Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Culinary Teas
Product Description:
Superior Gunpowder tea has a greenish, full bodied, delectable bakey character with a hint of smokiness. The expansion of the leaf after infusion is remarkable. This tea will keep for a very long time due to the tight roll.
Taster’s Review:
My earliest experiences with gunpowder green tea were not positive. But that really was not the tea’s fault – it was mine. I used water that was too hot for the delicate green tea leaves, and as a result the liquor was bitter and not suitable to drink.
Since that time, I’ve learned how to brew green tea, and as I sit here, sipping on this Superior Gunpowder from Culinary Teas, I can’t help but feel a little sad at how dreadful I treated those gunpowder teas in the past. Such a delightful tea, it really didn’t deserve such harsh treatment!
This is really quite divine! The flavor is toasty with a delicious nutty flavor in the foreground. There is a hint of smokiness in the background which is quite complimentary to the roasty-toasty flavor. Some light vegetative notes round out the flavor of this cup.
I’m currently sipping my second infusion of this tea, and I think I prefer the second to the first. It is sweeter and tastes a bit more even-toned and balanced than the first infusion, although both were quite lovely. These leaves could even handle a third infusion!
An excellent gunpowder, this Superior Gunpowder from Culinary Teas. It gets top marks!
Chocolate Caramel Turtle Tea from Culinary Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Culinary Teas
Product Description:
Craving that candy bar…why not try a calorie free alternative? Our Chocolate Caramel Turtle tea is it! A sinfully delicious combination for your brewing pleasure.
Taster’s Review:
This one had me at chocolate. But promises of caramel too? My mouth is watering just thinking about it. I could smell the chocolate as soon as I opened the pouch, which only added to the drool factor.
The brewed tea has an interesting fragrance as well, not as strong a chocolate scent as with the dry leaf, but more like a combination of chocolate, nuts, earthy black tea, and sweet caramel. The nutty aroma is the strongest of the bunch.
Mmmm! This tastes so good. Nutty and chocolate-y, but not so much that it overwhelms the caramel and black tea. The black tea base is fairly neutral and mild here, but it is not so discreet that it is completely lost. Each flavor is represented in the sip, although some flavors are stronger than others.
A very enjoyable cup – this chocoholic approves!
Buckingham Palace from Culinary Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Culinary Teas
Product Description:
A special blend served at Buckingham Palace, flavorful with brightness and body. An exotic character with soft hints of Earl Grey and Jasmine. Superb for afternoon tea settings.
Taster’s Review:
I was rummaging through my tea stash, looking for a “different” black tea to drink this morning, and I came up with this one. Interestingly enough, when I visited the Culinary Teas website, this one just happened to be the tea of the week! Along with that distinction comes a 20% discount! (But hurry! I don’t know when this offer expires)
This is a great blend. There are so many different tastes going on … one moment, I taste the tangy bergamot from the Earl Grey, the next, I notice the malty tones from the Assam. Then I notice the lingering essence of jasmine. And somehow, all these dynamic flavors work together quite harmoniously.
The black tea base is well-rounded. It is comprised of Assam, Ceylon and Kenyan teas … as well as several others. This blend is full-flav0red with a fair amount of astringency. I taste hints of sweetness as well as a bitter tone that arrives just before mid-sip. There is a nice malty tone to this tea, as well as a biscuit-y kind of flavor … you know that freshly baked bread kind of note that is experienced every once in a while with a good black tea? Yeah, that’s in there too.
And then there are the notes of bergamot and jasmine. The bergamot is a sweet, tart-y kind of taste that plays off of the astringency from the tea very well. It is at the moment that the astringency is recognized that the bergamot comes through the strongest. The jasmine is more like an insinuation. I will take a sip, considering it as my palate explores the flavors it offers, and all of the sudden, my mind says “wait… was that jasmine just now?” I love it when I find a tea that keeps my taste buds guessing.
Such a beautiful, contemplative cup of tea, this Buckingham Palace. And now that my cup is empty, I want more!
Irish Breakfast Tea from Culinary Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Culinary Teas
Product Description:
A stout robust black tea blend of February production. Superb color and very full-bodied. Irish Breakfast is excellent as a early morning tea.
Taster’s Review:
This Irish Breakfast is a bold blend of Assam and Kenyan teas, and it is indeed full-bodied. But then, I’d expect nothing less from an Irish Breakfast blend, and I’ve also come to expect excellent quality from Culinary Teas as well.
The dry leaf is a very fine cut and resembles the granules of freeze-dried coffee. But it doesn’t smell like coffee. It smells fresh and slightly earthy, and even has a slight “baked” kind of quality to the aroma.
This translates into the flavor, as I can taste that freshly baked bread kind of taste in the background. It is a very hefty tea with plenty of malty tones. It has a delicious caramel-like sweetness to it. A good, solid tea that is as delicious as it is invigorating.
This is a tea that you’ll want to take extra care when steeping. Don’t steep too long or your tea will become bitter. I find that 2 1/2 minutes is the maximum time that I steep this tea – at three minutes, the tea has some bitter tones to it. But, while it can be a little finicky, it is well worth the little extra attention. You will be rewarded with a most delightful cup of tea that takes the addition of milk and honey well, if you like your tea that way. It is also quite nice with just a little bit of turbinado sugar (I find that this really accents the caramel-y notes nicely). It is a bit “edgy” without any addition, but there are some people who like their tea that way. However you choose to take your tea is fine with me! Cheers!
Cochin Masala Chai Tea from Culinary Tea
Tea Type: Chai (Black Tea Base)
Where To Buy: Culinary Tea
Product Description:
This traditional Indian Chai is named for the city that is the birthplace of chai. Cochin Masala includes Ceylon black tea, ginger, cardamom, coriander, cinnamon, and black pepper. When brewed this full body tea produces a spicy aromatic flavor. Superb with milk and sugar.
Tasters Review:
Many of you know I am a Fickle Pickle when it comes to Chai. I like them – not overly spiced, not underly spiced, not too hot, not too cold…but JUST RIGHT! And this one is JUST RIGHT for my Chai Tastes!
It has a nice KICK of spice but it’s backed by a heavy Black Tea taste which I LOVE! It’s a real eye-opener! Perfect for my mornings and to ‘light a match under your butt’ in the afternoon!
Another thing I like about Cochin Masala Chai from Culinary Teas is that it holds up to multiple infusions! I have gotten as many as 6 sturdy infusions during one of my infusion tests!
Tea-riffic!
