Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Capital Tea Limited
Tea Description:
Quality Ceylon black tea infused with a natural fruit and caramel flavour.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Yum! It’s pretty much a given that a tea will have me at the word “caramel” and this Marco Polo Blend from Capital Teas Limited did. This is rich and sweet and delicious.
The black tea base is a Ceylon. Most Ceylon teas are medium bodied, and I’d probably categorize this as a medium-to-full bodied tea too. It’s not quite as hefty or thick as an Assam would be, but it’s not what I’d call a thin textured tea either. It’s pleasantly flavored, nicely round and it’s got some gusto. It’s smooth until the finish where I notice a slight dryness of astringency. It’s not a harsh astringency and the tea itself is not bitter.
It’s not an aggressive tea and for the subtly of the flavoring, an aggressive tea is not needed here. The fruit and caramel flavor is more of what I’d call a ‘delicate’ level of flavoring. It’s not in your face. There’s a gentle note of caramel and an even gentler note of fruit.
It’s gentle, but it’s effective! I like the subtle approach here. It’s a soft, creamy note of caramel that seems to glide over the palate. The fruit notes add just a whisper of sweetness and a little dimension to the cup without offering a distinct fruit flavor. I can’t tell you exactly what fruit I’m tasting. It’s just a hint of fruitiness.
A very enjoyable cuppa! I’m glad I had the opportunity to try it.
Genmaicha Green Tea from Capital Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Capital Teas
Tea Description:
Known as the ‘People’s tea of Japan’ or ‘Popcorn Tea’, Genmaicha is an all day tea. Roasted rice kernels add a slightly toasty and nutty flavor to the tea, resulting in a refreshing and clear liquor tinged with a slightly olive tint. This tea’s aroma has spicy warm hues of roasted rice. Pairs well with sushi and other Japanese food. Wonderful!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
What a lovely Genmaicha from Capital Teas!
I love Genmaicha – I love that toasty rice flavor. It reminds me of the taste of the rice that gets slightly overcooked and caramelized at the bottom of the pan in my rice steamer … its sweet, a little crispy, and just delicious. It’s my favorite part of when I steam rice … getting to enjoy that little bit of caramelized rice.
This tea captures that flavor perfectly, and combines it with the sweet, vegetal taste of Japanese green tea. The result is a flavor that is toasty and warm, cozy and delicious. Something you want to curl up with on a cold day and just sip … but also something that is tasty and uplifting on a warm afternoon. (I love Genmaicha iced too!)
This is a very straightforward Genmaicha from Capital Teas … it’s exactly what I’d expect from a high quality Genmaicha – lots of sweet, toasted rice flavor, a hint of grassy taste but no bitterness. Just smooth, pleasing flavor. Really a wonderful tea.
Capital Breakfast Organic from Capital Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Capital Teas
Tea Description:
Capital Breakfast Organic is a blend of luxury teas from Sri Lanka, India, Kenya and China; a blend designed to compliment and enrich your day as you make your own history. The Assam component (2nd flush, June Production) gives a thick malt and full-bodied character. The Kenyan component gives a floral-like cup and coppery infusion whereas the South Indian component gives superb fruity and sprightly flavor with a lovely finish. From Sri Lanka we used a January Dimbula pick that gives an airy piquant flavor that opens the blend. Lastly, to draw everything together we added some Keemun, which gives a burgundy depth with light oaky notes.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve tried quite a few breakfast blends … and this one ranks right up there with some of the very best that I’ve tried. This is really good!
The first thing I notice is how well-rounded it is. It is full-bodied, and possesses such a delightfully rich flavor. After a couple of sips, the smokiness of the Keemun becomes apparent. It hits the palate at about mid-sip and then seems to linger through to the tail, offering wisps of smoke in the aftertaste.
The malty tones are rich and offer a pleasant, caramel-like sweetness. The Assam gives this tea a very cozy, comforting kind of taste that melds beautifully with the smoke tones that are tantalizing my taste buds. The Ceylon adds a pleasing fruity background, while the Kenyan adds to the heft of this cup … it’s got a lot of gusto, this Capital Breakfast!
