There a few links in this note for reference and some childhood food-related nostalgia.
Persian teas from What-Cha:
(1A) “Persia Lahijan Hand-Made Black Tea” is how this was sold on What-Cha.
(1B) “Near Eastern Hand-Made Black Tea” is how this was labelled, for reasons, I assume https://steepster.com/teas/what-cha/97378-near-eastern-hand-made-black-tea
(2) “Persia Lahijan Black Tea” is a different tea, probably a different harvest and maybe not ‘hand-made’ https://steepster.com/teas/what-cha/94231-persia-lahijan-black-tea
Had this morning in light of tumultuous times in Iran and grateful I had the opportunity to procure a bag.
I love the aroma. Have you ever had a chocolate-covered potato chip? Two Dayton, OH, companies — Esther Price candies and Mikesells potato chips (cooked in peanut oil) — teamed up to release their own version sometime in the late 90s/early 00s? Getting off track (now I’m craving a Marion’s Pizza), but the aroma is like those tastythings but with a more greasy scent and a little earthy. So maybe more like Wendy’s french fries dipped in a Frosty?
The tea is a mellow easy-drinker. Smooth and medium-bodied with just a touch of astringency and a delicate malty-berry sweetness. Absolutely no bitterness. A friend of the forgetful mind. You can do either one long steep or eek out a second steep if the first one was timely.
This tea feels like a bit of a shadow compared to the probably-not-handmade version but it’s fantastic in its own way. It has to be up there with Dobra Cajovna’s Guria Likhauri black tea from Georgia in terms of drinkability. Really easy-going! If ever I were to have a trusty stand-by black tea in my cupboard, both would occupy that role no doubt. Unfortunately, neither are easily accessible in the States.
Flavors: Berry, Chocolate, Earthy, Malt, Peanut, Potato, Roasted Nuts, Smooth, Wet Wood
People who liked this
Comments
Potato chip tea! There’s a flavor profile you don’t hear about much, but you’ve made it sound pretty tasty.
It is delicious! I made a cup this morning for a coworker. He doesn’t have a strong sense of taste and doesn’t drink coffee – only the cheapest black teabags on the daily with Coffee Mate hazelnut creamer and sugar. He said this tea was really good and requested another cup.
I love coworker reactions — even the ones where I’m told what I’m drinking smells like cologne or stinky feet. (You’d like her!)
Potato chip tea! There’s a flavor profile you don’t hear about much, but you’ve made it sound pretty tasty.
It is delicious! I made a cup this morning for a coworker. He doesn’t have a strong sense of taste and doesn’t drink coffee – only the cheapest black teabags on the daily with Coffee Mate hazelnut creamer and sugar. He said this tea was really good and requested another cup.
I love coworker reactions — even the ones where I’m told what I’m drinking smells like cologne or stinky feet. (You’d like her!)