I know we all know this…but…COVID has changed EVERYTHING. One of the few things I can still find welcoming, familiar, understanding, and comforting is a great cuppa tea.
For this review – I have decided to jump back in the ring with Yorkshire Harrogate from Cup of CommuniTea (formerly TeaLeafs in Williamsville, NY).
The origin of Yorkshire Harrogate – a bold black tea – is from regions in India, Kenya, and China. It has a RICH fullness and flavor to it that also offers a slight astringency.
BOLD…I NEED BOLD these days. I need a solid start to my day. I need a good, swift kick in the pants to continue many of these days. Yorkshire Harrogate from Cup of CommuniTea.
I long for the day when this virus is over. When people don’t have to worry about whether or not they are going to ‘get it’ or ‘pass it on to a loved one’. When we can function like we used to – eventho I think there will be a ‘new normal’ but whatever that ‘new normal’ might be. I can’t wait to get out and about again. When I can travel to some of my favorite tea shops again and discover new ones, too. For now, a simple yet flavorful tea is where I can find normalcy in something.
Another hope I have – is to hear back from Cup of CommuniTea and see if I might be able to do an interview about the name change and business as a whole. In the meantime, I will continue to write reviews of their amazing tea!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Cup of Communitea
Description
Origin: India, Kenya, China Ingredients: Black tea Rich fullness and flavor. A light astringent cup becomes golden bright with milk
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Organic Gold Ceylon/Teakruthi -skysamurai
A bit underwhelmed by this one at first. My first go at it was in my favorite mug, water at 140, steeped for around 2 minutes. Definitely not enough time.
Then tried again at around 4 minutes. Still not quite what I was hoping for… Ah. But wait. As the taste of my cereal subsided the flavor of the tea truly came out.
It is a true Ceylon with its slight tannic after taste. Good woody and slightly earthy notes. Second round will be 150 F in a smaller glass cup.
Change in temp hasn’t affected it as much as I was hoping. A bit more tannic, which is to be expected in the second brew of a CTC tea.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Teakruthi
Description
Savour the taste of a deliciously strong flavoured tea with this Organic Broken Orange Pekoe Special (BOPSP). This single estate tea high grown in the Dimbulla region which has been producing premium quality teas since the 19th century. The certified organic tea is grown using traditional organic-only fertilisers and labour-intensive yet traditional methods of harvesting where the growers’ hand pluck only the bud and top two tender leaves, giving you the finest quality of tea grown here. The tea is processed to give you a strong flavoured brew that has a deep amber brownish-gold colour and woody, slightly burnt after notes.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Mokalbari Golden Assam/Harney and Sons -ashmanra
When I drink black tea, it is almost exclusively Chinese black tea. I drank more Indian black tea back in the days when I added milk and sugar, but since cutting out additions, I found that many teas from outside of China gave me a stomach ache or heartburn if I hadn’t smoothed it with milk, neutralizing some of the components that were cramping my style…and my tummy.
Golden Tip tea and finer Assams are another matter, and when I saw the photo of these leaves and read the description, my mouth started watering. It was an expensive tea, but I had been building up my Loyalty Points for just such an occasion.
The lid and inside edges at the very top of the tin are coated with a fine golden powder. This is the lovely dusting of the golden hairs from these leaf tips. And the tea is indeed comprised of almost exclusively leaf tips, tan and gold and pale brown in the tin.
The leaves are so light and fluffy. As soft and light as they are, I added a little extra to my initial teaspoon to try to hit the 2.25 gram mark for my six ounce serving.
I steeped for four minutes since it is a golden tip tea. A full leaf or broken Assam would have only stayed in for three minutes for me maximum. I am surprised at the rich color from what I thought might still be too little leaf.
Moment of truth – is this tea worth the plump price tag?
If you love high quality Assams, I would say it is.
The Harney website estimates the price per cup at $1.33. That’s right – PER CUP. That is more than most tea lovers pay for a daily drinker, but competition oolong teas and fine aged puerh tea can run much higher. I did my own figuring on my two ounce tin and came up with a price of $1.10 per cup….if I don’t resteep the leaves! Fact is, I have just made three very good steeps with around 2 grams of tea.
