Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Jasmine Pearl Tea Merchants
Tea Description:
This flavorful and zesty blend is our own recipe – Assam black tea is mixed with carefully hand-roasted spices to provide a delightful twist on an Indian tradition. Try simmering in milk with a touch of honey.
Learn more about this chai here.
Taster’s Review:
Mmm! I’m having a chai latte!
This Organic Chaz’ Chai Black Tea from Jasmine Pearl Tea Merchants makes a seriously good latte! It is good and spicy, and it is still spicy after I added the milk … I love that the milk didn’t dilute the spices to the point of tasting lackluster. This is still very flavorful. YUM!
The black tea is an organically grown black tea from India. The label on the canister doesn’t elaborate about which type of Indian tea is used here, but if I had to guess, I’d say that it’s either an Assam or a blend composed of Assam. After visiting the Jasmine Pearl Tea Merchants website, I see that my guess is accurate, it is indeed Assam. It is rich and malty, and something that took me by surprise is that it was not as bitter as Assam tends to get after a four minute steep. There were some bitter tones to the cup in my first couple of sips – sips that I took before adding the milk just to gauge whether or not I should make a latte. The milk eliminates the bitterness … a definite plus! It is a solid tasting black tea, full-flavored and robust and it doesn’t lose that impact even after milk is added to the cup.
The spices are strong! It surprised me at how spicy this tea actually is, especially after reviewing the ingredient list and noticing that there is NO ginger in this blend? What? It’s so peppery! The peppercorns are doing a good job at providing a very savory kick to this cup. And I love the anise! Just a hint of licorice-y flavor, and I find the combination of the licorice taste and the pepper to be really delightful. The cinnamon is warm and zesty, and the cardamom and cloves add a nice background of spice. Also worth noting is the nutmeg, not just because it adds a delicious, warm nutty flavor to the cup, but, also because it is often an overlooked spice when it comes to chai blends and I love that it was utilized here. The taste is understated but it is a really lovely addition of flavor.
To make my latte, I brewed this tea slightly stronger (by adding a little extra leaf) and then I steeped it in water. Then I added a splash of milk to the brewed tea and frothed the cup a little bit with my hand-held frother. The frothing wasn’t necessary, but I like to make it a little foamy (for more foam, I recommend heating the milk first, and then frothing before adding the milk to the tea). You could also make a chai latte the “messy way” – aka the stove top method – which entails simmering milk in a pan on the stove top and adding the loose tea and simmering for a few minutes. I don’t like this because it is messy (as I’ve so aptly coined it). And when I make a mess in the kitchen, guess who has to clean it up? Me. I prefer to make my tea brewing as mess-free as I possibly can while still experiencing the true joy of tea – in other words: loose leaf! I think that by brewing this chai double strength (or even triple strength if you like a very strong chai) in water and then adding the milk to the brewed tea still yields a very flavorful chai without the mess of the stove top method.
But, hey, feel free to brew your chai any way you want! If you do decide to go non-latte, I recommend a slightly shorter steep time to ensure that your cup of chai is not bitter. This is a really flavorful chai blend – I highly recommend it to all chai lovers out there!
Leadenhall Street Breakfast Blend from Upton Tea Imports
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Upton Tea Imports
Tea Description:
A tribute to the famous London tea auctions, our Leadenhall Street Breakfast Blend is a blend of two classic British teas: a brisk Ceylon and a thick, malty Assam. The result is a flavorful mixture which lends itself to the addition of milk.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Leadenhall Street Breakfast Blend from Upton Tea Imports is a deliciously robust blend of teas that is perfect for that all-important first cup of the day.
Combining Assam and Ceylon is not a new idea, I’ve had quite a few “breakfast blends” that utilize these two teas. The two seem to work together quite well. The Assam brings its rich, bold flavor to the cup while the Ceylon offers a bright, even-toned quality to the tea. The result is a very satisfying cup of tea that is strong enough to get you going in the morning .. but also something that would work nicely as a mid-day pick-me-up.
I notice some light fruit notes to this cup, as well as some distant floral tones. The Assam has a really rich, comforting character … deliciously sweet and malty.
There is a fair amount of astringency to this cup, but, I’m not tasting any bitterness and that’s a definite plus. I would not recommend oversteeping this tea though, because I can’t say it wouldn’t be bitter if it were left to steep too long. I steeped this in boiling water for 2 1/2 minutes in my Breville One-Touch, and I’m very happy with the result. I drank mine without any additions, and found it to be just right for my morning cuppa – edgy but not too edgy. If you want to soften that edge, you can add a bit of sweetener and/or a splash of milk or cream. This would make an excellent latte … but I really enjoyed it straight up!
Premium Taiwanese Assam from Butiki Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black, Assam
Where to Buy: Butiki Teas
Tea Description:
Our Premium Taiwanese Assam is sourced from Yuchih Township in Nantou County, Taiwan. Assam bushes were brought to Taiwan in the early twentieth century but have since been refined by the Taiwan Research and Extension Station. The long dark chocolate-colored leaves produce a sweet fruity aroma. This malty tea has rich chocolate notes with notes of cinnamon, clove, and raisins.
Ingredients: Taiwanese Black Tea
Recommended Brew Time: 3 minutes
Recommended Amount: 2 teaspoons of tea for 8oz of water
Recommended Temperature: 212 F (boiling)
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Premium Taiwanese Assam from Butiki Teas is one of my favorite black teas. The leaves of this tea are stunning! Twisty and wirey with almost a blue tone hue to them.
Some of you who read my updates on steepster may have already read a portion of this as I am using a part of my review from there.
