, maybe not that much bergamot, but i have to dilute it about 3 to 1 before it's acceptable. 4 to 1 would probably be better. I typically like EG but this stuff is way too much. I had two cups of it straight one morning and was smelling and tasting bergamot for the next 16 hours.

How do you dilute when there's too much bergamot? Add an unflavored tea? I've got that EG Green that's got way too much bergamot for me and my friends.

The assamteabiz site has two different prices for the teas...:(. The page which lists all their teas has one quote for 4 oz and when you click on the name of the tea it has a different price.

Melinda

Yeah, half a teaspoon of their EG, one and a half teaspoons of an unflavored black tea, into my 16oz pot.

Melinda ( snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com) wrote on Wed, 9 Mar 2005 10:47:22 -0800:

• The assamteabiz site has two different prices for the teas...:(. The page
• which lists all their teas has one quote for 4 oz and when you click on the
• name of the tea it has a different price.

• Melinda

which probably means you can demand the lower price!

-- saurav

Well, it's a goofy website. Send 'em an email, they'll probably fix it. They might even give you a break on the asking price.

I see where, for example, on this page:

The price for the Rongit Gold Tips is shown as $3.25 for 4oz, but, if you click on that, the page you go to, where you can order from, says $6.38 for 4oz. Which sure is disappointing.

A number of other teas listed there have different prices elsewhere, too.

These were probably the prices they thought up when the stock arrived. Like any merchant of perishable goods, they do have a right to vary prices according to supply & demand. Be nice if they updated the price list.

Eric Jorgensen ( snipped-for-privacy@xmission.com) wrote on Wed, 9 Mar 2005 08:16:19 -0700:

• I've been very pleased with the service from those folks, and in general
• pretty pleased with the tea.

• I did have a problem with one of the teas i bought from them, and the

• management was extremely attentive - even so far as to sample the tea i was
• complaining about. My problem turned out to be a combination of user error
• and lousy water quality where i was trying to brew it, but there was a
• great deal of attention paid to whether i was satisfied as a customer and
• whether the tea was in fact fit for drinking.

yes, this is what i have noticed too. though my demands were probably not as tasking. another assurance is that i am getting tea from as close to the estate as possible.

• Kama Black with milk? I hadn't even considered that.

• I keep meaning to ask about that tea here.

• This stuff is broad leaf, rolled, appears to be fully fermented, steeps
• fine at 212f for up to 5 or 6 minutes and doesn't seem to get bitter, just
• stronger (but attempts at treating it like an oolong, brewing at 185 for 3
• minutes, didn't result in worthwhile extra steepings). Brews up a dark
• amber, almost no red to it, and quite fruity.

• With that collection of attributes, I'm not sure what to call it. But i

• still have half a pound of it in the cupboard.

yes, it falls throught the cracks in classification. it looks a little strange too, the leaves i mean. does not look like a regular assam. but i do like it with milk. i generally like my black teas with milk.

• > if you like strong hearty teas with milk,
• > try some of their CTC.

• iirc the only CTC they sell is the 'honey and cream', which has been out

• of stock for a while. The 'golden golaghat' is a better breakfast tea than
• the 'rise & shine' but on the other hand it turns out i don't care for
• breakfast teas.

hmmm...so it is, honey and cream is their only ctc. i shall try the golaghat. next on my list.

-- saurav

Many thanks.