You Had Me At Pekoe Black Tea from Tease

you.had.me.at.pekoeTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Tease

Tea Description:  

A classic Kenyan black tea in traditional orange pekoe style. Perfect for adding milk &sugar. Equally satisfying iced with your favourite sweetener. 

Learn more about July’s Postal Teas shipment here.

Learn more about subscribing to Postal Teas here.

Taster’s Review:

I recently subscribed to Postal Teas – just to check them out.  I’m always interested in seeing what other companies out there have to offer, and I especially enjoy subscription services such as this one.   I like the idea of a “mystery box” coming my way each month where the teas have been curated with a theme in mind.

So I was really excited when the “One Classy Lady” themed tea box arrived filled with three ‘classic tea staples.’  To be honest, these three teas – A Kenyan Orange Pekoe, a Genmaicha, and a Lapsang Souchong – didn’t really generate a lot of excitement with me because these are teas that I’ve had on more than one occasion (although not from this specific vendor) and I was kind of hoping for a new tea experience.

However, I was happy to find a hand-written note in my box.  Here’s what they wrote to me:

Anne,

We’re super excited to have you experience these teas!

We decided to go with some well made classics that everyone should try at least once.  

Let us know which is your fav!

-Postal Teas

OK, I understand a little more about why they selected these teas and I’m good with that explanation, because I agree!  I think that everyone should try these three teas.  Also included in the box was a nifty little 48-page notebook for “tea notes” (and I like that they took the time to write “tea” on this notebook.  It’s a little detail, certainly, but I like that it is one that wasn’t overlooked.)

But that’s enough about the box … let’s get into this tea!

When I first read that this is an Orange Pekoe tea, my immediate thought was “oh, another Ceylon.”  Not that Ceylon teas are bad, mind you!  I love a good Ceylon tea and I’ve discovered MANY wonderful Ceylon teas in the time that I’ve been reviewing teas.  Some very surprising Ceylon teas … some Ceylon teas that have changed my original belief about Ceylon.  But, I’ve had a lot of Ceylon and I was just hoping for something a little different.

But this isn’t a Ceylon!

teaselogoIt’s a Kenyan Black tea!  Now, Kenyan teas, I’ve had quite a few, but far fewer than I’ve had Ceylon teas.  And I’m always happy to try a Kenyan black from a tea company I’ve not tried before – and I’ve not tried any teas from Tease, Postal Teas featured tea purveyor this month.

Robust!  Full-flavored!  Smooth and rich!  These are all words I’d choose to describe this Pekoe.  It’s rich and malty with a pleasing mouthfeel.  It has that sort of “chewy” taste that evokes thoughts of freshly baked bread crust.

Our local grocery store always has fresh French bread – hot and right out of the oven – at the top of the hour in the afternoon.  We like to plan our visit to this store around this time of the day so that we can pick up a loaf of the bread to devour in the car after we’ve finished shopping.  No butter, no jam … just warm, soft, freshly-baked goodness.  My favorite part is the caramelized, crispy-chewy crust … and that’s what this tea reminds me of!

This is an ideal tea to choose for that all-important first tea of the day because it’s bold and has some invigorating GUSTO to it – it will give you that kick you need to get the day started.  It also takes well to the additions of milk and honey if you like to add those to your breakfast tea.

As for me, I like this one served straight up.  It has a light sweetness to it that is reminiscent of honey and caramel, with lovely floral tones in the distance that accent these sweet notes perfectly.  There is a mild, cleansing astringency that readies my palate for the next sip.  A really lovely CTC Kenyan.

And despite my first thoughts on the overll package, I have to say that it was a very fun package to receive so I’m going to go with at least one more month from Postal Teas to see what August has in store.  So far, I’m enjoying this familiar journey with Postal Teas.

Golden Monkey Black Tea from Teavivre

goldenmonkeyTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Teavivre

Tea Description:

Coming from Fujian, the Golden Monkey is made of the fresh buds and leaves of Fuding Pekoe, by lightly sun withering, rolling, fermentation and drying. Golden Monkey has the particular aroma of black tea. You could scent the fruity flavor through every sip of the tea.

