Hi Tea Friends!
Recently I received two wonderful teas from Edgcumbes Coffee & Tea shop to review for you guys. I have a bag of Rusper and a bag of Blend No.45. Both are black tea based blends from different regions to achieve a desired flavour. I’m going to be reviewing Rusper today so keep your eyes peeled for the Blend No.45 review.
What is Rusper? “Top quality Assam and Kenyan teas have been expertly blended by Edgcumbes to produce a rich, full and malty brew. Our most popular House blend”. This was the information from the front of the packet.
Here is a little information about the company that coincides with this tea.
Back in 1981, Frank Edgcumbes Rendle retired from his job as a jute and tea trader in Calcutta (now Kolkata) and moved back to the UK.
He was distraught to discover he couldn’t find any decent loose leaf tea. So he sat at the kitchen table with a set of scales, and blended some high-quality Assam and Kenyan tea leaves.
He called the blend Rusper after the West Sussex village where he grew up, decided to sell a few bags, and named the newly formed company Edgcumbes – our traditional family name.
We still believe that locally, fresh-roasted coffees and hand-blended loose-leaf teas ALWAYS taste better than commercially packaged products.
The packet by the way is a brown paper food style bag with bendy wire clips on the top to keep it sealed. It also has air holes for the tea to breathe. I would recommend moving the tea to a canister/caddy to make the freshness last which is also stated on the front of this packaging on the label.. Otherwise it’s good, basic packaging with the following details on the front:
Origin – Assam, India. Kericho, Kenya. Grown 1000-7200 ft above sea level.
Ingredients – Premium black teas.
Flavour – Rich Assam Malty notes with the characteristic brightness of top quality Kenyan teas.
Brew Guide – 2-4 mins, 1 cup, 100C.
Opening the packet I can see very finely chopped leaf remnants in brown and red colours. It bares a dry, sour wood scent.
I will be using the steeping parameters as recommended above. Once steeped a drop of milk will be added.
The resulting tea liquid is mahogany in colour (before milk) and bares a rich, malt and wood scent.
This tea is hearty and heavy, filled with rich flavour and strong enough to call itself a true British cuppa. Malt and wood tones dominate the strong yet dry tea and it has a slight sour after taste.
Adding sweetener reduced the sour after taste though ti is still present. It also smooths and blends the malt and wood a little better. Meaning that milk and sweetener make this a very nice builders cuppa.
As a fan of strong tea in general I like the strength and classic quality that this blend offers. Simple yet tasty and sure to win the heart of any tea lover, Brit or otherwise!
Until next time,
Happy Steeping!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Edgcumbes Coffee & Tea
Description:
Rusper tea is our original house blend of tea and it is perfect for your everyday cup of tea! It is a blend of Assam and Kenyan teas and makes a very easy to drink cup of tea which still has a great taste!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Cocoa Rouge by The Jasmine Pearl Tea Co
Hello tea friends!
Today I will be drinking Cocoa Rouge, a herbal blend from The Jasmine Pearl Tea Co. Two of the ingredients are organic (Cocoa nibs and Rooibos) so it’s a partially organic and mildly caffeinated blend. With the cold weather on the way I have the desire to drink hot chocolate, that is why this blend caught my attention. Cocoa with vanilla and chicory sounds like a warming and sweet blend.
Opening the sample packet I can smell toasted chicory with a sweet vanilla undertone. The Rooibos is also rather heavy in this blend, in appearance and smell.
Steeping Parameters: 13g of loose leaf tea in 600ml of boiling water for 3 minutes.
Once steeped the tea bares a very dark brown tea liquid with a sweet vanilla and Rooibos scent. Not as toasted or chicory like as the raw scent.
The first few sips reveal a sweet and creamy vanilla tone that balances the natural sweetness from the Rooibos. Behind that there are dark, toasty cocoa nib and chicory notes that quickly lightens in the after taste. A few more sips bring out some dryness in the after taste but the velvety vanilla makes up for that. It is a Rooibos heavy blend but it’s not the main flavour and a lot of it has been toned down, so while I can taste it it’s not too sweet or chemical like which it tends to be. If you’ve had Rooibos before you will know what I’m talking about. As it cools slightly I am getting a real hot chocolate vibe from it. It’s sweet and the cocoa is thicker, plus the vanilla makes it more chocolate like.