The aroma, first of all, was just as mouthwatering as I had hoped it would be. The dry leaf smells like candy. No kidding, I lifted the tin and was very surprised at how sweet it smells.
Once steeped, it is lightly malty with some of the same dark honey scent I find in Golden Monkey teas. Though the description didn’t mention it at all, I detected walnut. In fact, I found it to be in the forefront for the first steep. After drinking it for a bit, I notice my tongue is feeling dry. Harney puts this at a two on the briskness scale, but I would possibly give it a little more.
It has medium body for mouthfeel, but the aroma is thick and lush, giving a sense of it being a creamy tea, fooling you into thinking the body is even heavier. For you milk-in-tea folks, I would think this bodes well. It does not coat the mouth like a creamy tea, however, due to the briskness.
I tried it with a bit of food next, as I find that briskness can almost disappear with a meal. And so it does, becoming far less noticeable. So this would be hreat for pairing with breakfast or afternoon cookies! After eating, I keep drinking this tea and there it is again – drying!
The third steep is lighter with a lovely golden-orange clarity. Still brisk but less so, still sweet. Enough flavor that I don’t consider it a washout and would definitely want to go three steeps each time I make it, but I think no further than three.
If I use Harney’s estimate per cup but allow for three steeps per teaspoon, I am now paying only 44 cents a cup for a fine tea. I can live with that.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Harney and Sons
Description
A rare treat from Assam, comprised of nearly 100% golden tips. The Jalan family are the producers of this Mokalbari East, and they made the best Assams in 2021.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Death’s Morning Cuppa/Call Me Sweetea – stephenia
There is just something so comforting about curling up with a good book and a hot cup of tea, especially when it starts to feel like Fall outside. It is very therapeutic for the soul, at least to me. I love when the worlds of tea and books come together. Call Me Sweetea is a new tea company to me that is doing just that, bringing tea and books together. They are creating unique blends that capture the essence of a particular book. Blends are made to coordinate with popular reads but if you are not a fan of the book that is the tea inspiration no need to worry, the blends are fantastic and can be enjoyed alongside any book.
Today I tried Death’s Morning Cuppa, a unique spin on an earl grey. Any guesses on what book inspired the blend? I am an earl grey addict so I was especially interested in this tea and it didn’t disappoint. The base is comprised of China black tea and assam along with bergamot oil, orange peel, cassia chips, cornflowers and orange extract. I absolutely loved this tea. The addiction of orange peel and orange extract along with the bergamot gives this a more complex citrus edge while the addition of cassia chips imparts a warm, earthy cinnamon flavor. I especially love the combo of orange and cinnamon in this blend, it gives the tea a holiday vibe to me. I really loved this tea and look forward to trying more teas from this small company. And, needless to say, I will be sipping on this tea the next time I curl up with a good book! Harry Potter perhaps?
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Call Me Sweetea
Description
Do you believe in the Deathly Hallows? And if so…what do you think Death likes to drink before gathering folks for the journey to the other side?
Death’s Morning Cuppa is a bright, yet earthy earl grey blend that will wake you up and soothe you at the same time.
You might enjoy this blend if you:
- Seek Hallows over Horcruxes
- Find magic in the ordinary
- Intend to greet Death as an old friend and go with him gladly when your time comes
Ingredients: earl grey (organic China black and organic assam tea, organic bergamot oil), orange peel, cassia chips, cornflowers, orange extract (alcohol, orange oil)
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Maple Sugar Shack/Tease Tea -skysamurai
When I first heard the name I thought it would be full of sugar or flavoring but decided to take a peek at the ingredients anyway because I love maple syrup. I don’t guzzle it like a certain Elf we all know and love but I find it tasty and the process of making it fascinating.
Low and behold no crappy stuff!
So of course I ordered a bag. I was still a bit pensive of how the flavor was going to turn out but it has not disappointed. The loose leaf is gorgeous dry and wet.
The aroma has floral notes and also a hint of sweet red wine. The liquor has a unique hint of brandy mixed with maple and floral notes. It is great hot but also very good cold.
Will also have to try as a latte at some point when it’s not at a temperature in which I can cook an egg on the concrete.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tease Tea
Description
This blend is no longer available but click below for blends that are.