Aran Tea Thai "Assam," compared to an Assam version

Assam Teehaus version left, Aran Thai "Assam" right

both used nice multi-layer packaging, and graphic stickers (not that such branding helps the tea)

I'm comparison tasting a Thai version of Assam along with an Assam version; that seemed a good way to establish a baseline.  I really liked the Thai sheng version from Aran (reviewed here); it just seemed a bit like green tea to me, in between type categories in style.  This struck me as quite close to an orthodox Assam, when trying it a week before doing a review, with this comparison filling in just how similar.  The outcome:  quite similar.

The Assam Teehaus product was a version that Maddhurjya Gogoi sent me last year.  His teas are pretty far up the scale for as good as orthodox Assam gets.  I think maybe versions from Oiirabot and Lautimi, sold by Tea Leaf Theory, might have matched my preferences just a little better, but that may have just related to being that much closer to Chinese tea versions in style, not to actually being better.  Dian Hong, Yunnan black tea, is a personal favorite, and tea really close to that in character might seem better to me, versus that actually relating to some objective improvement in quality.

meeting Maddhurjya (second from right) along with Sasha and Kittichai two years ago

I reviewed those Assam Teehaus versions here.   Comparing the label that version he had described as a "blended Assam orthodox."  From that review it sounded like I liked the other version slightly better, that a citrus aspect worked better for me than a more pronounced aromatic spice aspect.

For anyone into reviewing other range further this review from last year covered that Oiirabot version I mentioned,  and the Tea Leaf Theory Latumoni producer version.  Really good Assam is out there, there just can't be that many producers' versions on the level of all these.

Review:

Assam Teehaus version left, Aran Thai version right (in all photos)

I'll describe the Assam version--the one from Assam, India--first, since I'm using it as a baseline.


Maddhurjya's Assam (Assam Teehaus):  I didn't let this brew for long so it's a bit light.  The flavor is nice, complex and balanced, earthy with good sweetness.  Distilling that to a list will go better next round.  Some fruit and a hint of spice indicate it will show even better complexity as it evolves.


Aran Thai Assam version:  hard to evaluate in comparison for both being so light this early but this holds its own.  It's clean and full flavored, with some decent feel kicking in already, even though it's not fully wetted yet.  It's not so far off the other in character; more on that as a listing next infusion.


I tried to back off the proportion just a little from what I usually use to brew teas Gongfu style but in the end this was essentially that; the amount that would all but fill a gaiwan once the leaves saturated.  Too much tea to drink in one go too, especially since I just had some fruit with breakfast (fresh mango and banana with yogurt, a personal favorite), and drinking loads of Assam along with that doesn't work well.  Pastry stands up to lots of tea input better, or breakfast cereal.

Second infusion:

Assam Teehaus:  that is nice.  Warm sweetness kicks in, with lots of flavor complexity.  There is malt but it's relatively subdued compared to the level in a lot of Assam versions, that main-aspect, dry-feel related form.  Beyond the malt some molasses sweetness adds a dimension, and warm tones like aromatic wood or even mild spice contribute.

It would be possible to interpret some flavor as dried fruit, towards dried tamarind, but it's not pronounced, so it would be just as natural to leave that off a list.  I don't see it as floral but that also wouldn't be an unreasonable interpretation, along the line of rose petal.


Aran tea Thai version:  this experience overlaps a good bit with the other tea, more than I expected.  That malt is so subdued in this, and slightly different in form, that it stands out as a difference, but it is still common space, to a limited extent.  Complexity is on a similar level but the flavor range is different.  This leans more towards aromatic wood, or even cured leather.  That could easily be musty, but in this version expression it's quite clean.  It also hints towards a good bit of other range, the floral, towards warm and sweet dried fruit.  A little more dark wood tone seems to show through in this.

In tasting each back and forth the first (Assam Teehaus version) tastes more like dried cherry than it had without that direct comparison, a deep, rich flavor, more into fruit range than the other extends.  The feel for both is nice, and the way there is some pleasant depth of structure to them, but they're just soft and full, not astringent at all.  Even aftertaste range adds just a little depth to both, just not so much compared to how that often goes for oolongs and sheng.

Third infusion:

Assam Teehaus:  a warm aspect seems to bump up a bit, towards spice, but it's a little non-distinct.  The rest is similar, maybe just shifted a bit in aspect range.

This is pretty good tea, quite far up the scale of how Assams go.  Tea blog reviews tend to be about making minor distinctions, and that's what's going on here.  There's a good chance that I like this tea better than I did in the original review for brewing it Gongfu style instead.  For a lot of black teas it kind of doesn't matter, but for better quality versions being able to adjust outcome a little round to round, and experiencing the minor transitions, really can be more positive.


