Black Assam and English Breakfast side-by-side
 

I got and ounce each of Assam and English Breakfast from a new herb
store in town, Phoenix Herbs. No further info on either was given.
Each had been in a large glass jar, most of which had been already
sold. I put a half teaspoon of each in a cup, and filled the cup with
four ounces of boiling water, and steeped for five minutes. The Assam
was a beautiful red brown and had a flowery aroma, both from the leaf
and from the brewed tea. The English Breakfast was a deep yellow brown
and was very faintly smokey with a cereal aroma. Both seemed fresh and
had a light tannic taste. I preferred the Assam, but would certainly
see that someone else might prefer the English Breakfast. Toci

In the spirit of experimentation, I tried a second steep on The Assam.
The second steep was dark but very mild; I assume I got most of the
caffeine out of the first steep. Seems good for a second cup of warmth
on a cold day. Toci
toci wrote:
> I got and ounce each of Assam and English Breakfast from a new herb
> store in town, Phoenix Herbs. No further info on either was given.
> Each had been in a large glass jar, most of which had been already
> sold. I put a half teaspoon of each in a cup, and filled the cup with
> four ounces of boiling water, and steeped for five minutes. The Assam
> was a beautiful red brown and had a flowery aroma, both from the leaf
> and from the brewed tea. The English Breakfast was a deep yellow brown
> and was very faintly smokey with a cereal aroma. Both seemed fresh and
> had a light tannic taste. I preferred the Assam, but would certainly
> see that someone else might prefer the English Breakfast. Toci