Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: M&K’s Tea Company on Etsy
Tea Description:
It’s classic! It’s English (actually it’s Indian and Sri Lankan)! It’s…breakfast! Nevermind. We’ll cut to the chase. It’s a nice cup of malty black tea from the Bargara and Kandoli Assam estates of India and the Kenilworth estate of Sri Lanka (Ceylon). Great with milk, good with sugar, best in the morning. This blend is part of the Original 20 M&K’s Blends.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve enjoyed quite a few of M&K’s Tea Company’s blends now so I was really eager to try this Classic English Breakfast Black Tea to see how well they crafted a traditional favorite. And I’m really glad that I had this opportunity to try it, because this is quite nice.
To brew: I put 1 bamboo scoop of tea into the basket of my Kati Tumbler and then poured in 12 ounces of boiling water. I set the timer for 2 1/2 minutes and let time take care of the rest.
This is a robust blend. I like that it focuses more on the Assam than the Ceylon, which gives it more of a rugged, hefty flavor. It’s strong and edgy, but without being bitter or too astringent. Had I steeped this for longer, though, I think that I would have had a bitter cup. Take care not to oversteep this blend!
The flavor is bold with notes of malt and there is a fruity, wine-like quality to this as well. There are two single estate Assam teas in this blend and I suspect one is more malty while the other is a more ‘wine-like’ Assam. It’s a nice balance between the two qualities. The Ceylon adds a certain ‘evenness’ to the flavor. It’s a rich, flavorful cup that would take the additions of milk and honey well – which is what most people look for in a breakfast blend.
Personally, I don’t usually add milk or honey to my teas, so my cup has that rugged edge to it that I like in the morning. It’s the kind of tea that I’d want if I need a good shake awake. It’s the kind of tea that will get you going.
Really nice!
AliShan Charcoal Fire Heavy Roast Oolong Tea from T-Oolong Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: T-Oolong Tea
Tea Description:
This quality Alishan Charcoal Fire Heavy Roast Oolong is handpicked, handcrafted and produced from Alishan oolong tea. Use only the charcoal made of either Taiwan Longan wood or Taiwan Acacia wood to roast the tea (NOT by electric roasters), and follow old traditional method. This tea has an intense charcoal aroma and taste mixing with flavors of Alishan oolong. The aftertaste is enjoyable and long lasting. It tastes sweet, rich and complex, and stands up very well to multiple infusions.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve had an occasional charcoal roasted Oolong, but I can’t recall having very many AliShan charcoal roasted Oolong teas! I know I’ve had at least one, but, I can’t recall many others. So, I’m very happy to have this opportunity to try this AliShan Charcoal Fire Heavy Roast Oolong Tea from T-Oolong Tea!
This is lovely!
To brew, I reached for my gaiwan. I measured a bamboo scoop of tea and put it into the gaiwan. I heated the water to 180°F and after performing a quick rinse (15 seconds), I started the first infusion, steeping it for 45 seconds. I added 15 seconds onto each subsequent infusions. Since this is a charcoal roasted AliShan, I opted not to use my designated AliShan Oolong Yixing mug and instead put the tea in one of my favorite tea cups. This tea cup holds two infusions perfectly, so I combined the first two infusions to make one cup. Then the third and fourth infusion combined made the second cup and so on.
With my first cup, the roasty-toasty flavors brought as smile to my face. It’s deliciously nutty and sweet. While an unroasted AliShan may taste floral and even a little ‘milky’ – this instead tastes nutty, creamy and sweet. I taste notes of the charcoal. It’s remarkably smooth with very little astringency and no bitterness.
My second cup was even more ‘roasty-toasty’ and I could pick up on more of the charcoal notes. Still deliciously nutty and sweet! The creaminess has subsided somewhat. This cup is less thick than the first, and there is a slight dryness to it. Still really nice.
The third cup was a little more mellow than the second cup. I’m starting to pick up on some light floral notes – like toasted orchid! It’s an interesting contrast of flavors. I think that this is the most interesting of the three cups. The cup is softer in texture. The charcoal notes are more pronounced. This cup isn’t as nutty as the first and second cups were but there are still some nutty tones. This is still roasty-toasty and really pleasant to sip.
I really enjoyed this tea.
Organic Jungpana Premium Autumn Flush Darjeeling Black Tea from Golden Tips
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black (Darjeeling)
Where to Buy: Golden Tips
Tea Description:
A first-rate Autumnal from the paradisiacal tea plantations of Jungpana. Amber liquoring with a riveting aroma, this is sure to become your favorite morning cuppa. Fittingly robust and bodied, the tea brings in whiffs & undertones of muscatel complimented by distinctive maltiness unique to Darjeeling black teas through the pre-winter harvests. Taste buds capitulate to the bold slightly-earthy character of the tea as it flushes your mouth with its dominant character. A slight palatableness engulfs as you roll the liquor. Floral and dark chocolaty notes are sustained during the entire experience. An excellent tea and among our best-sellers every season.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve tried quite a few Darjeeling teas from Golden Tips so far and I’ve been impressed with what I’ve tried. This Organic Jungpana Premium Autumn Flush follows in fashion. This is a wonderful Darjeeling!
I brewed this tea in my Breville tea maker, adding 2 bamboo scoops of tea to the basket and pouring 500ml of water to the pitcher. Then I set the temperature for 195°F and the timer for 2 1/2 minutes. It’s been my experience that Darjeeling teas do better with a slightly lower temperature.
