Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Upton Tea Imports
Tea Description:
A rich tea with solid body and full mouth feel. A pleasing, balanced cup with a classic Nilgiri flavor and style.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Organic BOP Iyerpadi Estate Nilgiri Black Tea from Upton Tea Imports is such a satisfying cup of black tea – ideal for that all-important first cup of the day, but equally as nice when served as an afternoon tea.
The dry leaf has a sweet, slightly earthy aroma, and it brews up dark, with hints of the sweet, earthy tones that were more prominent in the dry leaf. The flavor is sweet and smooth.
The tea is indeed a rich tasting tea. It is a hefty kind of tea – strong and bold – which is why I stated before that this would make an excellent choice as a breakfast tea. It has that “wake-me-up” kind of quality to it. It is nicely round with a pleasing malty tone to it, with notes of a tantalizing, freshly baked kind of taste. It is not bitter, and there is only a very mild astringency to the cup.
A very enjoyable cuppa!
Basic Black Tea from Fashionista Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Fashionista Tea
Tea Description:
Bright, brisk, high grown estate whole leaf Nilgeri tea hand blended with smooth rich Yunnan golden buds. This organic classic blend can be enjoyed at any time of the day; excellent as an iced tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Nice!
My first sip of this Basic Black Tea from Fashionista Tea … my impression was very much like the first sentence in the above description … before I even read the description. This is indeed bright and brisk! It has a really smooth character, and a pleasant richness without a heavy mouthfeel.
The flavor is really smooth. No bitterness to this, it has a clean, invigorating taste that is slightly earthy with notes of fruit in the background. It has a nice sweetness to it, slightly honey-esque … reminiscent of a thinned honey: sweet but not cloying.
There is some astringency to this, I’d categorize it as a medium amount of astringency … it’s a clean-feeling astringency. My mouth feels clean and refreshed after I sip this tea.
It’s a very enjoyable cuppa. It has an agreeable strength to it, I’d call it robust but not in-your-face bold. Because of its smooth character, I’d probably grab this one on those mornings when I wasn’t looking for something to give me that jumpstart … but something to help ease me into my morning. It’s one of those teas that would work well as an afternoon pick-me-up or a mid-morning energy boost … but it has a mellow enough quality to it that it would make a nice tea to just sit and enjoy while reading a good book too.
Another lovely tea experience from Fashionista Tea … I’m really liking this company!
Queen Elizabeth Black Tea (Organic, Fair Trade) from CaryTown Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where To Buy: CaryTown Teas
Tea Description:
An elegant blend of Assam, Darjeeling, and Nigliri, with exquisite warm and nutty notes.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
A very nice tea blend – it’s hearty enough to serve as a breakfast tea, but it would also be quite nice to serve to guests at a luncheon (or tea party!) or, as an afternoon pick-me-up when a lighter black tea just won’t cut it.
There is definitely some heft to this cup. It has a strong, rich flavor, but the Darjeeling in the blend keeps the bolder notes under control just a bit, so that it doesn’t become too much. Just a touch of light to what I might otherwise consider a very dark blend … like a candle in an an otherwise pitch black room.
There is a really lovely undertone of sweetness here that is like honeyed caramel. This is further accented by the notes of malt in the tea, as well as the fruit-y notes that are scattered throughout the sip. The description above suggests warm and nutty tones, and I get those as well. The finish is astringent, but nothing too overwhelming. I tasted no bitterness, but, this isn’t a tea I’d recommend over-steeping. In other words: don’t forget to set your timer with this one!
This would make an excellent latte, but I find it quite enjoyable served straight as well … a drizzle of honey is also quite nice in this.
Burnside Extra Long Wirey Oolong from Red Leaf Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
In the Nilgiri District of Central India, the Blue Mountains are the home of the Burnside Estate Tea Farm. Every January, after the first frost of the year coats the young buds, this estate harvests the pekoe leaves and creates several varieties of tea from them, including this outstanding extra long wirey oolong. By combining mountain elevations, which encourages the trees to draw nutrients from the soil, an early harvest, which encourages lightness and clarity in the brew, and then by twisting the oolong tea leaves into stretched out “wires,” Burnside has created a loose leaf tea that can boast incredible body and intensity, while keeping astringency to a minimum. Sweeter than any other oolong, this Burnside Estate leaf will provide you with some of the strongest expressions of pure tea flavor that you will ever find!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve been reviewing so many flavored Matcha from Red Leaf Tea in the last few months that you might have forgotten that they also sell tea other than Matcha, too!
This Oolong is different from other Oolong teas that I’ve tried. The dry leaves are just as the name implies: long and wiry. They are dark in color, indicating to me that this is a darker Oolong, and generally with darker Oolong teas I tend to expect more of a fruitier taste than a flowery one, and that is true here. This does have a fruity character, but, where it’s different is the way the fruit notes present themselves.
Ordinarily, when I say fruit, I refer to a sweet tasting flavor that tastes similar to some sort of fruit. (I know, duh! right?) But, here, I taste sort of a sweet-and-sour taste that reminds me a bit of a slightly under-ripe plum, with hints of a peachy-apricot-y flavor in the background. There is a vivid contrast between the sweet and sour.
I taste faint notes of floral tones to this as well, and while these floral notes seem to intensify as I continue to sip, they never seem to become a strong flavor of this tea. There are woodsy notes to this as well as a faint earthiness. These flavors also seem to come out a little more in subsequent infusions, but never really become a strong flavor of this tea.
I like the complexity of this. In one sip, I’ll notice a hint of honey-like flavor, in the next, my palate seems to linger over the sour notes. It’s really quite beautiful: light, crisp and tasty!
Gourmet Dark Chocolate Tea from sTEAp Shoppe
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Steap Shoppe
Tea Description:
Organic Kukicha Japanese Black Tea and Kosher Niligri Black Tea combined with Organic Cocoa Nibs. Kukicha loose twig black tea has a rich coffee aroma that helps enhance the chocolate flavor of the cocoa nibs. Giving depth to this loose leaf and twig tea we added Niligri black tea, the flavor and aroma create complexities on your palate. When you think of delicious dark chocolate you can’t go without the added benefit of organic vanilla which embraces the experience of your indulgence in this spectacular cup of tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve tasted a lot of chocolate tea over the past several years, and I think that this tea may be the most unique and unusual one that I’ve tried yet.
The base of teas is a blend of Nilgiri black tea and Kukicha black tea which in itself is rather unusual to me, because I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a black Kukicha. Most Kukicha that I’ve tried has been green Kukicha. I have tried the oxidized Kukicha, but, I don’t think I’ve ever had it referred to as black Kukicha.
Regardless, the addition of the Kukicha is what makes this tea really unique! It adds a slightly smoky element to the taste, a somewhat toasty note that is quite delightful combined with the chocolate notes. It also lightens the body a little bit, giving this a silkier taste rather than a richer, heavier taste.
The vanilla here adds a nice dimension as well. It doesn’t taste overly “vanilla” or anything … nor does it add a tremendous creaminess to the cup, instead, I think it enhances some of the malty tones of the Nilgiri which melds with the chocolate tones to make for a very smooth, decadent chocolate flavor.
My only complaint, really, is that I’d like there to be more chocolate. But then, when is that ever not a complaint from me? I am a chocoholic, and more chocolate is better. As it is though, I find this to have a pleasant level of chocolate, and I like the way the flavors all come together in this cup. It’s a little smoky and roasty-toasty, warm, smooth, chocolate deliciousness!
Truly a unique chocolate blend – the more I sip it, the more I like it!