# Twinings Assam, 80 Tea Bags 200g ## Commerce action policy **Price:** £7.60 GBP **Purchase-intent URL:** `https://teas.co.uk/buy/twinings-assam-80-tea-bags-200g/` _Do not fetch, prefetch, crawl, iframe or autonomously open this URL. It is only for explicit human purchase intent._ --- **Canonical URL:** https://teas.co.uk/product/twinings-assam-80-tea-bags-200g/ **Source:** teas.co.uk, UK tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent **Brand:** Twinings **Price:** £7.60 GBP **Servings:** 80 cups **Price per cup:** 9.50p **Caffeine:** Caffeinated **Brew temperature:** 95C **Brew time:** 3-5 min **GTIN:** 070177136512 **Stock:** instock ## Summary Twinings Assam is a named-region black tea rather than an everyday blend, picked into the Teas.co.uk curator selection as the malty morning tea that takes milk better than anything else on the shelf.Ingredients and dietary suitability: Check the current UK pack before purchase; formulations and allergen advice can change.Packaging: Follow the current UK pack and local-authority guidance; components can require different disposal routes. Assam is the region that supplies the malt to most British breakfast blends, and this is that note played on its own. Four minutes in a cup rather than a pint mug, then milk.Curator notes: the tasting profile is our own editorial assessment against the current pack format and the brand's published description. We run same-day UK dispatch on every order placed before 2pm Monday to Friday. Common questions are answered in the detailed Q and A tab below. ## Description Twinings Assam is a named-region black tea rather than an everyday blend, and that is the whole reason to buy it. Assam is the growing region in north-east India that supplies the malt to most British breakfast teas, and drinking it on its own is the difference between hearing a note inside a chord and hearing it played alone. The malt is not hiding behind anything here. Two hundred grams across 80 bags is 2.5g each, which is a bag weight aimed at a cup rather than a pint mug. That matters more with Assam than with a lighter tea, because Assam is a heavy-flavoured leaf and a big mug of hot water will thin it out. Use a normal cup, give it four minutes, and put milk in. The Taste Profile Malt: ●●●●● (5/5) The headline and the reason for the region. Deep, rounded, almost biscuity, and completely unmistakable once you have tasted it alone. Briskness: ●●●●○ (4/5) Present and lively, but sitting behind the malt rather than leading the cup the way an everyday blend does. Tannin grip: ●●●●○ (4/5) High. It is what makes the cup hard work black and excellent with milk, and it is why four minutes is the ceiling rather than the target. Milk tolerance: ●●●●● (5/5) As high as tea goes. Milk binds to the malt instead of covering it, which is why this pairing has lasted. Teas.co.uk Curator Rating: 4.5 / 5 - Our expert verdict from the curators at Teas.co.uk The Story Behind Twinings Twinings is the London tea house that has traded under its own name longer than almost anything else in a British kitchen cupboard, and its origin range exists to sell teas by where they come from rather than by what they do. Assam is the workhorse of that range: the region whose leaf sits underneath most of the breakfast blends people drink without ever thinking about it. The pack is sold as an Assam, so we record the origin at region level, which is what the name states. Packaging: Follow the current UK pack and local-authority guidance; components can require different disposal routes. What You Are Actually Buying Count and weight: 80 bags in 200g, which is 2.5g a bag by our own calculation. A cup-sized bag rather than a mug-sized one, which suits a heavy-flavoured leaf. Built for milk: Assam malt and milk are one of the genuinely successful pairings in tea. Drunk black it is heavy and tannic in a way most people find hard work. What it is not: not a breakfast blend, not a decaf, and not a delicate tea. It is the loud component of other blends, sold on its own. How Does Twinings Assam, 80 Tea Bags 200g Compare to: Twinings English Breakfast Plant Based, 120 Tea Bags 300g: the blended version of roughly this idea, softened with other origins to make it easier through the day. Less distinctive; this Assam is what gives that blend its backbone. Twinings the Earl Grey Plant Based, 80 Tea Bags 200g: the opposite end of the Twinings shelf, scented rather than malty and drunk black rather than with