Darjeeling Tea or Assam Tea?

Fully oxidized tea leaves for a robust cup.


Nov 25th, '09, 07:29
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Darjeeling Tea or Assam Tea?

by whiteroses » Nov 25th, '09, 07:29

Which do you prefer and why?
Last edited by whiteroses on Nov 25th, '09, 09:23, edited 1 time in total.

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Nov 25th, '09, 09:10
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Re: Darjeeling Tea or Assam Tea?

by Victoria » Nov 25th, '09, 09:10

Darjeeling by far. I used to be quite fond of Assam but I rarely drink it now, I really love Darjeeling.

Nov 25th, '09, 11:10
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Re: Darjeeling Tea or Assam Tea?

by TeaSupplies » Nov 25th, '09, 11:10

Assam by far, can't put my finger on why though. It's a taste thing! :wink:

Nov 25th, '09, 15:44
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Re: Darjeeling Tea or Assam Tea?

by Ebtoulson » Nov 25th, '09, 15:44

You should have made this a poll :P.

I haven't really ventured from adagio with black teas yet and I've only had 2nd flush darjeelings and assams (really want to try some 1st flushes) but from my experiences I prefer darjeelings. Can't really tell you why except that I like the flavor more. So far my favorite is the darjeeling #2 which is from the Gopaldhara estate.

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by Intuit » Nov 25th, '09, 16:26

...
Last edited by Intuit on Nov 27th, '09, 23:11, edited 1 time in total.

Nov 25th, '09, 21:57
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Re: Darjeeling Tea or Assam Tea?

by DoctorD » Nov 25th, '09, 21:57

Thanks, Intuit; I'll take your word for the chemistry, but that's fascinating. In theory I much prefer Darjeeling, but ironically in practice the only south Asian teas I drink these days are Assams. Go figure. I used to drink gallons of Darjeeling, across the range of oxidation levels, but somewhere along the way east Asian greens and oolongs took over almost exclusively. However, the rest of the family prefers heartier stuff, so when I have a breakfast cup with my wife on weekends it's invariably Assam of some sort. Which leaves Darjeeling out of the mix entirely these days. No doubt the wheel will turn again at some point.

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Re: Darjeeling Tea or Assam Tea?

by Cinnamon Kitty » Nov 25th, '09, 22:16

Both! Assam in the morning when I need something strong and bold to wake up. Darjeeling after dinner when I can relax and enjoy all the complexities.

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Nov 25th, '09, 22:59
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Re: Darjeeling Tea or Assam Tea?

by Chip » Nov 25th, '09, 22:59

... good to see Intuit is on the case ... :lol:

Darjeeling hands down.

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Nov 25th, '09, 23:16
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Re: Darjeeling Tea or Assam Tea?

by kymidwife » Nov 25th, '09, 23:16

Ask a dozen people, get a dozen answers. This is just my own opinion, totally disregarding chemistry and science, because this question is really all about what we like.

Darjeeling, without a doubt. Why? Because it tastes better. :D Nothing else really matters, ehh? I say try everything, and then try everything again! Such is the joy of the variety of tea.

Sarah

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Nov 26th, '09, 11:57
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Re: Darjeeling Tea or Assam Tea?

by JM » Nov 26th, '09, 11:57

Assam is awesome.

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Nov 26th, '09, 16:57
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Re: Darjeeling Tea or Assam Tea?

by geeber1 » Nov 26th, '09, 16:57

I liked Assam at first, but in the last few months it has been really bothering my stomach. I can't even drink what used to be my favorite Irish Breakfast. So, I much prefer Darjeelings now if I have to choose between the two. My most favorite blacks are from the Nilgiri region.

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Re: Darjeeling Tea or Assam Tea?

by MFA » Nov 26th, '09, 17:49

1 Darjeeling
2 Nilgiri
3 Assam

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Re: Darjeeling Tea or Assam Tea?

by Proinsias » Nov 26th, '09, 18:04

I prefer Darjeeling but then I've had far more quality Darjeeling than I've had Assam.

With the availability of so much different Darjeeling tea - white, green, oolong etc it more often fits my mood than Assam.

And I've got a pot dedicated to Darjeeling, Assam doesn't have this distinction in my house.

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Re: Darjeeling Tea or Assam Tea?

by virago_ns » Nov 27th, '09, 11:05

Both for me, really depends on my mood and time of day.

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Nov 27th, '09, 16:18
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Re: Darjeeling Tea or Assam Tea?

by Rainy-Day » Nov 27th, '09, 16:18

Just based on taste, I'm not sure what I'd prefer, I've had much less experience with Assams and I'm sure some are really great. But the problem with Assams and blacks in general (excluding darjeelings) is that they're more irritating to the stomack in my experience and I'd need to add milk or food to compensate, which is something I often don't want to do ("I'll just take my tea, please!"), other than that, blacks also have a stronger and "jittier" stimulant effect than Darj's.

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