Tasting: Mana Organics Assam Tea

Today's tasting is with a robust organic Assam from Mana Organics. It's a certified organic tippy golden flowery orange pekoe Assam black tea, to be exact.This basically means there are lots of buds included among the tea leaves.

Mana is enabling tea farmers to be self sufficient and organic. This Assam is from the Chota Tingrai Tea Estate, a family owned estate established in 1943. It is an organic 2nd flush tea. To learn more about Mana's organic farming practices check out my interview with Mana co-founder Avantika Jalan. Here are a few details on the company directly from Mana:

At Chota Tingrai Tea Estate, Mana Organics works directly with tea workers and management to oversee more than 100 hectares of certified organic tea land. We make all our compost and bio-controls on site. Additionally, Mana Organics invests a portion of our profits in projects that we operate with our worker communities. We are providing extra teachers for the estate schools, and a waste collection system in the worker villages.

The dry leaves are super sweet and floral. The sweet aroma is full of dates and honey. I'm getting a nuttiness as well. It smells like a selection of delicious snacks! It reminds me of a perfect afternoon respite with a selection of toast, honey, cheeses and nuts. The snacks are on a table topped with a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Actually, this Assam would pair perfectly with those snacks. Are you as hungry as I am now? Sorry, on to the tea...

The steeped liquor smells like honey spread on toasted bread. It tastes slightly spicy along with honey, malt, and toast. I want to take a bite of that tasty toast (guess I really am hungry)! There is a slight astringency with a touch of dryness and it works well with this brisk tea. Overall it's a smooth, bold cup that has a pleasing flavor. I have a generous bag of this tea and I've been drinking it every morning. It's a great way to jumpstart the day.

The infused leaves smell sweet and malty, reminiscent of dates and sweet potatoes. I can smell the 'golden blossom honey' we used to put in our tea growing up. This tea is sweet and flavorful and doesn't need any milk or sweetener added. As I mentioned, it is a nice morning tea.

I'm curious to learn more about the company and their organic sustainable farming efforts. An interview is in the works, so stay tuned. Thank you to Mana Organics for this sample.