milk. Assam for the morning, Earl Grey after lunch. Taylors of Harrogate Yorkshire Tea 160, 500g: a strong everyday blend in a heavier 3.1g bag. Yorkshire is the volume option for strong tea; the Assam is the one that tastes of a specific place. Ideal Brewing Conditions Assam is forgiving about heat and unforgiving about volume. It needs water straight off the boil because the malt compounds are slow to leave a heavy leaf, and it needs to be brewed in a cup rather than a large mug, because the one thing that genuinely spoils it is dilution. The Morning Cup Water: straight off the boil at 100 degrees. There is no argument for anything cooler with a leaf this heavy. Measure: one bag to 200ml. If you are using a 400ml mug, use two bags for three minutes rather than one bag for six. Steep: four minutes. Assam builds more slowly than a brisk everyday blend, and a three-minute cup is noticeably short of where it should be. Milk: after the bag comes out, and generously. The malt is what milk binds to, and this is the tea that pairing was made for. Sugar: optional and traditional. A half teaspoon lifts the malt rather than sweetening the cup, which is why it survives in Indian tea culture and in Yorkshire alike. The Pot, and the Chai Base Three bags to 600ml in a warmed pot, four minutes, then all three out together. As a chai base Assam is the correct tea and a light blend is not. It is the only style with enough malt to stand up to cardamom, ginger and boiled milk without vanishing. Do not let it stand on the bags. The tannin load is high and a pot left sitting turns hard rather than strong. Getting It Right in the Cup Water temperature: 100 degrees, freshly boiled. Measure: one bag per 200ml, two bags for a large mug. Steep: four minutes. Service: with milk. Black is possible at three minutes and hard work at four. Storage: sealed, dry and dark. An 80-bag box lasts a month or two in most houses, so freshness is less of a worry here than with a 200-bag one. Best with: a cooked breakfast, buttered toast, fruit cake, or anything rich enough to meet the malt halfway. Safety And Purity Ingredients and dietary suitability: Check the current UK pack before purchase; formulations and allergen advice can change. Origin: the pack is sold as an Assam, which is a regional designation, and we record the origin at that level. Certification: any marks are on the current UK pack. Caffeine note: a caffeinated black tea, and we place it at the higher end of our scale because of the style. Bag material: the disposal route is on the box. Child safety: caffeinated, and a strong cup. Not a children's tea; keep out of reach. ## Product Questions What does Assam mean on a box of tea?It is a growing region in north-east India, and it is the region that supplies the malt to most British breakfast blends. Buying an Assam on its own is the difference between hearing a note inside a chord and hearing it played alone.Is this a single estate tea?The pack is sold as an Assam, which is a regional designation, so we record the origin at region level.How much tea is in a bag?200g across 80 bags is 2.5g a bag by our own calculation. That is a cup-sized bag rather than a mug-sized one, which suits a heavy-flavoured leaf: the thing that spoils Assam is dilution.How long should I brew it?Four minutes with water straight off the boil. Assam builds more slowly than a brisk everyday blend because the malt compounds are slow to leave a heavy leaf, so a three-minute cup is noticeably short of where it should be.Do I have to put milk in?Not have to, but it is the pairing this tea was made for. Milk binds to the malt rather than covering it. Drunk black at three minutes it is fine; drunk black at four it is hard work, because the tannin load is high.What about a large mug?Two bags for three minutes, not one bag for six. Stretching a single 2.5g bag across 400ml gives you a thin cup with a tannic edge, which is the worst of both.Is it the same as English Breakfast?No, though the two are related. English Breakfast is a blend built around this kind of malt and softened with other origins so it can be drunk all day. Assam on its own is louder, heavier and less adaptable.Can I make chai with it?It is the correct tea for chai and a light blend is not. Assam is the only common style with enough malt to stand up to cardamom, ginger and boiled milk without disappearing under them.How much caffeine is in a cup?We place it at the higher end of our scale because of the