Assam has a reputation for brisk, malty black tea, and this decaffeinated TGFOP1 grade holds onto that character even with most of its caffeine gone. Expect a strong, dark cup with real malt depth and a chocolatey edge, plus notes of lemon, orange, honey and milk that come through as it steeps. The tea reaches that profile through CO2 decaffeination, a method that uses pressurised liquid carbon dioxide to pull caffeine molecules out of the leaf while leaving the larger flavour compounds mostly untouched — no solvents involved, and 96 to 98 percent of the caffeine is removed in the process. A trace remains, as with any decaf tea, but it is not enough to trouble anyone cutting back.
TGFOP1 sits toward the top of Assam's grading scale: high tippy content, a more delicate character than a broken-leaf BOP, and made up of the top bud plus the first two leaves from each new shoot. That combination of fine plucking and gentle processing is what gives the tea its body without tipping into harshness.
Tea & Coffee packs this loose leaf fresh to order at its Kent-based factory. To brew it, spoon the leaves into an infuser or filter, set it in a cup or mug, and pour water straight off the boil over the top. Give it around four minutes to steep. Serve it black, or add milk, sugar, honey or lemon depending on how you take your Assam.