The golden hairy tips truly make this tea more attractive. This is one reason why it is called Golden Monkey. Another reason is its monkey-claw-liked shape of the dry tea, which is in golden and black color. When brewed, the Golden Monkey Tea tastes brisk and smooth for the first sip, presenting a distinctive flavor. If you like stronger flavor, you could brew for a longer time. The sweet aftertaste could act faster for thicker liquid. You could only feel it when trying by yourself.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

When I got my most recent package from Teavivre, this Golden Monkey Black Tea was the one I was most anxious to try!  I love Fujian teas, and Golden Monkey teas are among those that I favor most.  And since this Golden Monkey was coming from Teavivre, I KNEW it would be stellar.  Teavivre is one of my favorite companies for a reason:  they offer some of the finest teas I’ve ever tasted.

And this tea does not disappoint!  It’s so good!

It is rich with caramel-y taste, and that caramel-y taste is the reason I find Golden Monkey Teas so enchanting!  Well, those yummy caramel-y tones and the notes of cocoa … and this tea has cocoa notes too.

It’s very smooth from start to finish.  At the finish, there is a crisp, dry astringency.  The sip starts out sweet and robust with notes of earth, leather and fruit.  The fruit notes remind me of apricot and raisins.  Then I notice the caramel-y undertones and the distant notes of chocolate.  As the sip nears the finish, the flavor becomes crisper.  The aftertaste is sweet, hinting at a burnt-sugar sort of sweetness with notes of molasses.

I like that this has a bold flavor – it’s a strong enough tea to be something I’d enjoy as my first cup of the day, but it’s smooth and flavorful enough to be something that I’d happily drink throughout the day, any time of day.

A really, really good tea from a company that I knew would deliver nothing but awesomeness!

Creme Brulee Chai Blend from Herbal Infusions

cremebruleechaiTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Herbal Infusions

Tea Description:

We use a well rounded flowery orange pekoe as the base for this decadent and luxurious chai mix. Hand blended ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, anise, peppercorn, and clove is accented by a rich creme brulee flavour. 

Learn more about this blend here.

Taster’s Review:

Chai blends are among my favorite teas to drink this time of year – when it’s blustery cold outside, there’s really nothing nicer than to have a steaming cup of spicy chai in my tea mug!  So, I’m glad I found this Creme Brulee Chai Blend from Herbal Infusions in my stash today.  And, YUM!  It’s just what I want from a chai:  warm, spicy and delicious.

There is a good level of spice to this chai.  It’s spicy, but, it’s not over-the-top.  It isn’t a jarring level of spice.  You know what I’m talking about, right?  It’s not so spicy that I’m tasting way too much spice and not enough tea flavor.  Here, the spice is strong – stronger than the tea, but that’s alright – but it isn’t overpowering the tea.  The tea is tasted.  It’s alright if the spices are stronger than the tea in a chai,  Most of the time, I prefer it that way when it comes to chai!  But I don’t want it so spicy that the flavor of the tea becomes completely obscured by the spice.

I taste the clove and cinnamon above all the other spices, but the cardamom is coming through nicely too.  I can even taste that subtle “citrus” note from the cardamom here.  The ginger and black peppercorn offer a peppery kick that I like.  And there is a subtle hint of licorice-y anise to this as well.  Anise is one of my favorite spices to use in a chai, and I’m glad that Herbal Infusions chose to include it in this chai.

And then I taste the creamy, custard-like flavor of the “creme brulee” flavoring in this.  Personally, I am wishing I could taste more creme brulee here, not just because the chai is called “Creme Brulee Chai” and I think if it’s going to be called Creme Brulee … I should taste the Creme Brulee front and center and I’m just not getting it that strongly here.  I taste it, it’s definitely there, but I want more, because, well, Creme Brulee is my favorite dessert.  I was hoping for more custard-like flavor, and also that caramelized note of the burnt sugar atop a creme brulee.  As it is, I do taste some creamy notes, some custard-like notes … and barely-there hints of caramel.

This is a very finely chopped chai – the spices and tea are both finely milled into a very fine cut.  And because of this, I suggest using a shorter brew time than you might normally employ.  It’s good with a dollop of honey or a sprinkling of turbinado sugar to bring out the flavors, however, I found that the creamy notes of the custard flavoring gave this a satisfying latte-like taste so I didn’t need to add milk.

