I've always had mixed feelings about bagged tea. There are many good ones out there, but the purist in me looks for loose tea. I do have my favorite British bagged black teas for office use and for easy iced tea, but in general I prefer my tea loose. I've been trying to keep an open mind about tea bags (and have found quite a few good ones), but they disappoint more often than delight.
A lovely friend brought back tea for me from his Cape Cod vacation. He found this tea in a local market and thought of me. How sweet is that? The tea is a bagged version of Ajri's Kenyan Black Tea. I tried the loose version quite awhile back and enjoyed it, but i actually think the bagged version is a great choice. The loose tea contains CTC leaves, making it difficult to use a tea strainer. The pieces are very small and sometimes fall through the tiny holes.The bags yield a similar result to the loose tea- it's a strong, bold brew. Very basic, but a great morning black tea. Nothing fancy, it's nice and smooth. A little bit toasty with a hint of cocoa. Slightly drying on the tongue from the tannins. Would work well with milk and sugar if that is your preference. I'm going to try this tea iced as well, as it brews up super strong. It will hold up well to ice and still be tasty and refreshing.
Ajiri makes a great basic product with lovely packaging. The profits support orphan education in Western Kenya. A great tasting tea for a good cause, how can you go wrong? I'm happy to add this tea to my collection of basic black teas. It measures up to my favorite British heavy hitters.
I was very curious when I read your headline and the beginning of your post, to figure out which tea you were going to highlight here...and I'm not surprised!
ReplyDeleteI remember trying Ajiri tea's loose-leaf tea and having a similar reaction. I saw the finely-broken CTC (Crush-tear-curl) leaf and was really surprised when I found a rich, pleasing aroma and nice flavor. I also found it to be cocoa-like.
I'm a big fan of this company, both the quality of its tea, and their goals and approach, and I hope they thrive!