Overall it was a pleasant blend, though I admit guilt for underestimating it from the start. As soon as I saw it was a Rooibos blend I immediately thought it’s either going to be too Rooibos heavy (which I severely dislike) or too chicory heavy to block out the Rooibos taste. I was wrong on both accounts. I can taste the Rooibos but the vanilla keeps the sweetness creamy and the chicory and cocoa give it depth and flavour.. The ingredients work well together to give an imaginative hot chocolate tea. It goes to show that you can never judge a tea by it’s ingredients alone.
Until next time, Happy Steeping!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: The Jasmine Pearl Tea
Description:
Cacao nibs and hearty roasted chicory add lots of body to the rooibos base in this rich, satisfying blend. Vanilla extract helps give the mixture its warm flavor and adds depth to its enticing aroma. As a dessert blend, Cocoa Rouge can be drunk by itself, but the addition of milk and sweetener makes for an extra-delicious treat. Due to the cacao nibs, the blend does have some caffeine in it, so best to enjoy it well before bedtime.
Ingredients:
Cacao Nibs, Rooibos, Vanilla Beans, Carob, Chicory Root, Vanilla Extract.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Blend No.45 From Edgcumbes Coffee and Tea
Hello Tea Friends!
My last post mentioned this tea in brief as I received a sample to review from Edgcumbes. Today I will review it after a wonderful introduction to the company. This particular tea, Blend No.45, boasts a gold star from the 2016 Great Taste Awards.
Blend No.45 contains Assam, Darjeeling, Keemun and Laspsang Souchong. It sounds like a finely tuned blend of black teas, and the Lapsang Souchong makes me thing of smoke and fire. This is all pre-tea, at least this is how I am perceiving it before I try.
The packaging has a little more information:
Origin – India and China
Ingredients – Luxury black orthodox leaf tea
Flavour – Rich, strong and flavoursome
Brew Guide – 3-5 mins, 1 cup, 100C.
Opening the packet I get a waft of smoke and wood, strong and dark but also beautiful at the same time. For those that have yet to smell Lapsang Souchong I liken it to a bonfire. The leaves themselves are large/partially broken and are a collection of brown, gold and red colours.
I will be steeping this with the recommended guide above.
Once steeped the resulting liquid is golden red in colour and bares a smoky, wood scent with some sweetness.
Let me start by saying that the Lapsang Souchong smells much stronger than it tastes. It’s fragrant with sour wood and dry smoke notes that lighten to leave a slightly sweet after taste. Smoother than I anticipated and it doesn’t need milk nor sweetener. Strength is medium but still strong enough to use as an every day ‘pick me up’ tea.
This was my favourite blend out of the two. It had a lot of flavour and charm, particularly the Lapsang Souchong not overly dominating the other teas. It puts a perfect twist on the classic black tea. It’s also perfect for this time of year, no doubt I will have a pot or two of it on Bonfire night.
Until next time,
Happy Steeping!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Edgcumbes Coffee & Tea
Description:
A unique blend of Assam and Darjeeling Second Flush, with Chinese Keemun and a hint of Lapsang Souchong. A pinch of this tea will add that exotic touch to your favourite daily brew.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
The Brew Is Out There by Geeky Teas
Hello Tea Friends!
I’m guilty of sometimes picking a tea for it’s name and that pretty much describes why I’ve gone for this blend. In the 90’s I was a huge X Files fan and I would faithfully watch every episode when it aired. It was one of the only tv shows that me and my mother both liked so we would spend the time together watching it and I have some wonderful memories. Not to mention some of the gripping, jaw dropping story lines in the show that left me awe inspired. When you’re young the likes of camouflage monsters and brain eating aliens are enough to cause playground chatter. If you’re not an X Files fan or have no idea what this tea has to do with it then let me clarify – The Truth Is Out There was a common slogan used on the show. That same slogan has since been featured on UFO posters and various other merchandise.
This tea is a blend of Green tea with vanilla, orange peel, natural lemon and orange flavour and sunflower petals. At least that is what the website says. So as I open my sample and give it a sniff I can smell an uplifting lemongrass, citrus scent with a creamy vanilla undertone. Looking at the blend it’s loosely chopped with some fine pieces of green tea and notable sunflower petals. In my sample I cannot find any orange pieces that are shown in the picture on the website but I must stress this is a small sample so that’s probably why.
Steeping Parameters: 4g loose leaf, 600ml teapot, 80C water temperature for 2 minutes. Ps. Also using my Ghostbusters mug.
