Hi all,

I've had two or three EXCITING Assams from Uptons before.

The one I remember most was "Assam FTGFOP1 SPL CL" from Mangalam
Estate (OR-575). It was *so* complex and spicy!

AND it was THICK: Help me with this. The tea was *thick* in my
mouth, as if it had some magic extra ingredient. This quality was not
hard to brew for: a light infusion, a strong infusion, they both had
this quality. I've had lots of Assams, and this was not simply
"malt."

This tea was just under $16/lb. When I fiished it off (in early
2007), I tried ordering more. It was all gone. I got a different lot
from the same estate, around the same price, but it wasn't organic (so
I know it was a different lot), and it was fine tea... but not the
dazzler I had had!

Any current recommendations of Assams you have found amazing?

Oh, and, I've read some rather uncomplimentary reviews on Upton's web-
pages... negative enough that I don't think Upton's was censoring
stuff. Remember, though, that it is likely most reviews will be
positive: Would *you* waste time writing a review of something you
weren't excited about?