The steeped cup is a lovely deep golden amber tone and smells of sweet potato and chocolate. This cup is DELICIOUS! If you are not used to really high quality amazing tea like this just understand – this is not your mother’s or grandmother’s Lipton tea! Haha, my grandmother, bless her heart would drink that instant powdered tea daily, you know the stuff that came in the glass jar with the green lid. Today it is probably in plastic but regardless – this is a true delight and anyone who is even considering trying a different black tea should give this one a go!
There is a very sweet aspect to the tea, it has notes of sweet potato pie, even a bake-y element to it but it is not that sweet – not like as if someone spooned sugar into the cup – just a very natural sweetness. There are strong notes of chocolate and also notes of honey. A very rich cup yet the mouthfeel is bright and cheery. It is not too heavy or syrupy.
The only regret I have is that I did not try this tea sooner. It has become one of my stash favorites. It has a permanent home in my tea cabinet.
There is a slight very light note of cinnamon or some kick of spiciness here but nothing that would cause those who are spice shy to shy away from. There is also a bit of a saffron note!
As the tea cools a bit it does become slightly thicker with a heavier mouthfeel and notes of maple syrup begin to peek through.
I know it sounds like I am talking about a dessert not a tea yet this is not a dessert tea but rather a wonderful black tea that anyone would love!
The only downside I have found to this tea is that when steeping western style, it does not re-steep very well. However if you opt for gong fu style steeping it holds up to many steeps giving you layers of wonderful notes to discover cup by cup.
2nd Flush Assam from Tea Horse
2nd Flush Assam from Tea Horse
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tea Horse
Tea Description:
A malty, rich Assam, perfect for a morning cup. It has a rich caramel, almost burnt sugar flavour with a maltiness and hints of fruit. This is a versatile tea. As good with a hearty cooked breakfast, bacon butty or toast and pastries as with a slice of fruitcake, piece of gingerbread or rich dark chocolate in the afternoon. It pairs well with dishes using cinnamon or nutmeg, as well as Mexican food or red meats.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
2nd Flush Assam from Tea Horse may be the first tea I have ever had from this company. I cannot recall another before it. This 2nd Flush is a good morning cup. I find the flavors evolve more if you let it cool just slightly before sipping. Regardless, the flavors are strong with berry notes, and have lovely caramel and malty notes. I find the malty notes to be less intense than many assam however.
What I find most pleasing with this tea is that the berry notes turn to something like a wine flavor as the cup breathes a little – cooling slightly more.
The downside of this tea is that I find you have to get the exact right steep time or you could end up with a bitter brew, or one that lacks flavor.
I found the perfect steep time for me was right at the 2 minute mark while my SororiTea Sister LiberTeas preferred hers at a minute and a half. There may be a “sweet spot” for each person and their personal taste but by no means would I suggest steeping this as long as the directions which say 4 minutes.
Personally I think this would make a far better tea iced or cold steeped because the longer I sip on this cup, the more flavors evolve with the caramel and malt waking up even more.
It is relatively bright in the mouthfeel however, its not heavy, or creamy, or even all that robust. It may not be the morning tea for everyone depending on how strong you like your morning tea to be.
I am glad that I have got to sample a Tea Horse tea and I look forward to trying more in the future.
Morning Tea from Lupicia
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black, Assam
Where to Buy: Lupicia
Tea Description:
Rich-bodied Assam tea with a faint sweetness of vanilla is perfect for morning wake-up tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Morning Tea from Lupicia is quite soothing and deep. The vanilla is only a mere hint at the flavor note, so don’t expect this to be a typical vanilla tea. Also if you wait for the tea to cool a bit the vanilla peeks out a tad more, but not a lot. I get more of the vanilla note on the aftertaste which is a lovely little surprise.
Okay I know I always say this when doing a Lupicia review tea, review, but the review would just feel empty to me if I left it out: I LOVE Lupicia Teas! Okay I got that off my chest.
I got this tea in my 2013 Lupicia Happy Bag which contained the following teas in this photo:
I was super stoked about this Happy Bag! I opted for the 60.00 dollar bag and it was worth every penny!
However, back to this tea… There is a slight smokiness in the tea but nothing like a Lapsang Souchong whatsoever. Just a very faint hint at what may remain from a campfire that has been smoldering out slowly. The tea does remind me somewhat of the early fall months, when it is still quite lovely out and not too cold but you can feel the air changing around you, there is a crispness, a slight bite to the air, yet the sun is still shining and all is well with the world. That is the feeling this tea evokes for me! Then when the vanilla note sneaks up on you it brings back the memories of the marshmallows you used to make smores with the night before at the campsite. There is even a mellow chocolate note to the base of this tea which helps that recollection as well.
Also what I love about Morning Tea is that it is heavier in the mouthfeel and requires only a short steep. On one hand that gets me sipping on a morning tea right away which is absolutely needed and desired. On another note if you have non tea drinking friends I really feel they would or at least could appreciate this tea in replacement of their coffee, if it were the only option. We know coffee folk love their coffee in the morning the same way we love our tea. Still I feel if you were to serve this they would not choke and spit it out! It has a robust flavor to it so you could steep it a bit longer for your coffee friends!
Trust me though – if you want to appreciate the tea don’t over steep – 1 to 2 minutes really is all it needs!
Now if you desired, you could absolutely add milk and or sugar to this tea. It is hearty enough to handle it and I think would make it quite yummy, however I prefer teas on their own merit without additives usually. I may give it a go with this one though as I really think it would be delicious and maybe pull out the vanilla note more.
Overall another winner from Lupicia! I am so happy I received this in my Happy Bag because I did not even know of its existence and is probably not one I would have ordered even had I know of it. Now I will be keeping this in my morning rotation for sure. Mmmm, more vanilla just peeked through! I love that sneaky vanilla!