Once steeped the resulting tea liquid is honey in colour and bares a sweet and creamy citrus scent.
The first few sips reveal a toasted grass base with a wave of creamy vanilla and a burst of fragrant lemongrass and citrus. It’s like a fire, once lit it burns brightly and gets more intense until it finally dies out. That is pretty much the strength and character of this blend at first. The tea plants the green tea base before becoming creamy and stronger which leads to a refreshing citrus before it all dies down into a distant memory. I like the combination of citrus and vanilla, it sounds rather odd but it does go very well together. Instead of the citrus being too sharp or sour the vanilla softens and sweetens it, to create a very relaxing blend. I also like that the green tea (which I believe to be Chinese Sencha from it’s appearance) comes through in the blend so that the flavours don’t dominate it completely. It’s also not too strong considering the small, broken down leaf pieces from the green tea (which is why I gave it a 2 minute steep ie smaller leaves usually means shorter steep).
Half way down the mug (with memories of Mulder *swoon* and the X Files theme tune in my head) the citrus has become a little stronger, which could be because it’s also cooled slightly; to a more waxy taste. Also the vanilla has become more neutral whilst the green tea leaves a slight dryness on the tongue with each additional sip. But my mouth is perfumed with the melody of citrus.
I enjoyed this blend. The mix of citrus and vanilla actually match Mulder and Scully in the show. Mulder is vanilla with his sweet yet smooth charm and Scully is citrus with it’s powerful, refreshing and clear essence. The two work well together and each balance the other, citrus stops vanilla from being too sweet and vanilla stops citrus from being too sour. The green tea adds depth and the overall blend leaves a wonderful, perfumed, I said it was perfumed which is because of the dryness and it’s overall strength, but in reality it tasted natural rather than synthetic. I also want to add that this has given me a little energy boost as well.
It’s inspired me to have a re-watch after all of these years, I will have to break out the X Files box sets. For now at least I can have faith, for The Brew Is Out There!
Until next time, Happy Steeping!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea Blend
Where to Buy: Geeky Teas
Description:
Green tea with vanilla, orange peels, natural lemon and orange flavor and sunflower petals, goes great with honey from hybridized bees. Brews up a lovely green color.
I want to believe!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
NaturaliTea #01: Hatsutsumi Handpicked Midori Shincha First Flush from Yunomi
Konnichi wa ocha no yūjin!
Or if that made no sense:
Hello tea friends!
Japan is a country that inspires me to the point of being in awe. The culture, the technology, the religions, their traditions, and especially their tea. I thought I had experienced everything a few years ago that had to do with tea, until I went into the world of Japanese tea. There is nothing like it! If you have never tried Japanese tea for yourself then I highly recommend trying it. Part of this reason is because Japanese tea contains umami which is the fifth taste which translates to ‘pleasant savoury taste’. It may sound strange for a tea to taste savoury but I tend to liken it to a soup broth, completely unique and bursting with flavours. This is why I am so taken with Japanese tea in general.
I am happy and excited to be drinking some First Flush Midori Shincha by NaturaliTea as sold by Yunomi. No idea what Midori or Shincha is? Let me break it down: Midori means green and Shincha translates to ‘new tea’ which refers to when it was picked. Basically a Shincha is the first harvest of Sencha leaves which is also known as Ichibancha ‘ the first picked tea’. Besides the fresh aroma of the young leaves, Shincha is characterised by its relatively low content of bitter catechin and caffeine, and relatively high content of amino acid. This makes the Shincha harvested limited in size of the batch and also the time it is picked. And to finish off for Japanese tea newbies Sencha is a ryokucha or green tea cultivar that is indigenous to Japan, so much so that Sencha is Japans most commonly consumed tea with Sencha production being 80% of all tea produced in Japan.
Now it’s time for the tea itself. Opening the sample pack reveals bright, glossy green leaf shards that are loosely broken. They bare a gorgeous sweet grass and mineral scent.
Steeping a Japanese tea is rather different than steeping a general green tea, the water temperature and steeping length can either enhance the umami or bypass it. A lot of it comes down to experimentation and preference; I like a nice umami which often comes through in low temperature water and short steeps. So I will be trying to find the umami goodness. Another thing you often find is the change of temperature, an example being the first steep at 80C, the second at 40 C and third at 70C. Again that would be because it enhances the umami quality.
