Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: M&K’s Tea Company on Etsy
Tea Description:
The basis of Earl Grey tea! Ceylon tea is a sweet, brightly orange colored (once-brewed) black tea harvested in the lush hills of the island of Sri Lanka (formerly known as Ceylon). This is a fantastic introductory tea, a great tea for the black tea lover, and an extraordinary tea for blending purposes. Ceylon tea is just brisk enough to be uplifting, but light enough to not be bitter or off-putting. It truly is a remarkable black tea that belongs in every tea-lover’s collection.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Halpewatte Ceylon Black Tea from M&K’s Tea Company is a really nice Ceylon. It’s very much what I expect from a Ceylon tea – a mild, even-toned, medium-bodied black tea.
But what it doesn’t have that other Ceylon teas often do: It’s not overly astringent nor am I picking up on any indication of bitterness. This Ceylon has a really pleasant, smooth delivery.
To brew it, I used my Breville One Touch and measured 2 bamboo scoops into the basket. Then I poured 500ml of water into the kettle of the tea maker and set the thermometer for 212°F (boiling!) and the steep time for 2 1/2 minutes.
The tea brews up coppery and has a pleasant fragrance. I pick up on light floral notes in the aroma. Nice.
The flavor, as I said, is smooth. It’s brisk and invigorating without being aggressive. Notes of flower in the distance and a touch of citrus at the finish. It’s really quite enjoyable and much of what I’d expect from a Ceylon.
It’s flavorful – it tastes like tea. It tastes like a good black tea. It’s the kind of tea that I think every tea drinker can appreciate.
I personally prefer this tea straight up. I think that it would take the addition of honey or sugar well, if you like to add those to your tea. It would probably even take the addition of milk or cream well, although I think that this tea could be easily overwhelmed so add it with a light hand.
Delightful hot, really nice iced too. Add a thin slice of lemon or a sprig of mint and enjoy!
Iron Buddha Oolong Tea from Canton Tea Co.
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Canton Tea Co.
Tea Description:
This classic Tie Guan Yin produces a delicious, light-coloured, medium-bodied liquor. The first infusion combines toasty, floral notes with a touch of honey and becomes more fruity with successive infusions.
The dark, lightly oxidised green leaves are rolled into small tight fists. The liquor is amber-green with a smooth, heavy texture on the tongue. The flowery and fruity profile of this tea has a touch of honey and at first releases the pleasant orchid notes – after a couple of brews it yields the soft fruitier notes and has a sweet long lasting after taste.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Tonight’s Oolong is this lovely Iron Buddha Oolong Tea from Canton Tea Co.!
My first cup (infusions 1 and 2) is very much like the above description suggests: a medium-bodied tea with a soft, silky texture. Warm, toasty notes with hints of nutty flavors and beautiful floral tones that hint at a honey-like sweetness. The cup is sweet and flowery. Delightful!
My second cup (infusions 3 and 4) is where I begin to notice some fruit notes emerging. I taste notes of apricot. The honey notes that I picked up on in the first cup are still here and I love the way the apricot and honey play together on the palate. Sweet and delectable. The nutty flavors I noticed in the first cup have waned somewhat, this cup is less ‘toasty’ and more about the notes of fruit and flower. The body of this cup is a little creamier than the first cup.
My third cup (infusions 5 and 6) is a marriage of most of the flavors that I mentioned previously. The flavors of honey and apricot have melded together to create a unified flavor. The floral notes are a little sharper now because this cup isn’t quite as creamy as the second cup was, which seems to allow the floral notes to come into focus. I taste very little of the toasty notes of the first cup now, this cup is much more floral than either of the two previous cups were.
I really enjoyed how the flavors transitioned as I sipped on each cup. It was a lovely tea journey, one I was very happy to take!
Classic English Breakfast Black Tea from M&K’s Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: M&K’s Tea Company on Etsy
Tea Description:
It’s classic! It’s English (actually it’s Indian and Sri Lankan)! It’s…breakfast! Nevermind. We’ll cut to the chase. It’s a nice cup of malty black tea from the Bargara and Kandoli Assam estates of India and the Kenilworth estate of Sri Lanka (Ceylon). Great with milk, good with sugar, best in the morning. This blend is part of the Original 20 M&K’s Blends.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve enjoyed quite a few of M&K’s Tea Company’s blends now so I was really eager to try this Classic English Breakfast Black Tea to see how well they crafted a traditional favorite. And I’m really glad that I had this opportunity to try it, because this is quite nice.
To brew: I put 1 bamboo scoop of tea into the basket of my Kati Tumbler and then poured in 12 ounces of boiling water. I set the timer for 2 1/2 minutes and let time take care of the rest.
