Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Description:
For the first time, the bold, aromatic flavors of coffee are introduced to our smooth South Indian black tea. This marriage is celebrated with spicy cocoa and creamy yogurt chips, surprising our senses and delighting anyone who thought they would never savor the best of both worlds. Incredible hot.
South Indian Flower Orange Pekoe Black Tea, Ground Coffee, Cocoa Powder, Yogurt Chips, Creme Brulee Flavor
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s customized subscription program here.
Taster’s Review:
I think that I should have read the description and the ingredients in this Cocoa Cream Black Tea before I added it to my subscription with Simple Loose Leaf – it has ground coffee in it! Yikes! I don’t drink coffee because it tends to make me upset to my stomach, and I’m hoping that this tea has enough polyphenols in it to buffer the effects of the coffee!
When I opened the pouch, I was blown away at how much it smelled like coffee! Again, I smelled the tea before I read the description, so, I thought it was a little weird to be smelling coffee in a chocolate-y tea. Then I saw the ingredient list on the package and saw “Coffee Grounds” listed. Yep … that’s why I smell coffee! Fortunately, I really like the smell of coffee.
And I can definitely taste the coffee too. The coffee flavor is – disappointingly – stronger than the chocolate notes, and I was hoping that the coffee grounds were added to enhance the chocolate flavors, but it seems to me that it’s obscuring them. I can still taste chocolate; however, the coffee is stronger. I don’t taste a whole lot of “creme” from the yogurt or the creme brulee flavoring although I do taste a hint of sour/tangy from the yogurt. I do taste a slight creaminess, but again, I feel like it’s being overpowered by the coffee.
Even the black tea notes are dominated by the coffee notes. The coffee seems to have vanquished every other flavor in this cup, and while I do taste subtle notes of the other flavors, the coffee permeates every sip strongly. I would like for the coffee to be a more subtle flavor. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.
I was lured in by the name of the tea: Cocoa Creme. I mean, it sounds amazing, doesn’t it? I mean, as a chocoholic, why wouldn’t I want to try a tea called Cocoa Cream? But I think that this tea suffers from a misnomer. It should be called MOCHA Creme.
So far, I have tried three teas from Simple Loose Leaf with this subscription order, and this is the first one that I found disappointing. I’m still not disappointed in the service … but this tea is just simply not up to par with the other two I’ve tasted.
Vietnam Black Tea OP1 from Single Origin Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Single Origin Teas
Tea Description:
An unusual black tea with a faint spiced aroma. Freshly dried black pepper and cinnamon tastes overlay this full-bodied black. A good tea for the winter, or for making Chai!
Vietnam is one of the lesser known tea producing countries. Ranked as the 6th highest producing country for tea, we enjoy the unique spicy terroir of this brew. Our Vietnam Black OP1 does not come from a single farmer, but a cooperative in northern Vietnam.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The dry leaf of this Vietnam Black Tea OP1 from Single Origin Teas is beautiful, with varying shades of deep chocolate brown, russet and even some golden tips. The leaves are small and wiry, and have an aroma that is earthy and has some hints of spice.
The brewed tea allows the nose to enjoy more of the spice that I noticed before I brewed the tea. There is not so much of the earthiness that I noted. The tea smells warm and welcoming, like something you would want to curl up to on a cold winter morning.
And the flavor is much like the aroma: warm and welcoming. It is a rich and robust tea – one that would be great for a morning tea. It would make a fabulous latte!
It has a sweet, honey undertone, with middle layers of earth and leather and hints of flower in the distance. There is an indistinct fruit note to this, reminding me of raisins. The top notes are slightly peppery and as the description suggests … cinnamon-y! It almost tastes as though this tea was delicately spiced, but these flavors are natural to the tea leaf.
I have to agree with the description that suggests that this tea would make a wonderful base for a chai – it would! If I were in the tea blending business still, I’d probably choose this and a robust Assam and blend the two together for a chai base. Mmm! My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
I haven’t had a lot of opportunities to try Vietnamese teas but the few that I have tried, I have really enjoyed. This one from Single Origin Teas is no exception, in fact, this one may just be the most memorable of the few that I’ve tasted. It’s really an exceptional tea – one I’d highly recommend to all tea enthusiasts out there. TRY THIS TEA!
Wanja OP Black Tea from Wanja Tea of Kenya
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black Orange Pekoe
Where to Buy: Wanja Tea of Kenya
Tea Description:
Wanja OP (Orange Pekoe) is a whole leaf black tea that is grown in the fertile region around Mt. Kenya by small scale farmers who harvest it by hand. The tea is processed at a Tea Factory that is under the supervision of Kenya Tea Development Agency (a co-op that represents small scale farmers).
Kenya is the number one exporter of black tea and this high quality whole leaf tea is the highest quality Orthodox tea that Kenya has to offer. This is a bold, full bodied tea that is rich in taste and high in quality.
With strong floral and fruity aromas this tea can be enjoyed at any given time of the day. This tea is an excellent substitute to coffee due to its caffeine content and proven health benefits.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Wanja OP Black Tea from Wanja Tea of Kenya provides a strong, bold, wonderful experience. Early infusions taste of hints of cocoa, malt, and fruits, while later infusions bring forth notes of leather, cigar smoke, and woods. Truly a delicious cup!
Martin D. Sankale was inspired to start his small scale tea company after several friends loved tea he had brought back from Kenya. So he started up Wanja Tea of Kenya, named after his late grandmother, to honor her memory.
Martin sources his teas from small scale farmers in Kenya’s most fertile tea growing regions.
While Martin currently only has two teas in stock I am watching his online business grow over time, and he selects his teas with the upmost care and concern for his customers! Truly a respectable man!