My Steeping Parameters: 200ml Yunomi (Japanese cup), 360ml Futanashi Tokoname (lidless teapot used to enhance freshness and scent), 10g loose leaf.
I want another note: my teapot is larger than my yunomi but I will only be using my teapot to 200ml. Also this is a sizeable yunomi that needed to be adjusted for. Otherwise I would recommend 3g of leaf to 60ml water.
Also, Yunomi bared this note: Our recommend steeping method is to use water cooled to about 40˚C/105˚F steeped for 2-3 minutes for the best balance between sweetness and umami (savory) flavors.
For that reason my first steep will be 2 minutes at 40C. (Room temperature is usually around 20C).
Once steeped the resulting tea liquid is cloudy, golden yellow colour that bares a vegetable (broccoli) and sweet grass scent. Not dissimilar to it’s raw state.
The first sips reveals a strong, broth like flavour packed with sweet grass, spinach, kale and mixed flowers with a pleasant, bitter aftertaste that lightens and becomes sweeter. That was the first sip, as you can see it packs a lot of different flavours and information in it. The after taste is lingering for very long in my mouth. I say broth because it reminds me of a strong, hearty, soup broth full of green vegetables.
The umami is very strong, so much so that I feel like I’ve jumped into an ice cold bath with every punching sip I take. But I can’t stop myself from sipping. The umami washes over me with warmth and wide eyed energy. A few sips more lighten the tea while my tongue adjusts to this unique flavour. It detects sweet honey and salty seaweed notes among the ever growing broth blend.
Second Steep – 80C for 45 seconds (see the jump in temperature?)
So the shorter steep at hotter temperature is mostly because I want to test the body of the green tea. Umami comes out in the first steep but it gets weaker over time, that is why I Umami the first steep and green tea the rest of it.
Yes, the umami is less than half of what it was. The punch that it packed is now a shadow of it’s former self; that being said it’s still a strong steep. It still has strong sweet grass and vegetal tones, and it’s also a little bitter; but it is lacking as much depth and oomph as the first steep. This is a good example of how much water temperature and steeping time can change a Japanese tea.
The sweetness is less so it’s not honeyed in this steep but it is hay like and grassy. In terms of broth this is mid level, like the vegetables are in a pan with water and steeping for a while, enough to have flavoured the water, but there is still more flavour left to go.
Third Steep – 60C for 30 seconds (another temperature change)
Why the change? I want a lower temperature to increase any remaining umami that is left, whilst lessening the steeping time a little to try and reduce the bitterness. This is another example of why I said it’s best to experiment with Japanese teas, it’s all down to personal preference. Some people will read this and think I had it too strong or perhaps don’t agree with my parameters at all. I didn’t plan on the times for my second or third steep but I read what I wanted from the tea and it’s potential.
Was it a good decision to change? Yes. This steep is very light in taste but some umami can be found admidst the sweet, bitterness. This cup is more raw cabbage like than broccoli. It bares the same mineral, green sort of taste. While it’s immensely weaker in strength I feel if it was warmer it would have been too bitter to appreciate the remaining umami. As such just before the bitterness kicks in and the powerful sweetness I can taste the broth.
Final Thoughts
This was a nice Shincha that packed an incredible umami punch. Sweet yet savoury, vegetal yet bitter, it was a delicious combination in one tea. I would recommend it to umami lovers or those looking to experience it for the first time. If you are then stick with short steeps and 70-80C temp until you find it at your desired level. Don’t be put off if you dislike it the first time around, it may take time to get it to your personal taste. And once you do it will grow on you! Plus not forgetting that this is Organic I can tell the clarity of the flavours once prepared. There is nothing in this tea that tastes chemical or unnatural.
If you haven’t experienced many Japanese teas before then I hope I have given you insight.
Until next time, Happy Steeping!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Yunomi
Description:
- Name: Handpicked Midori First Flush
- Ingredients: 100% Shizuoka-grown green tea leaves
- Harvest: Late April harvest
- Cultivation Notes: Grown pesticide free. Fertilized with organic compost. Machine cut trim of the youngest, topmost leaves, and handpicked leaves.
- Region: Fujieda, Shizuoka
- Vendor type: Family-operated farm cooperative.
- Established: 1976
- Producer: Toshiaki Kinezuka, President, Hito to No, Shizen wo Tsunagu Kai (NaturaliTea)