Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Joseph Wesley Black Tea
Tea Description:
Joseph Wesley’s Black Tea No. 3 is an organically-certified tea from the famed Long Jing cultivars of China’s Zhejiang Province. This tea is hand-harvested from the mountains of Zhu Jia Jian island in the Putuo district of the Zhoushan archipelago in the Pacific Ocean. Bold and straightforward, this delightful tea can be enjoyed throughout the day and will pair with any of your favorite adjuncts (milk and sugar / spice and honey).
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This No. 3 – Classic Chinese Black Tea from Joseph Wesley Black Tea is the third tea that I’ve tried from this company … and all three have done nothing but astound me! I am so very impressed by this company.
The large, chocolate-y brown leaves smell lightly earthy with a hint of sweetness. The liquid these lovely leaves produce is a deep brown color that smells rich and rewarding, like that first cup of tea that you look forward to in the morning.
The flavor is equally as rewarding, with its rich chocolate-y notes and sweet caramel-y undertone. There are notes of malt and this has that flavorful, chewy kind of taste that evokes thoughts of freshly baked bread. It is deeply satisfying.
There are notes of earth within the sip, as well as a fruit-like flavor that reminds me of a sweet plum. Every once in a while, if I slurp my sip, I pick up on a hint of flower in the distance. But mostly what I taste is the sweeter notes of cacao and honeyed caramel.
This is one of those teas that you want to have on hand so that you can enjoy it frequently. It’s so good.
Mocha Flavored Matcha from Red Leaf Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green (Matcha)
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
Mocha Matcha with its chocolate undertones and grassy essence can turn any ordinary day into a rare trip for their palate. Its fine coffee taste with the promise of sheer enjoyment make Mocha Matcha a favorite treat for all hours of the day and night when a person needs to relax and recline. Its understated hints of chocolate also make it a great choice for special occasions when people are looking for a smooth and even flavor that will be perfectly satisfying for them.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Yummy! This Mocha flavored Matcha from Red Leaf Tea is quite a treat for this former mocha maniac! Every morning before work, my indulgence used to be a cup of tasty chocolate-y, creamy mocha. That is … until I realized that it was the coffee that was making me feel nauseated at around 11 am. Once I cut out the mochas and the coffee … I didn’t get that 11 am icky ill feeling.
But this Mocha Matcha allows me to enjoy the deliciously creamy, chocolate coffee-ish flavor of a Mocha without the side effects that I’d otherwise experience with a cup of Mocha. In addition, I get the health benefits – all the antioxidants and the minerals – of the green tea leaf from the Matcha! That sounds like a win-win for me!
For this batch of flavored Matcha from Red Leaf Tea, I went with my usual specifications: the classic grade of green Matcha with the distinctive level of flavoring. And it’s just PERFECT! This tastes a lot like something I’d buy at the corner coffee shop, but at a fraction of the price! I prepared it “latte-style” today, using milk instead of water which enhanced the “mocha-esque” qualities of the flavoring. The result is a sweet, creamy, coffee shop treat!
The distinctive level of flavoring here gives a good balance between mocha taste and matcha. I taste the grassy/leafy taste of the Matcha – the notes of vegetation – but it’s not an overwhelming grassy taste. The natural cacao undertones of the Matcha meld beautifully with the chocolate notes of the mocha flavoring. The chocolate notes … well, of course, the chocoholic in me wants MORE chocolate always, but, I like the level of chocolate flavor here. It s chocolate-y but it doesn’t overpower the coffee notes.
This is a sweet, creamy, delicious mocha like beverage. There is just enough bitter taste from the coffee to keep it interesting. The chocolate and coffee notes complement each other very well, and I like the way they entice the best flavors from each other. The matcha tastes smooth, with a lovely creamy texture.
Another HIT from Red Leaf Tea. This is one I’d recommend to someone who – like me – can’t enjoy that morning mocha because of the 11 am discomfort. This has the flavor of the mocha without the pain! Like I said … it’s a win-win!
Strong Earl Grey Tea from Shanti Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Shanti Tea
Tea Description:
Using a GBOP grade of black tea for this earl grey, and blending it with extra bergamot essence makes creates an infusion especially well suited for london fogs or for those seeking a strong bergamot flavor in their tea. Much stronger than the classic, malty notes, and a lively cup.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
If you’ve been reading my tea reviews for any length of time, you are probably well aware of my love for Earl Grey. I am WILD about Earl Grey as well as the many variations on this classic favorite, so, when I learned about this Strong Earl Grey Tea from Shanti Tea, you know I had to try it!