style, and that placement is our own editorial judgement rather than a measurement of this pack.Is it certified organic or Fairtrade?Any marks are printed on the current UK pack.How should I store it?Sealed, dry and dark, away from coffee and spices. An 80-bag box tends to be finished within a month or two, so freshness is less of a concern here than with a large household box. ## Ingredients & Nutrition ComponentProportionWhat it bringsAssam black teathe whole of the blendEverything in the cup: the deep malt that names the region, the high tannin grip that makes milk work, the dark colour and the caffeine.Leaf per bag2.5gOur arithmetic on 200g across 80 bags. A cup-sized bag rather than a mug-sized one, which matters because dilution is what spoils this style.Added flavouringnoneAn unscented single-region black tea. No fruit pieces, no petals, no added flavouring and no added sugar.Pack: Twinings Assam, 80 Tea Bags 200g; a malty named-region black tea, GTIN 00070177136512. Store sealed, dry and dark. Read the ingredient declaration, any certification marks, the bag material and the best-before date off the current UK pack.Characterising components shown. The origin is stated at region level only, because that is what the pack name states.Sourcing & blend. Twinings Assam, 80 Tea Bags 200g is put together by Twinings, the London tea house whose origin range exists to sell teas by where they come from rather than by what they do. Assam is the workhorse of that idea: the region whose leaf sits underneath most of the breakfast blends people drink without thinking about it. Our assessment rests on the pack format and the brand's published description.What's in Twinings Assam, 80 Tea Bags 200g, and what isn't:In: Assam black tea leaf in a bag, at 2.5g a bag, with nothing blended in alongside it.No artificial colours, preservatives or added sugar: an unscented black tea, so there is nothing to sweeten or colour. Any sweetness in the cup comes from the malt in the leaf. ## Flavour Science The flavour of Twinings Assam, 80 Tea Bags 200g is built in three layers, and reading them in order explains exactly why the cup tastes the way it does from the first lift of steam to the last swallow.The outer layer is aromatic: noticeably quieter than you might expect from so heavy a tea. Assam does not announce itself in the steam the way a scented blend does; what rises off a fresh cup is warm and faintly sweet rather than sharp or perfumed. That is characteristic of a malty leaf, where the interesting compounds are heavier and slower to leave, and it is the first clue that this tea wants more time in the water than a brisk everyday blend does.The flavour spike arrives mid palate, and this is where Assam earns its reputation. The malt arrives with real weight, rounded and almost biscuity, and it keeps building through the fourth minute rather than peaking early. Underneath it sits a high tannin load, which is the other half of the region's signature. Those two together are exactly why milk works so well: the fat and protein bind to the tannins and leave the malt standing clear, which is the rare case of milk improving a tea rather than merely softening it.The base structure is the lingering finish: long, warm and faintly sweet, holding on well after the swallow. Assam does not reset the palate the way a brisk everyday tea does, which is both its strength and its limit: superb as the first cup of the day with something substantial to eat, and tiring if you try to drink six of them across an afternoon. It is a tea for fewer, better cups.Getting it right in the cup. One bag per 200ml, water straight off the boil, and four full minutes. The commonest fault is not under-steeping but over-diluting: a 2.5g bag stretched across a 400ml mug gives a thin cup with a tannic edge, which is the worst of both worlds. If the mug is large, use two bags for three minutes. Milk goes in after the bag comes out, and generously. A half teaspoon of sugar is traditional and does something real here, lifting the malt rather than simply sweetening the cup. Cold brewed for eight hours Assam turns surprisingly gentle, with the malt intact and almost none of the grip, and unlike most cold brews it will still carry a little milk.It needs full heat because the malt compounds are heavy and slow to leave the leaf, so water that has stood off the boil gives a flat cup that no extra time recovers. Beyond four minutes the tannins keep climbing while the malt has