Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Tea People
Tea Description:
Makaibari tea estate is situated in a town called Kurseong in the district of Darjeeling. Kurseong means the land of the ‘white orchid’ in the local language. From the land of the white orchid is produced the exquisite ‘White Magnolia’. This tea is made from the delicate unopened leaves of the plant and undergoes the least processing among all the teas. This is the reason why the infused leaves seem to come alive again yielding the palest liquor yearning to be sipped. When it touches your lips, your palate comes alive with a light chestnut flavour. The sweet aftertaste lingers on forever.
Makaibari tea estate located in the foothills of the Himalayas is an organically certified tea estate where the tea is grown at an altitude of around 4500ft.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Bai Mu Dan tea is one of those teas that when I drink it … I think to myself: it’s been a long time since I’ve had a Bai Mu Dan. It may not actually have been that long, but, it’s one of those teas that I miss when a day or two has passed and I haven’t had it.
I love the sweet, delicate quality of a good Bai Mu Dan. And what makes this Makaibari Bai Mu Dan White Tea from Tea People different is that it is grown in the Darjeeling district, so I think that technically makes it a “Darjeeling” white tea, even though the leaves resemble a very high quality Bai Mu Dan. These aren’t those crumbly, brown leaves that some companies pass off as a Bai Mu Dan. These leaves are a gorgeous pale green, and if you look closely, you can see the soft, fuzzy down on these leaves. The leaves are large and beautiful.
My first sip of this tea evoked thoughts of the taste of a dewdrop, like what I might taste if I were to drink the dew off a fresh, new spring leaf. After that initial sip, I started to notice other flavors developing.
As the above description suggests, there is a light nutty flavor to this white tea, reminiscent of that creamy taste of a freshly roasted chestnut. There are slight notes of earth to this as well as a hay-like note and a background of delicious melon.
The overall taste is light and refreshing. It is sweet and relaxing to sip. A really beautiful white tea! If I were asked to list my all time favorite Bai Mu Dan teas, this one would land at the top of the list. It’s one I’d recommend to all the white tea fans out there.
Malabar Estate Java OP Clonal Black Tea from Upton Tea Imports
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Upton Tea Imports
Tea Description:
This selection was harvested at the peak of the summer flavory season. Dark, crepy leaves, combined with gold and silver downy tips produce a dark, clear liquor. The cup has interesting flavor notes and a hint of mahogany wood in the aroma. This is one of the best high-grown Java teas we have seen in years.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Steepster Select here.
Taster’s Review:
This Malabar Estate Java OP Clonal Black Tea from Upton Tea Imports is the first of the five teas that I’ll be sampling as part of this month’s Steepster Select box. Every month, I receive two individually packaged single serving size of high quality, loose leaf tea of FIVE different teas.
The dry leaf of this tea is beautiful with its dark chocolate-y brown leaves with golden tips. The tea brews up dark in color and rich in flavor.
The tea has a sweet undertone of caramel. I detect notes of malt. It’s a strong, robust sort of tea, one that would make a good first cup of the day. I find that as I sip this tea, I am invigorated. An excellent pick-me-up sort of tea.
Beyond that first impression, I am noticing some complexity. I can taste fruit notes. There are some grape flavors in there, evoking thoughts of wine. And there is a sort of dry, astringent note toward the end of the sip which is similar to what I’d experience with a glass of wine too.
Mid-sip, I notice a slight orange-y note, as if this might be a “blend” with orange rind in it. I can even taste the slight bitterness from the pith of the orange. The orange notes seem to intensify as I continue to sip. Others who have tasted this tea have mentioned a cinnamon note to this, and I get a very subtle, warm cinnamon note that seems to weave its way in and out of the sip.
Overall, a very good cuppa. I’d happily drink this again.
Lovers Leap Estate Indigo Black Tea from Eden Grove
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Amazon Trading
Ingredients:
Black Tea.
Learn more about Amazon Trading here.
Taster’s Review:
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!
OK … so this might not be a strawberries and chocolate or chocolate and roses or … any other romantic blend BUT it does have Lovers in the name of the tea. Sure … that’s the name of the estate where the tea was grown … but it works for me.
