Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: M&K’s Tea Company on Etsy
Tea Description:
Like an ancient Chinese secret, this tea is an ancient Chinese secret. More or less. Different from black teas of India or Sri Lanka, Qimen (or the anglicized Keemun), features a hint of orchid fragrance and lingering fruity notes. Balanced and complex, Chinese Qimen tea is an ancient Chinese secret you should discover.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Mmm! This is a really good Keemun!
As promised in the above description, it does have a really good balance of characteristics. I taste notes of flower and fruit as well as a subtle smoky note in the distance. It’s really quite enjoyable the way the flavors come together in my cup.
The dry leaf is beautiful! I don’t think that the above picture really does these beautiful, long, slender, wiry, glossy black leaves justice. I can see by the appearance of the dry leaf that these are of superior quality.
To brew them, I grabbed my Kati Tumbler, although I argued with myself for some time as to why I wouldn’t use my gaiwan to brew these. Ultimately, it was a decision that came down to the skin on my fingertips: When I steep teas at such a high temperature as is best for a black tea such as this, my gaiwan gets really hot to the touch – even though I have the little “fingertip handles” on my easy gaiwan, those get really hot when I steep with boiling water and I wasn’t in the mood for scorched fingers.
So, I grabbed my Kati Tumbler and by the looks of the sampler, there were just enough leaves in the sampler for my 12 ounce tumbler. I poured the leaves into the basket and added 12 ounces of boiling water and let the tea steep for 3 minutes.
And this is a marvelous cup of tea!
The sip starts out with notes of sweet and savory. The sweetness is fruity and slightly honey-esque. The savory is slightly smoky. By mid-sip, the smokiness emerges a little more. The fruity notes remind me of a combination of plum with a hint of grape.
I find myself trying to determine if it’s grape that I taste, or raisin? It’s almost like it’s somewhere in between. Like eating a grape that’s only been partially dried to the raisin stage. It offers that sweet side of grape, but also a savory, almost black currant, wine-like flavor of grape. It’s really quite enjoyable.
The plum with the smoky note is quite intriguing – a smoked plum! Yum!
Just after mid-sip, I pick up on floral notes: orchid! The orchid becomes more distinct as I continue to sip. Now that I’m more than halfway through my cup, I am really tasting the distinct notes of orchid. There are still hints of smoke that linger into the aftertaste, and I like the way the floral notes mingle with those wisps of smoke.
I keep going back to the “smoky” notes and I don’t want to mislead anyone into thinking that this is a strong, smoky tea. This isn’t like a Lapsang. The smoke is subtle throughout. But it’s the way the hints of smoke dance in and out of the sip that I am marveling over. I like this level of smoke – light notes of smoke that seem to charm their way into each sip.
This tea has a really satisfyingly round flavor. Balanced, yes. The fruit balances nicely with the floral notes and the smoky notes mingle throughout the sip, keeping the palate interested. A really nice Keemun, and I love that it’s organic!
Energy Ayurvedic Tea from TeaVeda
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: The Veda Company
Tea Description:
Mildly caffeinated with green tea, one of the nature’s antioxidant wonders. Boost your “Energy” with energizing, tasteful and exotic blends of lemongrass, mint and hibiscus.
Learn more about the teas from TeaVeda here.
Taster’s Review:
I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I really do like the concept of the Teaveda teas. I love the beautiful tins and the matching tea ware. I just kind of wish that the Veda Company paid as much attention to this blend in particular as they paid to the packaging and tea ware, because this tea is really quite average. 
While I’m enjoying this blend, I’m not really getting a sense of “Energy” from it. The flavors are very subtle and the overall cup is just sort of “ho-hum”.
The mint, which is normally a rather assertive herb, is quite subdued here. The lemongrass is bright and has a lemon-lime sort of flavor to it that I find enjoyable.
As for the hibiscus … well, it’s no secret that I’m not a big fan of hibiscus. I’m happy to say that the hibiscus is a gentle flavor here – I’m not getting an overly tart flavor from it nor am I getting the syrupy thickness from it. Then again, I did only steep the tea for 2 1/2 minutes so I didn’t expect to get a thick texture from the hibiscus.
