Goomtee Autumnal Classic Autumn Flush 2013 Black Tea from Darjeeling Tea Lovers

GOOMTEE AUTUMN CLASSICTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Darjeeling Tea Lovers

Tea Description:

This special lot from Goomtee comes from the super fine plucking of China classic plants which usually produce teas with sweet almondy qualities. The woody bouquet makes it a highly sought-after Autumn Flush Tea.

This is a very sweet and relaxing tea, with strong almondy and vanilla aromas. The taste is pleasantly sweet, with a stronger almond flavour coming through, followed eventually by the familiar earthy flavours.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

Oh!  The aroma that wafts from my teacup at the moment is absolutely delightful!  This Goomtee Autumnal Classic from Darjeeling Tea Lovers smells amazing!

This tea really does have a strong almond and vanilla essence!  It’s quite remarkable!  It’s a pure, unflavored tea but with a truly remarkable flavor that evokes thoughts of something warm and baked, like a vanilla almond cake.  YUM!

There is more to this cup, of course.  Pleasant earthy notes with a woodsy tone provide a satisfying background of flavor while the creamy, sweet vanilla and nutty almond notes play in the foreground.  It is sweet and enjoyable.

The sip starts out with a sweetness that is at first, difficult to distinguish.  After a moment, my palate recognizes this flavor as sweet vanilla with almond.  As the sip progresses, I start to notice the woodsy tones with a mellow earthy note.  At the finish, the almond comes in strong, and it ends with a lovely creaminess.  This tea has a light astringency to it that seems to cleanse the palate a little so that the creaminess doesn’t feel heavy or overwhelming to the palate.  The aftertaste is sweet and lightly creamy.

A really enjoyable tea.  I’m so happy to have more teas from Darjeeling Tea Lovers in my stash!

Darjeeling Blend from Harney & Sons

DarjeelingTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Harney & Sons

Tea Description:

High in the mountains, deep in the mists that surround the Himalayas is Darjeeling: “Queen of Teas”. Our Darjeeling tea is a blend of First Flush and Autumnal teas from the best gardens. This mixture yields a light color in the cup – a fragrant “nose”. A great value.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

I received a sample sachet of this Darjeeling Blend from Harney & Sons with my most recent order from them – I was very happy to receive not just one but two samples with my order – especially since the last time I placed an order with them, I didn’t get any samples!  I’m glad to see that they’ve resumed their practice of including samples with every order.

And this is a really enjoyable blend of Darjeeling teas.  According to the description (above) this is a combination of first flush and autumnal harvests.  The aroma of the dry leaf was slightly woody with fruity overtures, notes of earth and hints of flower.  All those notes translate in the brewed tea flavor.

The fruity tones are what I notice first, notes that are vaguely reminiscent of grapes and currants.  Sweet and a little tangy.  This is not quite as astringent as some Darjeeling teas that I’ve tasted, this has a much smoother, rounder finish.  Once the sweetness of the fruit subsides on the palate, the notes of earth and wood peek through, and there is just a whisper of floral notes in the distance.

A pleasant, complex cup.  While I generally prefer a second flush Darjeeling, I am enjoying this blend, it is certainly tasty, and is priced right!  A nice, well-rounded cuppa.

2003 Reserve Four Seasons Oolong from Butiki Teas

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Oolong

Where to Buy:  Butiki Teas

Tea Description:

Our aged oolong is sourced from the Dong Ding tea growing region of Nantou County in Taiwan and was harvested in the spring of 2003. The varietal is Si Ji Chuan also known as Four Season. Our aged oolong was crafted by blend master Chen Pei Wen and is re-roasted every 2-3 years to minimize moisture content. 2003 Reserve Four Season Oolong is a rich full-bodied silky tea. The charcoal-colored leaves of this smooth oolong produce notes of honey suckle, bark, and grass and has a natural sweetness with no astringency present. This tea is also low in caffeine.

Ingredients: Taiwanese Oolong Tea

Recommended Brew Time: 4 minutes
Recommended Amount: 1 1/2 teaspoons of tea for 8oz of water
Recommended Temperature: 180 F

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

As soon as I took my first sip of this tea I knew I needed to order more of it right away, and I did!

This has such a depth to it, it would make a wonderful substitute for coffee. The flavor does in fact have some coffee notes so if you are trying to convert anyone, give this a try!

The dry leaf is tightly rolled nuggets of well roasted oolong. It is one of the darker oolongs I have ever laid eyes on. The aroma is reminiscent of a campfire, or an old library, slightly musty, with a hint of leather.

When you drink this tea some of the notes you may find, like I did are, leather, dried leaves, tree bark, carob, rock mineral, coffee, brown sugar, and cream.

The after taste is quite deep and full, with a very fine roasted coffee bean flavor. Yet it is no where near bitter or astringent!

I am a huge oolong fan but have never experienced an oolong quite like this.

The only down side, if there is one, is that it has a lower caffeine content. So if you are trying to please a coffee drinker they may not get the jolt they desire. However as a tea drinker who used to love her coffee, I am in love with this oolong! It reminds me of what I used to appreciate so much in finer coffee yet it has plenty of caffeine for my late morning tea!

Now, if you are not a person who ever enjoyed a good coffee, don’t fear, this is a complex tea that deserves appreciation for its multiple layers of extraordinary flavors!

I find this tea to be very autumnal – it makes me feel like running out and jumping into a pile of leaves. With the change of season coming in my area, being able to do this is not too far off! As people begin to stoke their fireplaces I will be savoring this tea until the last snowfall!

Jun Chiyabari FTGFOP1 Autumnal Black Tea from Rare Tea Republic

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Rare Tea Republic

Tea Description:

This outstanding selection is rich and flavorful and offers excellent value. Sweet and creamy notes of caramel and Turkish apricot dominate a sweet and smooth liquor.  This is a superb example of the quality achievable by skillful cultivation and manufacture and a fantastic every morning tea.

Jun Chiyabari FTGFOP1 Autumnal was an award winning tea at the North American Tea Championship.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

This is an outstanding tea!  But then, I’ve come to expect nothing less from Rare Tea Republic.  Every tea that I’ve tried from them thus far has been nothing less than stellar.

I never tried a Turkish apricot, but, this tea does have a certain fruity note to it that is similar to an apricot or a peach.  It is sweet and luscious!   The above description also suggests notes of caramel, and I’m tasting that too.  However, the caramel tones here are different than ones I might experience in another black or even a pu-erh tea.  This tea has a lighter body, and the caramel tones are not a heavy, “thick” kind of caramel taste, but instead, it tastes like hints of caramelized fruit:  a sweet, light, vibrant taste that delights the palate!

This tea has many similarities to what I’ve come to know as Darjeeling-esque qualities, but, it doesn’t have that muscatel note.  This does have the light crispness of a Darjeeling, however, and a similar dry note toward the end of the sip.  The aftertaste is sweet and slightly fruit-like.

Overall, I found this to be a remarkably refreshing and delicious tea, one that I think should be on the MUST TRY list of every tea aficionado!