Our best assam has a distinctly malty aroma and a bright red liquor. lively, full-bodied and complex taste with lots of depth. there are over 700 tea estates within assam, yet only a handful of these have the ability to produce top-quality lots. add to this the fact that less and less tea is produced by the traditional "orthodox" methods, and it is no wonder that searching for the best assams feels a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack. we taste literally hundreds of assam teas each year, and the rewards are worth it when we find a few lots that have the old, malty flavor that made assam famous in the first place. assam extra fancy generally consists of flowery orange pekoe teas from the best gardens at the peak of the second flush, evident by the lovely golden tips. the flavor is bold and astringent, yet with a sweet malty taste, and hints of honey, toast, and wood. each 4 oz tin of loose leaf tea makes about 40 cups