Aran tea:  similar; this is picking up a bit of depth too.  Given that I'm infusing both without using a timer that could also be it, a shift in brewing time.  Or maybe that's just how it would go for a tea like these being infused for around 1 1/2 minutes previously, where they would tend to be in a cycle.

Tasting one after the other the first (Maddhurjya's) is slightly sweeter and brighter, and the second (Thai version) a little heavier on dark wood tone, but again they are a lot closer than I remembered from the first try.  I tend to not frame interpretation as a clear "how good" judgement since that's just subjective, tied to preference, versus trying to communicate details of the experience, but both are good.

Fourth infusion:

I'll let these go longer to check on that effect, and probably let this drop after.  These will brew a couple of additional rounds, for sure, maybe even another three or four, but the point here is comparison, not adding every last detail.


Assam Teehaus:  more of the same, if anything slightly better, smooth, sweet, rich, and complex.  This tea really is better than I remember it last year.  Maybe it improved with age, or maybe brewing it this way worked out better than trying it prepared Western style in the first review.  Or other subjective differences always come into play, how I feel on any given day.

This house is a little chaotic this morning, making it hard to generate long aspect lists.  It would seem odd if that translated to liking the teas better, a slightly higher degree of background noise, but I guess you never know.

those noise-makers with cousins on a recent trip (mine are in the center)

Aran Thai black tea:  side by side differences stand out but tasted a week apart these could seem relatively identical.  The Assam version is slightly sweeter, a little towards dried cherry fruit versus dark wood tone, but they overlap more than they are different.

Both are good.  For the Assam I'd expect that; Maddhurjya has been working at making better and better Assam versions for a few years.  It's odd that a Thai producer could get so close to that in outcome.  Again I think there may still be just a little room for improvement related to the absolute best Assam versions I've tried, but these are definitely very pleasant.

I think the posing is about looking fabulous

Conclusions:

Really good tea!  The Aran Thai version, I mean; the Assam Teehaus I liked slightly better but both were quite good.  In terms of value this tea is more than worth the modest pricing that I paid for it.

It works on so many levels; this style of tea is forgiving related to how you prepare it, with relatively little astringency to brew around.  Brewed very light the intense flavor still comes across, and relatively strong still works, although some sort of medium is best.  I suppose you could even add milk to this, although it seems better to adjust your preference to appreciate how it doesn't need it, and wouldn't be improved by that.  Brewed at really high infusion strength it would probably be great with vanilla ice cream, at the risk of disrespecting the tea.

This mentioned that I like this style best prepared Gongfu style, but really using a Western approach is fine.  For lacking much astringency it would also work made "grandpa style," brewed in a tea bottle, and drank without separating the leaves back out, adding more water for a second or third round.  That's a great way to bring tea for car travel; carrying a half-liter thermos along even gets you that next round without running across hot water somewhere.

I just tried that with the Aran green tea version yesterday (at time of editing this post), and it worked well, it was just a little bitter.

on a road trip way back when

Aran Tea Thailand produced sheng (pu'er-like tea)

An online contact mentioned producing Thai versions of Assam black tea and sheng (pu'er-like tea) in the International Tea Talk group that I admin for.

That's most of it for background.  They have a Facebook page, which would show some pictures and add a few product details, and would work for contact.

one of those Thai tea producers (credit their FB page)

I usually mention when vendors provide samples for review so I guess that I might add that I bought these teas, 100 grams of each, for a reasonable price, the standard range here in Thailand.  I'm not opposed to buying some tea, I just don't have budget to try a little of everything, so it's nice when some vendors help out with that.  The review will be the same; I'll say what I really think.

I've already tried the Assam (variety Assamica based black tea made in an Assam style, which kind of goes without saying) but starting with the sheng still makes sense, since I've been more on that page for a couple of years.  I've tried enough Assam in the past year to place the other tea against the best range of versions (I think), but maybe I'll do a comparison review post anyway, since it's interesting trying similar teas side by side.

It's strange skipping past the requisite claims about this being from ancient trees, wild grown, pesticide-free, and so on.  It probably is all that, although photos from their Facebook page show seems to show plants of different ages growing under different conditions.  It's as well to just judge the character anyway.  From the dry tea scent, which is rich, sweet, and complex, this will be pretty good.  The color is a bit dark; it will be interesting to see what that ties to in terms of wetted leaf appearance and brewed tea aspects.