The rich, satisfying flavor is delicious served straight up, but, it also takes the additions of milk and sugar (or honey) quite nicely. I think this one is best served hot, but, I think it would be good iced too.
If you have room for only one breakfast blend in your tea cupboard, I’d recommend giving this one a try – but, be warned, it is so good, you may find yourself replacing your trusty old breakfast blend for this one. It’s amazing!
Royal Wedding Commemorative Tea from Capital Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black & White Teas
Where to Buy: Capital Teas
Tea Description:
A commemorative union of our bold Cream Earl Grey Black and our light and refreshing Cream Earl Grey White, enhanced with the essence of roses.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
One year ago today, there was a wedding that captured the attention of millions around the world. This tea was created to commemorate that occasion, and what a lovely tea it is!
Because the tea base is a blend of both black and white teas, I opted for a fairly low brewing temperature (175°F) and a brewing time of 4 minutes in my Breville one-touch. The results is a tea that is rich and creamy in flavor, where I can taste both types of tea as well as the tangy bergamot, the touches of cream and even the hint of rose.
The black tea flavor is much softer than one might expect from a black tea … a consequence from not only the lower brewing temperature, but also from the addition of white tea leaves in the blend. The black tea doesn’t taste bold or strong, exactly, but the black tea does offer a certain richness to the blend that is quite nice.
The white tea is a less distinguishable flavor than the black tea, which is to be expected as white tea tends to be a more delicate tasting tea to begin with. What I notice more than the fresh flavor of the Pai Mu Tan is the lightness in flavor its presence offers as well as a soft, creamy texture that is quite “white tea like.”
Each sip is enchanted with a sweet, vanilla cream taste that when brought together with the other components of this tea end up tasting a bit like delicious vanilla caramel. YUM!
The bergamot is a mellow yet tangy citrus flavor that has hints of flower within its bright, sunny flavor. These floral notes are further highlighted by the addition of roses to the blend. The rose is sweet and pleasant, giving the cup a distinct feminine overtone – an enjoyable contrast to the somewhat masculine undertone of the bergamot.
What a beautiful tribute to the wedding that captured the imagination of so many, and gave little girls hope that anyone – no matter their status in life – could one day marry their prince.
Chai Masala from Capital Teas
Chai Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Capital Teas
Chai Description:
An Indian specialty, warming and delicious with spices galore — orange peel, ginger, cinnamon, vanilla, cloves, cardamom, nutmeg and one secret ingredient.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh yeah! I’m always eager to try a new chai!
This one is delightful. In fact, I enjoy it so much that I had finished my first cup before I had a chance to start writing about it. But, that’s okay, it gave me the opportunity to make another cup and try it latte.
For the first cup, though, I drank it without the milk addition, just a little bit of turbinado sugar to enhance the spices. I noticed right away that the spices were well balanced, as I didn’t find myself noticing one particular note. Instead, I tasted a warm, unified set of spices. I also noticed that the black tea base was pleasantly robust: it was a good, strong black tea that provides a solid background of flavor. It doesn’t try to compete with the spices, but, it holds its own.
By about mid-cup, I noticed the orange and a hint of creaminess from the vanilla. These are not particularly strong, stand-out notes, but, they are strong enough to be noticed, and this chai would not be the same without them.
Another ingredient in this that the chai would not be the same without is the nutmeg. While it does comprise the “unified set of spices” it gives the cup a warm, nutty taste that I don’t often experience with chai, and I really enjoyed it.
As for the latte, it turned out really good too. As with any chai, I do recommend steeping it at double strength (steeping twice the amount of dry leaf) so that the milk does not overwhelm the cup. I found that the milk brought out the vanilla tones a bit more, and some of the spicier notes were muted a little, but it wasn’t too apparent. Overall, the latte was deliciously creamy, warm and satisfying. YUM!
I would recommend this to all the spiced chai enthusiasts out there, because if you’re like me, you gotta try them all! I’d also recommend this to someone looking for a well-balanced chai with just a little something different. This one is sure to satisfy!