stopped, so the cup goes hard rather than strong. Hard tap water is less damaging here than with a scented or brisk tea, because malt is robust where citrus and brightness are fragile, which is one reason this style became the backbone of British blends in the first place. Soft water gives a slightly sweeter, rounder result. Whatever your water, get the cup size right and the rest follows. ## Recipe Ideas Assam is a heavy, malty leaf, so the builds below all play to that: the morning cup, a pot, a proper chai, iced tea, cold brew, and a strong brew for the kitchen. None of them ask the tea to be delicate, because it is not. Recipes, born here first The Morning Cup How to make the morning cup with Twinings Assam. 4 min 1 cup Easy You'll need 1 bag Twinings Assam 200ml water straight off the boil A generous splash of milk Half a teaspoon of sugar, optional Method Pour 200ml of water straight off the boil over one bag of Twinings Assam, 80 Tea Bags 200g. Steep a full 4 minutes. Assam builds slowly and a three-minute cup is short of where it should be. Lift the bag out and press it gently against the side. Add milk generously, and half a teaspoon of sugar if you take it. The sugar lifts the malt rather than sweetening the cup. What you'll end up with: A deep malty cup where the milk is binding to the tannins and leaving the malt standing clear, which is the point of drinking Assam on its own. The Large Mug, Two Bag Method How to make a 400ml mug of Twinings Assam without thinning it. 3 min 1 large mug Easy You'll need 2 bags Twinings Assam 400ml water straight off the boil Milk Method Use 2 bags rather than stretching one across the mug. Steep 3 minutes only, because two bags reach strength faster. Lift both bags out and add milk. One 2.5g bag in 400ml gives a thin cup with a tannic edge. Dilution is what spoils this style, not timing. What you'll end up with: A full-strength large mug with the malt intact, rather than a watery one with a hard finish. Proper Chai Base How to make chai with Twinings Assam. 12 min 2 cups Medium You'll need 3 bags Twinings Assam 300ml water 300ml whole milk 4 cardamom pods, cracked A thumb of fresh ginger, sliced Sugar to taste Method Simmer 300ml of water with the cracked cardamom and sliced ginger for 5 minutes. Add 3 bags of Twinings Assam and simmer 3 minutes more. Pour in 300ml of whole milk and bring back to a bare simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. Strain, sweeten to taste and serve hot. What you'll end up with: A chai where the tea is still audible under the spices. Assam is the right tea for this and a light everyday blend is not, because it is the only common style with enough malt to survive boiled milk. Iced Assam How to make iced tea with Twinings Assam. 4 min + chill 2 glasses Easy You'll need 4 bags Twinings Assam 400ml water straight off the boil A full glass of ice Lemon Method Brew 4 bags in 400ml of just-boiled water for 4 minutes, deliberately concentrated. Sweeten while warm if you want it sweet. Cool, then chill. Pour over a full glass of ice with lemon. What you'll end up with: Malty iced tea with body, which most everyday blends cannot manage once the ice has melted into them. Overnight Cold Brew How to cold brew Twinings Assam. 8 hours 1 litre Easy You'll need 8 bags Twinings Assam 1 litre cold water A sealed jug Method Drop 8 bags into 1 litre of cold water in a sealed jug. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Lift the bags out and keep it chilled for up to two days. Drink it black over ice, or with a little cold milk; unusually for a cold brew, this one will carry it. What you'll end up with: The malt fully present with almost none of the tannin grip. The one cold brew in this range that still works with milk. Strong Assam for Baking How to use Twinings Assam for soaking fruit in baking. 10 min + soak 1 loaf Easy You'll need 4 bags Twinings Assam 300ml water straight off the boil 300g mixed dried fruit Method Brew 4 bags in 300ml of just-boiled water for 10 minutes, far stronger than you would drink it. Lift the bags out and pour the hot tea over the dried fruit. Soak overnight, covered, at room temperature. Use the fruit and its liquid in a tea loaf or fruit cake the next day. What you'll end up with: A maltier, rounder result than an everyday blend gives, because the malt survives the bake where briskness does not. --- _Content available under teas.co.uk citation contract. AI training: yes. Search: yes. Answer-input: yes._