Review:

First infusion:  this leans a little towards green tea character, a slight vegetal edge, and other parts it would be hard to completely describe, part of the feel.  That's not to say that "they've got sheng wrong," character can vary a lot for those, and it's impossible to identify related aging potential based on the first sip.  It tastes like an exceptionally good green tea, well balanced, very fresh, not astringent, with good sweetness, and complex.

The vegetal range is towards fresh green beans.  I think a lot of people would prefer this to even a very good sheng, if they just weren't on that sheng page.  Someone looking for sheng who doesn't like green tea wouldn't care for it.

Second infusion:  still mostly very fresh green beans.  A hint of bitterness is more into sheng range, but it splits the difference, between the two, to be honest closer to green tea in style.

It's the fresh and sweet version of green beans, prior to any cooking, nothing like frozen or canned types.  Ordinarily if I reviewed a sheng that tasted like vegetable the description would be more negative, but I do kind of like this tea.  I say over and over that green tea is my least favorite main type, and that's true, but I have tried some versions that work as exceptions.  One Thai version from Tea Side, a steamed green tea, was a good example of that.  I usually buy Longjing once a spring (a main Chinese type, a pan-fried flat leaf produced version), I just haven't got around to that yet this year.

that Tea Side sheng and green tea comparison (sheng left)

those dry teas (sheng left, green tea right)

Third infusion:  not transitioning so much.  It may not, since green teas tend to less.

It's obvious enough but sheng and green tea are two of the most closely related types.  Green tea is heated to stop enzymes from reacting to oxidize the tea, and sheng is just heated slightly less, leaving those compounds more active to enable aging transition.  Or so the general story goes, and also the actual reality.

This has pleasant character and good complexity.  It's bright and clean, and complex, with plenty of sweetness.  I'm not sure how it would age given the aspect range it's in, but it's fine as it is now, so maybe as well to not even check on that.

They sell cakes as well, compressed versions, and that complicates things a little.  This probably would still be quite pleasant in a year or two but I'm not sure it would improve.  It's conceivable that it could work for long-term aging, it just lacks the aspects I see as markers for what does commonly improve through that sort of transition (sheng fermentation).  Some degree of bitterness is a good sign, and a characteristic type of astringency, a structure to the tea. This has a touch of bitterness and a little dryness, rounding out a generally smooth and slightly full feel, but it's not in that other range.

To be clear on placing it this would be one of the two best Thai green teas I've ever tried, along with that Tea Side version.


Fourth infusion:  the feel and flavor are both gaining a little depth; if anything it's improving.  The aspect range is still quite similar though.  Floral range is a good interpretation of a lot of the sweet character; I've not mentioned that yet, and it's transitioning to play more of a role, to stand out most.  The "green bean" stood out more for being atypical, but floral range is stronger, a more dominant aspect.  The way that a bit of astringency and vegetal range pairs with a warm, sweet floral tone it reminds me of dandelions.

In the past I would sometimes use longer or shorter infusions to try a tea in a different way, to highlight some of the aspect range both can emphasize.  I'll try a longer infusion to check on that next round, increased from around 15 seconds up to 30 instead.

Fifth infusion:  that feel edge does ramp up a good bit; brewed for twice as long as this (for closer to a minute, at a high infusion proportion) this would be a bit harsh.  It's still pleasant like this; the feel still works well.  That feel is just as close to green tea as to sheng, or maybe slightly closer.

The sweetness, freshness, and pronounced cleanness make this tea work well.  Green tea can span a lot of range that doesn't work quite as well:  odd astringency, harshness, "straight grass," kale and other cooked vegetable range.  Again, this seems in between green tea and sheng range to me, just closer to green.

I'll leave off there; it's not transitioning much, so filling in how the next half-dozen infusions go won't add much.  It should be less positive towards the end, picking up other flavor range that doesn't work as well, or dropping out some of the positive intensity.

Conclusions

It's hard to place what it means when a sheng seems more like green tea.  I actually liked the tea; there's that.  I wouldn't expect it to age well, but then who knows, maybe after three years it would be even better, and after 15 just amazing.  Seems doubtful, but maybe.

On positive character alone this is quite pleasant.  It would be very difficult to buy a better Thai green tea than this; I've only ever tried that one version on this level.  Value is good; it's quite good tea for what I paid for it, or really just quite pleasant in general, and also an exceptional value.  Things seem to shift a little in relation to buying a cake of this (they also sell it compressed), since more or less drinking straight through that would seem advisable, versus waiting to see how it changes.

All of this is just one person's take; someone else might well try this and see it all very differently.  Others could enjoy it less if they don't care for this aspect range, and the judgment about type designation and aging potential might also vary.