I think that maybe the hibiscus helps to emphasize the lemon-y notes of the lemongrass just a bit, but other than that, I can’t say that there’s a really distinct hibiscus note here.
The green tea is pleasant. It’s smooth and buttery. It’s not bitter and it’s not astringent. (Bonus points for that!) Overall, this tea is alright. It’s not my favorite tea that I tried from Teaveda and I guess I just expected more from a tea that calls itself “Energy.”
Honey Vanilla Chamomile Herbal Tea from M&K’s Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: M&K’s Tea Company on Etsy
Tea Description:
Egyptian chamomile, sweet licorice root roasted in honey, and grade-A Madagascar vanilla beans! This is a great herbal infusion for the late night: perfect for relaxing. Our Honey Vanilla Chamomile is just that: honey (with licorice root), vanilla, chamomile. Nothing else. This blend is part of the Original 20 M&K’s Blends. Note: Honey Vanilla Chamomile contains no tea, as it is an herbal infusion. We chose to include the term “herbal tea” in the title due to its categorical popularity.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
It’s been a little while (at least a week or so!) since I last had chamomile and tonight I’m in need of relaxation: chamomile style! So, I grabbed this Honey Vanilla Chamomile blend from M&K’s Tea Company.
To brew it, I poured the contents from the sampler pouch into the basket of my Kati tumbler and added 12 ounces of water heated to 195°F. I let it steep for eight minutes.
The aroma is distinctly chamomile, but I can also pick up on the notes of honey and licorice root. The vanilla notes are not as noticeable but there is a very faint vanilla fragrance.
Wow! I’m liking this. The licorice root is the strongest flavor here, but the often sharp flavor of the licorice is softened somewhat by the honey roasting. And I like the honey in this, it complements the natural honey-like flavors of the chamomile.
The chamomile is also prominent. It has that expected honeyed, apple-y flavor. I like the way the zesty, warm flavor of the licorice contrasts with the softer, lighter flavor of the chamomile. It’s a really unique flavor combination, but it’s working for me.
The vanilla is the softest flavor of this blend, but I do taste a subtle sweet and creamy note from the vanilla bean. It may be the softest flavor here but it ties everything together. I don’t think this blend would taste quite the same without that whisper of vanilla.
I drank this while it was hot. I’m not a big fan of chilled chamomile. But, I did find that after the tea cooled slightly – still warm but not piping hot – the flavors seemed to become slightly more seamless. It was like the vanilla came forward a bit more and softened everything just a little more. The licorice seemed smoother, and the other flavors seemed to meld together to create a very unified flavor.
I know not everyone out there is a big fan of licorice root – if you’re one of them, this tisane isn’t for you. But if you like that snappy flavor of licorice, you should give this herbal tea a try. I found it to be quite delightful and it also does what it’s supposed to do: it helped me relax! It’s a very soothing, calming drink that doesn’t taste like every other chamomile blend out there. Bonus points for that!
M&K’s earns another thumbs up from me for this blend.
Tezpur Estate Assam Black FBOP Tea from M&K’s Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: M&K’s Tea Company on Etsy
Tea Description:
India Assam region is home to some of the world’s grandest teas. Our Tezpur estate Assam tea is a great, brisk, and malty tea. It’s great for the morning and relaxing in the evening, try it any time.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh … lovely. (Imagine satisfied sigh here.)
This is the kind of Assam that I absolutely adore. It’s bold and malty. It’s smooth. It’s not bitter. (I’m sure it would be bitter if it were brewed too long, it’s always important to watch the brew time with Assam teas, it’s been my experience that they’re not a very forgiving sort of tea.)
It’s mildly sweet yet it has a certain invigorating, bracing flavor that I want as my first cup of the day!
To brew this tea, I used my Kati Tumbler. I tend to like my teas a little on the stronger side, and the amount of tea that was in my sampler from M&K’s appeared to be enough for a weak brewing in my Breville or a strong brewing in my Kati, and I opted for the strong brewing in my Kati.