This is a robust blend. I like that it focuses more on the Assam than the Ceylon, which gives it more of a rugged, hefty flavor. It’s strong and edgy, but without being bitter or too astringent. Had I steeped this for longer, though, I think that I would have had a bitter cup. Take care not to oversteep this blend!
The flavor is bold with notes of malt and there is a fruity, wine-like quality to this as well. There are two single estate Assam teas in this blend and I suspect one is more malty while the other is a more ‘wine-like’ Assam. It’s a nice balance between the two qualities. The Ceylon adds a certain ‘evenness’ to the flavor. It’s a rich, flavorful cup that would take the additions of milk and honey well – which is what most people look for in a breakfast blend.
Personally, I don’t usually add milk or honey to my teas, so my cup has that rugged edge to it that I like in the morning. It’s the kind of tea that I’d want if I need a good shake awake. It’s the kind of tea that will get you going.
Really nice!
Red Hot Cinnamon Spice Black Tea from M&K’s Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: M&K’s Tea Company on Etsy
Tea Description:
A sweet cinnamon confection with just enough spice to pack a punch, but not enough to send you to the emergency room. We threw four different types of cinnamon bark into this thing, just so you know we mean business. Assam black tea for a a little maltiness coupled with Keemun black tea for a little smokiness, and, well, you have yourself some Red Hot Cinnamon Spice!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
After reading the ingredient list of this Red Hot Cinnamon Spice Black Tea from M&K’s Tea Company, I was excited to try it. Yeah, it has hibiscus in it and as you know, I’m not a fan of hibiscus, but what impressed me is that the base of this black tea is a blend of Assam and Keemun! With most of the Red Hot type of black teas that I’ve tried in the past, the tea company uses Ceylon. I like that M&K’s is adventurous enough to try something different!
I brewed this in my Kati Tumbler. I put a heaping scoop of the loose leaf tea in the basket of the tumbler and poured in 12 ounces of boiling water. I let it steep for 3 minutes.
I’m enjoying this. This isn’t exactly what I think of when I think “Red Hot Cinnamon” – there are quite a few teas out there that taste like liquefied red hot cinnamon candies. This isn’t like that.
Oh, sure, it’s got a strong, spicy, cinnamon-y kick to it. But it tastes like pure, real cinnamon, not like the candy. And I like that. Sure, I enjoy those spicy-sweet confectionery-type teas too, but it goes back to what I said in the first paragraph, I like that M&K’s is adventurous to try something different. They’re celebrating the true, spicy flavor of cinnamon here rather than going the candy-like route.
The black tea is strong! The Assam adds a bold, malty flavor and the Keemun adds just a hint of smoke to the cup that accentuates the cinnamon in a pleasing way. The black tea is robust, earthy and has a moderate astringency.
The hibiscus actually works quite well in this blend, I think that the tartness of the herb helps to offer contrast to the spicy cinnamon. It isn’t a heavy hibiscus flavor, in fact, I really have to focus to actually taste the hibiscus. There’s just enough in there to offset some of the spice but not so much that I taste an obvious hibiscus note.
Mostly, what I taste here is cinnamon. Not surprising, right? I like that I am tasting true cinnamon flavor. This doesn’t have an artificial or candy flavor. It tastes like the kind of cinnamon I might grab off my pantry shelf and sprinkle in my oatmeal. (I do combine two different time of cassia for my cinnamon blend … this tea blend uses four types of cinnamon, they got me beat!) The clove gives a background warmth to the cup and complements the cinnamon, and I like that the clove isn’t too aggressive here. I like that this tea is a celebration of cinnamon!
A really tasty blend, I’m glad I had this opportunity to try it!
Check out This Kickstarter Campaign!
As some of my regular readers are aware, I have been promoting my own Kickstarter campaign over the last few weeks before time ran out. I didn’t reach my goal, but I haven’t given up. I’ll be back within a couple of weeks with a new Kickstarter campaign.
In the meantime, please check out this campaign by the Beautiful Taiwan Tea Company! I have reviewed several of this company’s teas, and I know them to offer superior quality Oolong, Black and Green teas. Here are links to some of their teas that I’ve reviewed in the past:
- ShanLinXi Highest Mountain Oolong Tea
- Asian Beauty Oolong Tea
- Formosa Assam Black Tea
- Twisted Green Tea
These teas were amazing, and I have no doubt that the tea that I receive as an incentive for my pledge for their campaign will be equally as wonderful if not more so.
I’m really hoping that they’ll succeed with their goal because: a) I’ll get some great tea; and b) I really like this company. I like that they’re dedicated to sourcing amazing teas and what has also impressed me about this company is that they’re really great people. They are dedicated not only to great tea but also to providing excellent customer service. They’re a win-win company!
Please consider pledging to Beautiful Taiwan Tea Company! They only have nine days left to go on their campaign and they still need about $2500 to reach their goal!