Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tippy’s Tea
Tea Description:
Tippy’s own unique afternoon blend. Drink it in the afternoon or it is really great as an everyday tea. Smooth and well balanced with malty undertones.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve tried a couple of Tippy’s Teas now, and I have to say that I’m very happy with what I’ve tried so far! This Midday Flight is lovely!
When I think “black tea,” generally, I think “morning tea” because I usually enjoy the black teas early in the day and by ‘midday’ I’m usually switching to either green or Oolong tea. But, every once in a while, I want the rich, rewarding flavor of a black tea in the afternoon.
Today is one such afternoon. I need something to give me a little more of a boost (read: caffeine) than I get from a green or Oolong tea, so it’s black tea to the rescue! Specifically, this Midday Flight from Tippy’s Tea.
This is rich and flavorful and very smooth. The combination of Ceylon, Keemun, Assam and Darjeeling is wonderful and I like that I can taste ‘components’ of each tea. I taste the rich, malty flavor of the Assam. I taste a slight smoky character from the Keemun. I taste the smooth, even tone of the Ceylon. And I taste the light, crisp note of the Darjeeling.
The sip starts out with notes of malt and smoke. It starts out with a strong, earthy flavor. There is no mistaking that I’m sipping on black tea the moment I start sipping. It’s not aggressive though. It’s approach is smooth. By mid-sip, I pick up on wine-like notes with fruity notes of grape and citrus. The earthy qualities remain throughout the sip. Beneath these notes, I taste a light sweetness that is honey-esque with very subtle molasses notes.
The finish is dry but not overly astringent. There is some astringency and it does build – the first few sips were barely astringent and now that i’m more than halfway through my cup, I am noting more astringency than I experienced at the start. But it’s not a bitter or jarring astringency. It is as though my taste buds grabbed a little towel and patted my tongue dry so that it could be ready for another sip.
Very satisfying. I’m enjoying this tea immensely. It’s rich and flavorful and very smooth. One of the best Afternoon blends I’ve ever encountered!
Keemun Classic 2014 Harvest Black Tea from Capital Tea Limited
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Capital Tea Limited
Tea Description:
Small, even and slender wiry black leaves with a forward classic keemun aroma. This tea produces a strong, rich tasting and full bodied tea liquor with a sweet and subtly smoky aroma and with prominent cocoa flavour notes. Highly recommended!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I looked forward to trying this Keemun because I’ve enjoyed the other teas that I’ve tried from Capital Tea Limited thus far. Unfortunately, this Classic Keemun leaves me wanting.
There is a strong leathery note that is prominent and up front. As I mentioned on Steepster about this tea, it is almost as though the leather notes want to pull all the focus on them to disguise the fact that this is not a very round tasting tea. It doesn’t have that well-rounded, pleasing flavor that I have come to expect from a top-notch Keemun tea.
I’m not getting a strong cocoa flavor as promised in the above description. Beyond the leathery notes, I do get some notes of chocolate and also a smoky presence. But I wouldn’t call this a “rich tasting” or even a “full-bodied” tea. It’s kind of thin in the flavor department, lacking that round, satisfying taste that I want from a Keemun.
Not my favorite Keemun.
To brew: I placed a bamboo scoop of the leaf in the basket of my Kati Tumbler and added 12 ounces of boiling water and steeped for 3 minutes.
North Pole Estate Tea from Tippy’s Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tippy’s Tea
Tea Description:
A magical tea. Reindeer bitten and handpicked by elves in their off season, this tea is beloved by Santa Claus himself!
Our North Pole estate is a dark, malty black tea blend with hints of cinnamon, gingerbread, cloves, and a touch of chocolate. A delicious holiday tea to keep you warm. Recommended to slightly sweeten. Adding milk or brewing as a latte will add an extra dreamy creaminess.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Yeah, I know that the holiday has come and gone, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t still be enjoying holiday tea blends! I, for one, love the warm, spicy flavors that seem to be a consistent theme for the holiday teas and I think they’re perfectly relevant to be sipping any time you want to feel that warm, cozy feeling!
This is the first tea from this new-to-me company that I’ve tried and I’m trying it in a brand new teacup! Last year, I broke my beloved Starry Night (Van Gogh) teacup and I’ve been using others that I have but I really needed a new big mug teacup that I loved as much as that Starry Night because I love tea – you know I do! But tea tastes so much better when it’s served in something you love to drink out of!
And yes … I’m a Harry Potter nerd. And while there are many parts of the books/movies that bring tears to my eyes, no five words from the Harry Potter world bring tears to my eyes more effectively than these:
“After all this time?” “Always.”
Yep, I’m tearing up right now.
So, let’s talk about this tea.
My initial couple of sips were not quite as spiced as I expected them to be. I let the cup cool for a few minutes, hoping that some time would help bring the flavors forward.
And it does! I am tasting more spice now. I taste subtle notes of cinnamon. The clove is even more subtle. I taste a background note of gingerbread and a hint of chocolate. The spices are not strong here – this isn’t a chai! – it’s an “estate” tea. A North Pole Estate.
Single Estate teas tend to take on the flavors that surround the estate, but usually subtly. The leaves absorb the essences that fill the air. In the North Pole, I’d imagine the scent of warm spice, gingerbread and chocolate permeate the air. And that’s what this cup brings to this cup.