I poured the contents of the sampler into the basket (save just under 1/2 teaspoon which I added to my “breakfast tea” tin – a tin that I keep with small remnants of black tea that are too much to throw away but not enough to brew a cuppa, so I put the small amount of tea into the tin until there’s enough for a pot of tea). Then I heat the water to 205°F (I tend to go with a slightly lower temperature with Assam – remember, they’re a little finicky) and poured 12 ounces of water into the tumbler and let it steep for 2 1/2 minutes. Perfection!
The rich tasting tea doesn’t need additions – it tastes great served straight! But, if you’re one who likes a little honey or sugar and milk in your breakfast tea, this tea would certainly take those additions well. It would make a marvelously rewarding latte!
To brew a latte, I recommend steeping it a little strong – instead of taking out that aforementioned just under 1/2 teaspoon of tea to add to the breakfast tea tin, keep it in the basket so that you have a strong brewed tea. The key for stronger tea that tastes great isn’t to steep it longer, it’s to add more leaf. Steeping it longer will produce a stronger tea, but it will also produce a more tannic brew: tannic = bitter. Use a little extra leaf and steep for the 2 1/2 minutes. Then add the dollop of honey or other sweetener of your choice and some steamed milk for a yummy morning latte!
The sip starts out strong and I taste the sweet, caramel-y notes immediately. Then I start to taste some of the stronger, more rugged earthy notes, hints of leather and fruit notes. The fruit notes remind me of raisin and dried stone fruit – like the sugary sweetness from a dried plum.
As I continue to sip on this tea, the astringency does build. It started out with barely any astringency, but now I am getting a distinct dryness on my palate at the very tail of the sip and in the aftertaste, my palate feels like it’s been patted dry with a soft cloth. Like it’s preparing me for another sip.
The description above suggests that this would make a good evening tea, but, I don’t know that this is a tea that I could drink very late into the evening. It would keep me awake and alert for a couple of hours. It’s got some gusto!
For a breakfast tea though – this is the stuff! It’s awesome!
Mint Marigold Spice Herbal Tea from M&K’s Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: M&K’s Tea Company on Etsy
Tea Description:
Sweet spices and a minty rooibos blend swirl together in this exclusive M&K’s creation! Peppermint and spearmint coat Asian star anise, providing a licorice taste complimenting the spicey, roasted ginger. This infusion is part of the M&K’s Original 20.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
My first reaction to my first sip of this tisane was: mmm! Now, granted, that’s my reaction to many teas that I taste for the first time and it’s usually my reaction when I indulge in a favorite tea. But, it’s not always a first reaction when I take a sip of a tisane. And it’s certainly not a frequent reaction when I take a sip of a rooibos tisane.
But M&K’s created a winner when they crafted this rooibos blend. It’s warm and cozy but also cool and invigorating! It’s a lovely medley of contradiction.
The first flavor I notice when I take a sip is cinnamon. Almost immediately after picking up on the cinnamon notes, I taste the crisp, refreshing taste of peppermint and spearmint.
Mid-sip, I notice the zesty licorice flavor from the anise. It’s not an overwhelming flavor and I suspect that even those who are not typically fond of blends with star anise would enjoy this tisane. It is more of a warm snap of licorice with a hint of sweetness from the anise without the strong spicy snap of it.
I also notice a warm, peppery ‘glow’ from the ginger.
What I don’t notice is a strong, obvious flavor of rooibos and I’m sure that those who are familiar with my likes and dislikes know that I’m quite alright with the lack of rooibos flavor. I like that I’m tasting the gentle honey sweetness of the rooibos and a hint of nutty flavor without a really strong rooibos taste.
I like the way these flavors – peppermint, spearmint, anise, ginger and cinnamon – come together in this blend. Any one of them can be a very aggressive flavor but rather than one flavor overpowering the others, they are working together in a synergistic way to create a very harmonious taste that’s both spicy and sweet, warming and cooling.
I like this one!