Hate to say it but this would be better suited for the British drinkers, who like a strong cup with milk/sugar.
Due to the tiny size of the leaf, it infuses very quickly. A tricky one to brew if not for milk. The astringent qualities come out so quickly.
Next time less leaf. If you can make it past the astringency you’ll find it has a fresh feeling on your palate.
Filled with some malty and dark woodsy notes of mahogany.
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Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Teakruthi
Description
This low grown full-bodied blend was hand-plucked from the shade of the Sinharaja Rainforest in Sri Lanka. Made from the highest quality leaves, Rainforest Indulgence offers a unique flavour. Rather than hand-rolling to bruise the leaf and introduce oxidation, this tea was produced by a modern mechanical process to tear the leaf and oxidize. Only limited amounts of Broken Pekoe (BP) grade Ceylon tea is produced, so this tea is truly a special morning treat. This strong tea is reddish-orange in colour.
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Earl Grey Lavender/Teageschwendner -Ashmanra-
Nearly everyone has heard of Earl Grey, and I find a lot of people either love it or absolutely hate it. I am somewhere in between. I can really fall for the RIGHT Earl Grey. The trademark flavor of Earl Grey is bergamot, which is a type of sour orange. Most Earl blends are Ceylon black tea with bergamot oil, but Ceylon tea can already be very lemony and when you add sour orange…well, it just isn’t for me. It would be more palatable with milk and sugar but I don’t usually do additions. When you put a quality bergamot oil on Keemun or an a smoky base…now, that’s a different story. Or if you add cream flavor to counter the sour citrus, again, I can get on board. This one puts lavender second in the name, but I am finding it first in the flavoring, right after tea base. There is orange oil here as well, and I think that further gives a real roundness to the cup, as opposed to a punch in the tastebuds. The sweet floral lavender and cheerful orange takes the hard punch out of the bergamot and softens it into a very nice cup of tea, strong enough for breakfast (for me), yet smooth and sweet enough to be thoroughly enjoyable even without additions. As baby bear would say, this is “just right.”
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Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Teageschwendner
Description
Heady bergamot flavor meets the sweetly floral aroma of Lavender. A wonderful reinvention of a beloved classic!
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Palas Supreme/BOH Tea – VariaTEA-
Palas Supreme is one of two BOH Teas I got to try courtesy of my Sororitea Sisters. The other tea was Bukit Cheeding No. 53. Both are orange pekoe teas and since that isn’t necessarily my favorite kind of black tea, I decided to have some fun with this one.
This tea was made both as a plain tea and also as an iced tea using tangerine lemonade ice cubes as a play on the classic black tea with lemon. Both preparation methods were steeped for 3 minutes in 200F water.
The plain hot tea is very floral and much smoother than Bukit Cheeding No. 53. The Assam in this blend gives this tea that little touch of malt while the Ceylon keeps it bright and citrusy. At times that citrus can get pithy and astringent but typically it is sweet and smooth. A really nice and clearly high quality orange pekoe. One that needs no additives.
The tangerine lemonade iced tea is an interesting experience. Unfortunately, the lemonade really takes over, drowning out the black tea. This might have been better to try with a stronger tea such as Bukit Cheeding No. 53 because this tea is really taking a back seat to the lemonade additive. More than anything, the tea is making the lemonade more floral and brisk, which is weird given the plain tea is not particularly brisk on its own.
I have to say I am surprised by this tea because I did not expect it to be as smooth as it is. Having tried Bukit Cheeding No. 53 first, I expected something more akin to that tea which was on the robust and drying side. It is interesting how both teas are so different despite both being orange pekoes. This really has a high quality to it and it certainly puts the “supreme” in Palas Supreme.
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Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: BOH Teas
Description
Click below to view BOH Teas offerings.
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Earl’s Paradise/Bird & Blend Tea
Strawberry and papaya punch up Earl Grey in this tea by Bird & Blend!
Now that it’s the end of summer, I’ve been looking for the Perfect Fruity Morning Blend, and this one’s definitely a contender. If you’re tired of the same-old-same-old Earl Grey, there are plenty of other ones out there with additional flavors. Like this one.
I’m not sure I’d know a papaya if it hit me in the face, honestly. But I imagine it’s tropical. This tea tastes like eating a strawberry and then running under a sprinkler. It tastes like an afternoon in Disney World. It tastes like someone took sunshine, ground it up, and tossed it into a wishing fountain.
I feel like my clothes are going to disappear and I will be left in a yellow polka dot bikini. Which is awkward, because I’m at work.
Send clothes.
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Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Bird & Blend Tea
Description
No one at The Nest (Bird & Blend HQ!) can start the day without a cup of this fruity, refreshing tea. Didn’t think you could improve the classic? We will happily prove you wrong! No words are gong to do it justice, it simply is paradise! Insiders tip: try it without milk for perfection.
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Black Ruby/Rakkasan
Sustainability. What does that mean to you?
Is it as simple as maintaining ecological balance within the confines of ones company property or it is more than that?
Any company can put a label on their tin but to live it is a different matter.
Black Ruby comes from a women-only run estate. Though there is no specific information on Milan Kumari Khatri’s tea estate nor that I can currently find on the web, besides what is on the Rakkasan website, I can tell just by sipping this tea that the estate has very high standards.
If English Breakfast had a sister, this would be her. This delicious tea has the usual earthiness but also has some extremely unique fruit undertones, such as black cherries. If you want to support a good company make sure to give this tea a try!
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Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Rakkasan Tea Company
Description
This tea is no longer on the website but click below for more information .
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