First Hand Account

'Ash Loves Tea' is a blog penned by tea enthusiast, Ashley Arnez. She has a passion for tea and recently gave an account to some of our tea blends. Below is the feedback from her blog and breakdown of what she tried. Our hope is that her tasting notes will help educate and inspire your tea purchase from ASAMI. Please visit her blog and connect with this exceptional young lady. Thank you Ash!

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Currently Steeping: African Teas from Asami Asami is an online tea retailer that specializes in African teas. They feature single-origin African teas and tea blends, which include ingredients sourced from Africa. In addition, each tea is named to pay reverence to the continent and African culture. The company has a combination of loose leaf and tea bags. The company graciously asked if I’d like to sample a selection of their teas. I sampled five teas from Asami: Serengeti Spice, Mombasa Island, Casablanca Mint, Zimbabwe Hearts, and Rwandan Black. Please see my tasting notes below.

BLACK TEA BLENDS

Serengeti Spice:

Ingredients: Black tea, natural flavor, orange peel, clove, ginger, cinnamon. Brewing notes: 1.5 teaspoons of tea in 205-degree water for 5 minutes. What does this smell like? This tea was love at first sniff for me. The dry leaves and the brewed tea smell like red hot cinnamon candy. What does it taste like? I immediately called this tea “fall in a cup.” It has a warm taste and the cinnamon really shines in this tea paired with a faint orange/clove/ginger/black tea taste. It’s naturally sweet with a lingering cinnamon taste.

Mombasa Island:

Ingredients: Premium Kenya black tea, cocoa nibs, cocoa shells, fenugreek, licorice, cardamom, caramel natural flavoring Brewing notes: One tea bag in 205-degree water for 5 minutes. What does this smell like? The liquid and unbrewed leaves smells like chocolate and caramel candy. Yum! What does it taste like? This is a tea that I’d classify as a “dessert-style” tea. The cocoa (shells and nibs) form a majority of the flavor supplemented by a faint licorice taste. I likely wouldn’t have noticed the black tea if it wasn’t listed as an ingredient. This is a smooth cup of tea that would go well with sugar.

SINGLE ESTATE TEA

Rwandan Black:

Ingredients: Rwandan black tea Brewing Notes: 1.5 teaspoons of tea in 205-degree water for 5 minutes. What does this smell like? The dry leaves have a sweet, caramelized sugar-like smell and the brewed tea smells sweet and earthy. What does it taste like? Medium body with a slight honeylike sweetness. This is a nice everyday black tea that tastes great plain or with milk and sugar.

GREEN TEA BLENDS

Casablanca Mint:

Ingredients: Green tea, spearmint Brewing notes: 1.5 teaspoons of tea in 180-degree water for 3 minutes. What does this smell like? The liquid and dry leaf (unsurprisingly) smell like spearmint. What does it taste like?  In some minty green teas, the mint outshines the green tea and dominates the flavor profile. This isn’t the case with this tea. I’m drinking it plainly now, but this would pair well with lemon and honey. You’ll like this if you’re looking for a minty green tea where the mint isn’t too overpowering.

Zimbabwe Hearts:

Ingredients: Green Tea, Spearmint Leaves, Lemon Grass, Lemon Verbena, Orange, Marigold Flowers, Natural Lemon Flavor & Natural Orange Flavor. Brewing notes: 1.5 teaspoons of tea in 180-degree water for 3 minutes. What does this smell like? The lemon scents are prominent in both the liquid and the dry leaves. What does it taste like? The lemongrass and lemon verbena do most of the heavy lifting in the flavor profile. This tea is definitely for lemon lovers. The green tea and spearmint are faint.

Conclusion

I’m excited about this company because I love the focus on African teas and African culture. In addition, they have a variety of blends that are all very unique. My absolute favorite was the Serengeti Spice, this tea is an absolute show stopper, it’s so well-balanced, and the warming spices feel so comforting to drink. I’m drinking this all fall! The prices range from $12- $17 for a 3.5 oz bag, which is approximately 35-40 cups, which is fairly priced, especially when you consider the potential to resteep (especially the Rwandan Black tea). There are so many amazing African teas and tisanes from Asami that you should check out.

I sincerely hope you find something that brings you joy and reminds you to pause. If tea is your thing, I'd love to share this journey together.  -Ashley