This tea is a good one! I made myself a cup and throughly enjoyed it. Let me tell you, unlike many black teas, this one cannot be over steeped. Perhaps it can but after forgetting about it for a good ten minutes and it still tasting amazing, that is one hearty tea! I sipped that cup with pleasure then made a new cup with fresh leaves for the purpose of this review. Both cups were fantastic, over steeped or not!
Absolutely not one bit of astringency or bitterness. Rather, malt, caramel, cocoa, and fruit notes abound! The floral note is difficult to determine for me, I taste it, its present, but I have had a difficult time deciding exactly what floral aspect it is, perhaps violet. The floral note seems to be more on the after taste rather than in the sip itself.
I also can’t decide which infusion I like most, while the early infusions provide the wonderful notes that I am used to in a great black, the later notes verge on that of a pu’er with its aromas and notes of an old library.
I hope that more people take advantage of this really affordable price point as well! At four dollars per ounce there really isn’t any reason not to try this tea! This easily could be a daily staple and inexpensive enough to serve to guests, at a party, or event, hot and iced! If I owned a restaurant and wanted a quality but affordable tea to serve my customers, I would opt for Wanja OP Black from Wanja Tea of Kenya simply because it is more than just a good tea, and by far affordable to serve and to enjoy daily!
Temi First Flush from The Tea Horse
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black, Orange Pekoe
Where to Buy: Tea Horse
Tea Description:
Temi 1st Flush is officially a black tea, but is less oxidised and much lighter than usual blacks – to drink, somewhere between a black and a green tea. Its grade is SFTGFOP1 (standing for Special Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe grade 1). A bit of a mouthful but it makes for a lovely tea!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I love a good Temi First Flush. I recently sipped down the last of my favorite first flush from another company so I was excited to dig this sample out of a box of teas from my SororiTea Sister Anne.
I was waiting with anticipation to fully immerse myself in this cup. The first thing I picked up was the astringency which was not unpleasant but more prominent than what I am used to in this style of tea.
Then the notes develop into a background flavor of straw that has been sitting in the sun light which is a note I personally enjoy, added to that a slightly vegetal flavor but not as one expects in greens, not that prominent. More of the flavor of fresh straw blade that you picked out of a field to stick in your mouth to chew on like country folk. The tea is in fact quite “sunny” in its flavor and has a bright mouthfeel.
This is a light tea and I don’t think I would try adding any milk or cream to it however it could go quite well with a little sugar, or honey.
As for spicy notes, they are present but they are not very intense and while I appreciate subtle notes in teas this tea somewhat leaves me wanting just a little bit more. Its not a bad tea by any means and I would not dump it out so I don’t want to give the impression that it is unpalatable but it does seem to lack some of the complexities and fruity notes I appreciate in my regular Temi First Flush. Now with that said, while I do not pick up the fruit notes I was desiring, it is a “juicy” tea. The tea does tend to have a burst like sensation in the mouth that is quite lovely.
So there are some high notes and low notes to this tea in my opinion however for me, ordering this tea may be more trouble than it is worth due to it being a U.K. company, and I am in the U.S.A. I would love to try some of their other blends though as they have a couple that caught my eye. I would say that if ordering were a tad easier this tea was a good introduction to their company and would indeed make me want to order from them again.
Its just that sometimes we love another tea of the same type and that love can be difficult to beat. That is the case with this specific tea.
It is however light, bright, and quite thirst quenching, and there is nothing wrong with any of those things.
Milk Chocolate Caramel from sTEAp Shoppe
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: sTEAp Shoppe
Tea Description:
Milk Chocolate Caramel flowery Assam Orange Pekoe black tea. This is a tea you will let swirl around on your tongue amazed at how smooth it is. At first wif you get a bit of caramel, then you delight in your first sip with the shock of how smooth this tea really is. As you let the tea wander over your tastebuds you experience a rich silky smooth texture similar to allowing a chocolate to melt on your tongue. No one note pops out at you but each note is distinct. Notes of Caramel, Cocoa & Vanilla with a milk like cacoon encasing the flavors to bring them together as one.
Taster’s Review:
I was lucky enough to be bestowed with the honor to be one of the first people to try it! It is definitely a blend that would capture my interest – based on the name alone. Milk Chocolate and Caramel? Um… YES please! No arm twisting required.
And this cup of tea is just as delicious as the name would suggest!
The chocolate and caramel flavors are profound, they leap right onto the palate from the start of the sip. It is rich and creamy and delicious! There are hints of creamy vanilla amid the sweet chocolate notes, and the caramel is also sweet, while offering hints of bitterness from the burnt sugar. Not in a bad bitter kind of way, but in a very delicious bitter kind of way, as it keeps the whole confectionery taste from becoming cloying.
The black tea is a softer tasting black tea – it’s quite mild, but it is still substantial enough to stand on its own. It delivers a nice, well-rounded taste and a very silky texture to the overall cup. And while it is not a tea I’d consider as bold or sturdy or any of the other adjectives I’d use to describe a strong black tea, I really don’t think a stronger black tea is desired here. It might interfere with the delicious flavors of chocolate and caramel – and this chocoholic seems to enjoy this just the way it is!
This is so delicious on its own, it doesn’t need any additions whatsoever. It is certainly sweet enough, and I think that milk would overwhelm some of the more delicate qualities of this tea. Really, the vanilla notes provide enough of a creaminess to this that it is almost like a rich, creamy latte without the milk!
This is the first tea I’ve tried from this company, but it is certainly not the last! I am thrilled with this tea, and very honored to be the first person outside of the sTEAp Shoppe to try it!