The black tea is a strong blend of black teas from India and China (Assam and Keemun teas). Bold, malty, rich. There are wine-like notes to it along with the notes of malt. The finish is dry.
The cinnamon is the most pronounced of the flavors, with hints of clove dancing in the background. The chocolate is subtle but every now and again, it weaves its way into the sip in a very pleasing way. The gingerbread becomes more noticeable when I slurp the sip and aerate the liquid on the palate.
A really interesting cuppa. I like it.
Morningtime Black Tea from M&K’s Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: M&K’s Tea Company on Etsy
Tea Description:
We don’t have a catchy intro for this tea. But it’s smooth, jolting, and flavorful. We consider this tea to be our flagship blend, perfect for the morning. Extra-strong Ceylon tea, Chinese Dianhong Gong Fu and Keemun tea, and Indian Assam tea: three continents in your cup! This blend is part of the Original 20 M&K’s Blends.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Wow! The above description suggests that this is a jolting blend, and let me tell you, they got that right!
I was happy to find that the sample from M&K’s of this tea is just the right amount to brew 500ml of tea in my Breville One Touch! I poured the sample into the basket of the tea maker and added the water and then set the parameters for 212°F and 2 1/2 minutes.
The result delighted my taste buds! This Morningtime Blend is a great wake-me-up tea. It’s a bold, rich tasting black tea. Full-flavored and well-rounded. The sip starts out sweet yet bold. I notice notes of caramel and molasses mingling with malty tones, earthy notes and flavors of stone fruit and flower. There’s a lot of complexity beneath that robust, jarring flavor of WAKE UP!
Toward the tail, I pick up on light citrus tones and there is some dry astringency at the finish. The tea isn’t bitter, however, I suspect that it could very well become bitter if the tea were oversteeped, so don’t do that. I recommend no longer than 3 minutes brew time for this tea and from there, experiment a bit and find that right time for you and your particular tastes.
Another thing that I’m appreciating about the blend is that it really is a blend. A culmination of the four teas used to create the blend: I can taste notes of malt from the Assam, a wine-like flavor and hints of smoke from the Keemun, citrus-like flavors from the Ceylon and a rich Chinese DianHong rounds everything out with its rich, satisfying flavor. I can taste each of the components but they unite in this blend so well that it becomes almost seamless.
A really lovely breakfast blend type tea. It would take the additions of milk and honey well, but I like it straight up! It’s got just a little bit of edge to it that I like, but it isn’t too aggressive. It gives me the alertness I need and the smooth, rich, roundness I love from a well-crafted tea.
So far, I’ve really enjoyed what I’ve tried from this new-to-me company. They have excellent customer service – they promptly reply to questions and my order arrived very quickly. And I love these samplers!
Baker Street Afternoon Blend from Upton Tea Imports
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Upton Tea Imports
Tea Description:
A bit of Lapsang Souchong is blended with Keemun and Darjeeling, yielding a mildly smoky tea. Perfect for an afternoon uplift. Another special (whole-leaf) blend from our London source of fine teas.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
As I’ve confessed many times, I’m not a big fan of Lapsang Souchong so when I receive a blend with Lapsang Souchong in it, I’m a little timid. I don’t hate Lapsang Souchong, but there are so many other teas that I’d rather be drinking. The overwhelmingly smoky note is just … well, it’s overwhelming.
When I first opened the pouch, I noticed the smoky notes right away. But I was happy to find that the smoke is not an overbearing presence in either the dry leaf or in the brewed tea. It’s there – it’s definitely there! – but it doesn’t overpower the blend.
This Baker Street Afternoon Blend from Upton Tea Imports is actually quite nice. The smoky notes are not overwhelming. It is mildly smoky and I’m enjoying the mild level of smoke here. It’s allowing me to enjoy the complexity of the tea.
And that’s important because there are three teas in this blend: Lapsang Souchong, Darjeeling and Keemun. I like that I can taste the fruity notes of the Darjeeling and Keemun. I like the way these two teas create a lovely wine-like flavor and the smokiness of the Lapsang adds a really interesting dimension to that wine-like quality.
To brew this blend, I used my Kati Tumbler. I heated the water to 205°F. I added 1 bamboo scoop of the tea blend to my tumbler infuser basket and I poured the hot water over the leaves. I let this tea steep for 15 seconds and then I strained off the leaves and discarded the liquid. (Yes, I did a rinse. There is Lapsang Souchong in this blend and I find that Lapsang Souchong – even when in blends – is much better tasting to my palate when I do a rinse.) Then I replaced the basket and refilled the tumbler with 205°F water and steeped it for 3 minutes.
Overall, a very enjoyable cup of tea. It’s called an “Afternoon” tea and it has a medium to full body to it, making it a nice choice for afternoon sipping, especially on a cooler afternoon like this. (I’m so happy that autumn appears to have finally arrived! I actually wore a sweater today!) It’s warm and cozy and it has a certain comforting element to it too. It’s a little more robust than a typical afternoon cup but that edge can be softened by the addition of milk and honey (if you like it in your tea), or you can save this for the afternoons when you need a little more than a gentle pick me up!