Overall, this is a very flavorful chai.  Lots of spice flavor to warm you from the inside out!  It’s just the ticket on cold days like this one.

Organic Sungma FTGFOP-1 Black Tea from Kally Tea

SungmaTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Kally Tea

Tea Description:

Sungma – This is one of the most respected tea estates in Darjeeling. This black Darjeeling tea offering produces a wonderfully balanced liquor. This is what you come to expect from top tea estates in taste and aroma. 

This grade of tea “FTGFOP-1” stands for “Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe #1”.  This tea is hand processed, with one quarter of it consisting of tips.

A joke among tea aficionados is that “FTGFOP” stands for “Far Too Good For Ordinary People” so try this tea and welcome to the ranks of the privileged. 

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

Of the information that is provided for this tea, the one thing that is missing is which flush Organic Sungma FTGFOP-1 Black Tea from Kally Tea was harvested.  But the flavor suggests to me that this is most likely a first flush.  In my experience, the second flush Darjeeling teas tend to possess more of that “muscatel” taste while the first flush tends to be a little more woodsy.

And this tea does have more of that woodsy kind of flavor to it.  In the dry leaf aroma, that’s the first thing I picked up on was a woodsy kind of fragrance, reminding me of the scent one might experience while walking through a heavily wooded forest just after it rained, when the scent of the trees is really prolific.  The brewed tea has some of this fragrance as well, but it isn’t as pronounced as it is in the dry leaf.

The flavor – as I’ve already mentioned – is also woodsy.  It also does have some delightful floral notes in the distance, and some sweet fruity notes that seem to emerge as the tea cools slightly.  The first couple of sips that I tasted, I didn’t really notice a lot of fruit or flower to this cup, but now that it’s had a few minutes to cool to a drinkable temperature, I notice more of the fruity tones and floral notes.

But mostly what I notice here is an earthy, woodsy tone.  It is crisp and focused.  The mouthfeel is pleasant, and the flavor is uplifting.  The fruit notes provide more of a sweetness than a real distinct, identifiable fruit flavor, and it isn’t exactly a muscatel-ish note.  This has some astringency toward the finish, but it isn’t as dry as some Darjeeling teas that I’ve tasted.  It’s really quite enjoyable – a very good afternoon tea.

I don’t know that I’d say it’s Far Too Good For Ordinary People – mostly because I’m not in to arrogance like that – but it is certainly good, and I do appreciate that it’s part of Kally Tea’s organic line of teas, and it’s a good one to try if you’re looking for a good quality Darjeeling.

Jun Chiyabari Nepalese Black Tea from Imperial Tea Garden

Jun_Chiyabari

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Imperial Tea Garden

Tea Description:

Jun Chiyabari is a luxury black tea (Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe) with ethereal notes of muscatel that whispers true himalayan beauty.  Grown on mountainside elavations reaching 7000 feet above sea level in the Hile Hills Dhankuta district of Nepal.  The exceptionally clean air, rich mountain soil and pure sunshine help Jun Chiyabari continually exceed the quality of many darjeeling teas.   It is no surprise that Jun Chiyabari black tea ranks so high as a source for powerful antioxidants.  With polyphenol levels of 10.7% by dry weight, this is truly a gourmet black tea for the connoisseur and those individuals that desire a healthy black tea alternative.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

Having tried a couple of Jun Chiyabari teas, I was only too happy to be in possession of another sampling of this Nepalese black tea.  Imperial Tea Garden has the “touch” when it comes to selecting top notch teas, and this offering is an example of what I mean.

This is a delightful “Darjeeling-esque” black tea is very much like a second flush Darjeeling, with notes of muscatel, its compelling fruit notes, hints of earth and wood, and a dry finish that is reminiscent of wine.  It has a fair amount of astringency that leaves the palate feeling clean after each sip.  The aftertaste is sweet and grape-y!

This tea also has a slightly heavier texture to it than a typical Darjeeling, which I would ordinarily classify as a light or even sparkling sort of texture.  This has a texture that is more like a Ceylon.

A really charming cup of hot tea in the afternoon, or if you are looking for iced refreshment, this tea tastes great chilled and served with a sprig of mint!