And the result is a cupful of deliciousness! This is a delightfully complex Darjeeling. It’s crisp. The body of this tea falls somewhere between light and medium. There is some astringency to this, but not a lot. Just a slightly dry sensation toward the tail. No bitterness – just wonderful flavor that keeps me sipping.
The sip starts out with a sweet note that’s slightly grape-y. This tea has a distinct wine-like flavor (muscatel!) and there are some notes of flower. By mid-sip, the grape notes become more defined. I taste subtle woodsy tones and hints of earth. As the sip goes into the finish, there is a slightly dry, sweet note. The aftertaste is sweet with just a hint of tartness that reminds me of currant.
A fantastic Darjeeling. This is the kind of tea that I’d recommend to any tea drinker, especially to those who are new to Darjeeling. This tea would be a great way to start one’s journey into the wonderful world of Darjeeling tea!
Lemon Blueberry Cookie Dough Black Tea from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
One of our “YOU be the tea blender” blends, this is a premium Pettiagala Extra Long Leaf OP black tea from Sri Lanka blended with freeze-dried blueberries, lemon myrtle and organic blueberry, lemon and cookie dough flavors. Delicious and fun–like the flavors are having a pillow fight in your mouth!
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about 52Teas’ subscriptions here.
Taster’s Review:
This Lemon Blueberry Cookie Dough Black Tea from 52Teas is pretty tasty. I don’t think I’ve had a lemon blueberry cookie before, but I certainly wouldn’t be opposed to trying one – or the dough before one is baked! I love the flavor combination of lemon and berry!
I brewed this in my Breville One-Touch: I measured 2 bamboo scoops of tea into the basket and poured 500ml of water into the kettle. The temperature was set for 205°F and the timer for 2 1/2 minutes.
I do wish I would have set the timer for only 2 minutes, because the black tea is a little on the astringent side. It’s not really what I’d call bitter, but together with the tart, lemony notes and the tea – I’m getting a fair amount of tangy astringency at the tail.
The black tea is a brisk, medium-bodied tea. I think I would have liked a maltier tea as the base to help bring out the ‘cookie dough’ flavors because I’m not getting a lot of that sweet dough-y flavor here.
I get plenty of lemon notes and hints of blueberry. As I continue to sip, the blueberry notes develop and by mid-cup, the blueberry is almost on even standing with the lemon. By the time I’ve reached the end of the cup, the two flavors are pretty nicely balanced. I really like the way these two flavors play together – the lemon and the blueberry are really quite compatible flavor companions.
There is an underlying sweetness to this cup, but, maybe the tartness of the lemon together with the tart notes of the berry overwhelm the sweeter notes of what should taste like cookie dough. By mid-cup, I do pick up on more flavors that could be cookie dough-ish.
After the tea cools significantly, I pick up on a lot more cookie dough taste – this tea is definitely better cold than it is hot. The astringency mellows a little, there is balance between the lemon and blueberry flavors, and the cookie dough flavor emerges a bit.
Overall, this is a tasty blend. It’s a fun flavor, a little on the tart side – if you like lemon, you’ll really enjoy this playful flavor.
Earl Grey Tea from Rington’s Premium English Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Rington’s Premium English Teas
Tea Description:
Aromatic light black tea bags. From our ‘Extra Fresh’ family of teas. A premium quality fair traded aromatic blend of black tea, delicately flavoured with natural bergamot flavour.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Earl Grey Tea from Rington’s Premium English Teas: another bagged Earl Grey. I decided to go into this experience with an open mind and determined to find the good in this tea. I feel like lately, most of my bagged tea reviews have been ‘bagging’ on the tea bag. I want to try to keep an open mind because I have, in fact, tried decent bagged teas. Sure, loose leaf is better. Loose leaf is the way to go in about 98% of all situations, but there is the occasion when bagged teas are certainly more convenient even if they aren’t more flavorful.
So I steeped the bag in one of my favorite mugs, using 8 ounces of boiling water for 3 minutes. Now that I’m sipping this, I wish I would have gone with 2 1/2 minutes because this is a tad more astringent than I would like it to be and I think that a slightly shorter steep time might help to reduce that.
My first impression: the flavor is a bit off. The bergamot tastes strange to me, it doesn’t have that crisp tangy flavor that I expect from bergamot.
Again, I want to find the good in this tea, so I’m not tossing it yet! The black tea. It’s alright. It has a pleasant flavor. It’s rich and has a light malty note to it. It is astringent, like I’ve already mentioned. It has a dry sensation toward the tail of the sip.
On the good side: although the bergamot isn’t quite what I expected when I tasted this tea, it isn’t ‘bad’ – it’s just a bit sweeter than I expected from bergamot. It tastes like maybe the bergamot has been ‘enhanced’ by another orange flavor to soften the edge of the bergamot. The black tea has a pleasant flavor. And this tea does taste better as it cools – this would make a really nice iced tea.
I suspect that this might be alright to someone who hasn’t tasted better Earl Grey teas. That is to say, if all they’ve been drinking is other brands of bagged Earl Grey teas, they might find this one to be just as acceptable as some other bagged Earl Grey teas, perhaps even better than others. It’s certainly not the worst Earl Grey I’ve ever tried, but it’s not the best either. But if you’ve tried a really good, loose leaf Earl Grey tea, you’ll more than likely find this one lacking, I’m sorry to say.