Tea India CTC Assam Loose Leaf Black Tea Strong, Full-Bodied Flavorful Blend Of Premium Black Tea Made with Natural Ingredients Traditional Indian Tea Caffeinated Iced Tea Breakfast Tea (32 Ounce)

I'll start by saying that I was specifically looking for a substitute for (or at least a decent approximation to) Lipton Yellow Label loose tea. I love LYL, but it's become very difficult to find in stores near me, and it's gotten insanely expensive online. I have no idea why, but...whatever...I was looking for a substitute. Tea India CTC Assam came highly recommended, so I tried the 1-pound bag. I'm very happy with the product - it's a perfectly drinkable approximation to LYL. For the price they're asking, this is a fantastic deal. Now, this is a CTC Assam tea. CTC stands for "crush tear curl," and that's how the assam tea leaves are processed. What you get are fine grains or pellets of leaf tea (see photo). The grains are less than 1 millimeter across, so it resembles a coarse ground coffee. I used my standard ratios for making hot tea -- 2.3 - 2.5 grams of loose tea to about 8 US ounces (about 240 milliliters) of boiling water, steep for just under 4 minutes. (For what it's worth, the LYL tea is the same basic thing - it's a CTC style tea, but I think the leaves are Ceylon). This is very solid straightforward tea. Massive amounts of body, nice malty flavor, it tastes like tea. It's a little more astringent than LYL, but that's not a bad thing. This is by no means a subtle tea -- there are no subtle floral overtones with hints of stonefruit etc. etc.. If you're expecting that, you will be disappointed. This is solid, unfancy, tea. And it's very very good for exactly that. Other things you can do with this... --- standard Indian masala chai = some CTC + some cinnamon & clove crushed in a mortar & pestle, steep, serve with milk if desired --- mix in a pinch of lapsang souchong (which is a very smoky Chinese tea) to add a nice smokiness to your cup of tea, great for camping or winter mornings

A very delicious clean, brisk, black loose leaf tea. Very strong due to the cut-tear-curl processing so I cut back to about 60% of the leaf I usually measure out. Makes a perfect and classic iced tea.

This is an outstanding product which makes a smooth but strong cup of breakfast tea.

I’m a big fan of Assam and have been eyeing this one for a while. I was hesitant about the CTC tea but based on the reviews and the fact that you get two pounds of tea for slightly more then I usually pay for one pound, I gave it a go. Overall, I’d say this is a good but unspectacular tea that nonetheless is reliable and does certain things very well. This is my first non teabag CTC tea and it took a few tries to figure out how to brew it optimally. If you are used to orthodox loose leaf tea, you will probably find yourself using less leaf and steeping for less time. I do think it is higher quality tea than what you usually find in teabags, but not as much so as with orthodox Assam. It brews quickly and makes a dark, red, powerful cup of tea. It’s aroma is recognizably Assam with malt and a faint ghost of fruitiness. The aroma pales compared to most orthodox Assams but it is pleasant. On the palate, the tea is strong and flavorful, though less malty than I expected. The flavor is perfectly fine, if rather one note. If brewed carefully, it is tasty enough to drink straight, though quite plain. It is better with milk, a classic Assam milk tea taste when brewed optimally, though again lacking in the more nuanced flavors of an orthodox tea. The tea is at its best with both milk and sugar. If you take your morning tea strong and with milk and sugar in a classic British style this does quite well. Unsurprisingly, it makes magnificent Masala chai and karak chai. Even if this is not how you usually take tea, I recommend trying it using the chai recipe on the tea India website. It truly is amazing stuff brewed in the Indian style. Finally, this makes outstanding iced tea, particularly when cold brewed. Overall, I prefer orthodox Assams and would recommend either of Ahmad’s Assams over this one. They are just more interesting and have more depth and nuance of flavor. I’m not hostile to CTC tea but it is its own thing. This is a workmanlike tea; a builders tea. Know what you are getting and what you want it for. If you like your tea strong and are planning on making Indian style chai, iced tea, or classic British tea with milk and sugar this is an excellent tea at great value.

Delicious. Malty and dark. Perfect with honey and milk. Quick brewing too!

I used to buy this tea in bulk at a local store until I moved It’s mellow and flavorful. Just love it!

great value...current daily tea

Very nice black tea flavour. Would buy again

Thank you

Dark and malty. Perfect with milk