And I’m SO happy to be tasting this amazing Earl Grey. I have my favorite Earl Grey teas – and after having recently learned that one of my very favorites is no longer available – I think I may have just found one to replace that one. This is a remarkable Earl Grey tea!
The bergamot is indeed strong – this tea is very appropriately named! It tastes tart with a really delightful citrus tang to it, but, I’m happy to report that it doesn’t taste like perfume. There is a really skillful balance here. It offers a strong bergamot essence without tasting like the perfume-ish elements of bergamot. I taste the citrus here, not so much the flowery taste of the bergamot.
The black tea is rich and slightly malty, and offers a very pleasing backdrop for the bergamot. I think … if I were to change anything at all about this tea, it would be that I would like a slightly richer black tea base to support the bergamot – something more “filling” like perhaps a Fujian black. But, aside from that, I’m finding myself very pleased with what I’m tasting here.
This is a really REALLY good Earl Grey – if you’re a fan of Earl Grey like I am, I highly recommend trying this one.
Crimson Rose Grey Black Tea from Tea For All Reasons
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tea For All Reasons
Tea Description:
This exciting, new blend is a unique match up that you won’t find anywhere else! The bold character, taste and fragrance of Hibiscus, as well as Rose Petals, combines to make this a heavenly blend that creates a beautiful crimson brew in the cup. Treat your guests to this sophisticated blend at your next afternoon tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Hibiscus in an Earl Grey? That … just seems wrong to me. I understand putting it in there to encourage a pinker hue in a teacup … but, with the black tea in there, I don’t notice a whole lot of “pinkish” color in my teacup. I do see a slight … pink tone to the color of this Crimson Rose Grey Black Tea from Tea For All Reasons … but, it’s not really enough to justify hibiscus in the blend.
Then again … I don’t really taste much hibiscus here anyway. And that makes me very happy! What I taste is black tea, bergamot and rose, and that’s just exactly what I want to be tasting here. There may be the faintest hibiscus-y note to this … which seems to accentuate the tangy notes of the bergamot and the floral tones of the rose more than actually taste like hibiscus. And as I said, that suits me just fine. I don’t like hibiscus, but I do like Earl Grey (and rose!)
The black tea has a brisk taste to it – it is not an overly aggressive tasting tea base … it has enough flavor to it to taste like tea, but not so much that it interferes with the flavors of bergamot and rose. The bergamot is a softer bergamot here, citrus-y and slightly tart. The rose sweetens the cup a little bit, and adds a hint of floral sharpness.
Overall, this is a very enjoyable cup. It tastes like something that I’d want to serve at a garden party, because it has a very “garden” like flavor to it … it is a very well-composed, refined taste, smooth and nicely round. One guests would really appreciate and enjoy.
Darjeeling Tea from Ahmad Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black (Darjeeling)
Where to Buy: Ahmad Tea
Tea Description:
Known as the ‘ Champagne of Teas’, Darjeeling tea is characterised by its delicate taste and shimmering golden colour. Enjoy our wonderfully light Darjeeling, carefully grown in the foothills of the Himalayas.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I just love savoring a cup of Darjeeling tea in the afternoon. The lighter taste of the Darjeeling just seems to be perfect for afternoon sipping, it’s delicate and sweet and seems to sparkle on the tongue, providing just enough of that “lift” that you need this time of day without overstimulating.
This Darjeeling Tea from Ahmad Tea is really quite lovely. It has that sweet, wine-like taste that I’m looking for in a Darjeeling. It has just a hint of muscatel and a pleasing woodsy overtone and subtle spice notes. It is crisp and indeed seems to sparkle as I sip it. I don’t know if this is the reason that they call Darjeeling the “Champagne of Teas” but, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was.
While this tea does have some astringency to it, I’m not finding it too overbearing. In fact, I find the sip to be quite smooth from start to finish, and the tangy astringency – while not quite an afterthought – is not forceful with its presence. The aftertaste is sweet and with a piquant currant flavor, reminiscent of a sweet wine.