Hard water can flatten a cup of tea, stripping out brightness and leaving something dull no matter how good the leaf is. This blend was put together specifically to push back against that: Assam from India gives it a backbone of strong malt, while Kenyan and Rwandan teas add a brighter, more African-forward edge on top. The result is broken orange pekoe grade, and it pours a deep copper liquor with orange and malt notes running through it — the kind of cup that reads as deep and comforting rather than sharp.
Milk is the natural partner here; it takes the edge off the malt and lets the orange notes settle into the background instead of dominating. To brew it, use boiling water and give it two to three minutes, adjusting toward the shorter end if you prefer a lighter cup. Assam teas like this one carry phenolic compounds that have long been credited with antioxidant properties, though that's a traditional association rather than a settled scientific claim.
Tea & Coffee packs this loose leaf fresh to order rather than pulling from shelf stock, in a card-and-foil material chosen for how well it holds onto freshness. It's sold in a range of sizes from 50g up to a full kilo. Once opened, keep it in an airtight container away from anything strongly scented, since black tea leaf picks up odours easily.