This Lovers Leap Estate Indigo Black Tea from Eden Grove is quite nice. When I opened the package, I could smell faint floral notes and earthiness. The brewed tea has a fruit/floral/earthy sort of scent to it. It brews up a dark coppery color. And it tastes really good too!
I’ve got to say that I’ve been pretty happy with most of the teas that I’ve tried from Eden Grove so far. This is a rich and satisfying Ceylon tea. Yeah, “rich” is not a word that typically goes hand in hand with Ceylon black tea … but this has a pleasing richness to it. There are even some malty tones to it!
I also taste notes of fruit and flower in each sip. In the distance are notes of earth and even a leather-y sort of taste. It is a medium-bodied tea with a moderate amount of astringency. It has a nice sweetness to it that reminds me a little bit of a honeyed caramel.
And all of that from a sacheted tea! Yeah, I’m stunned too. I don’t usually expect a whole lot out of a sacheted tea, but, Eden Grove’s quality is starting to make a believer out of me. sure, I’d still rather have loose leaf, but it’s nice to have the convenience of a tea bag when I’m traveling. The gift package (shown above) is also something that would be lovely to give to a friend who is new to tea and doesn’t know what to do with loose leaf tea yet. (We all gotta start someplace, you know?)
A really good tea.
Ivy Hills Estate Black Tea Essence of Lemongrass from Eden Grove
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Amazon Trading
Ingredients:
Black Tea with natural Lemongrass flavor.
Learn more about Amazon Trading here.
Taster’s Review:
This is nice! I like the delicate citrus-y quality to this Ivy Hills Estate Black Tea Essence of Lemongrass from Eden Grove. The black tea is the prominent flavor, but, it’s followed up with this light, sweet, citrus-y taste from the lemongrass.
The black tea has a robust, earthy scent to it and there are barely there hints of lemon. The tea also tastes earthy and rich, and it is a pleasing medium-to-full bodied tea. I am impressed by the amount of flavor that this tea delivers, especially considering that this came from a sachet! This is one sacheted/bagged tea that I could recommend with great confidence.
The lemongrass is a flavor that starts out delicate, but as I continue to sip, the hints of citrus become stronger. It never becomes a really bold flavor nor does it ever attempt to compete with the star of the show: the black tea. There is just enough lemongrass to give the tea an enjoyable touch of citrus without going overboard.
I like this one a lot. This is the kind of tea that I’d like to have with me when I travel, because let’s face it, when traveling I don’t want to mess around with loose leaf tea. It’s just too messy and not terribly convenient. But, these sachets would make traveling with my own tea easy, and this is tasty stuff! It’s SO MUCH better than anything I’ve ever found in a hotel’s tea selections!
Uva BOP Ceylon Black Tea from Upton Tea Imports
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Upton Tea Imports
Tea Description:
Classic rich Ceylon from a prestigious region in the highlands.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Yeah! This Uva BOP Ceylon Black Tea from Upton Tea Imports is just what I needed today. I was feeling just a wee bit sluggish, in need of some caffeine and mostly what I wanted was rich, delicious black tea … and this Ceylon satisfies!
But I do have one complaint: the photo above is supposed to be a close up of the leaves … but, the actual leaves that I put into my tea maker today didn’t really look like this. The cut is much smaller than what I’d expect from a BOP. And really, this is my only complaint about this tea. The leaves are much more like a fine chop CTC tea leaf, rather than a Broken Orange Pekoe.
That complaint aside, the tea that the leaves produce is very flavorful. RICH and bold … but also very even-toned as I have come to expect from Ceylon. I don’t taste bitterness, and I don’t get a lot of astringency from this cup, although as I continue to sip, the astringency builds somewhat, providing a tangy “pucker” in the finish by the time I’ve consumed about half a cup of the tea.
The sip starts with an earthy note. I notice some sweetness, sort of honey-esque. I get some lovely citrus-y notes that come forward toward the finish. Notes of malt – which is a little surprising because this is a Ceylon and I don’t usually associate Ceylon teas with a malty note like this.
I would classify this as a rich yet medium-bodied cup of tea. Very tasty.