Tea Type:
Oolong Tea
Where To Buy:
Grey’s Teas
Production Description:
Darjeeling tea lends itself well to the oolong process of semi-oxidation. It creates a character beautifully complementary to the muscatel taste of Darjeeling. It is a fragrant tea that has a little more complexity than you would expect with black Darjeeling. Infuse for five minutes with fresh water just off the boil. We also offer .
Tasters Review:
Happy Valley Darjilong Organic Tea from Grey’s Teas…well, well, well! I have a bit to say about this tea! First…the name! Anything that says Happy Valley just has to put a smile on your face! I wanted to start the day off positive and this tea certainly helped! Organic teas always make me happy, too! The name Darjilong is just fun to say! But when you put a Darjeeling Oolong in front of me I tend to pick it a part a bit. Maybe that goes back to ‘word dissection’ in my college days – not sure – but that’s sort of what I did here.
I took the “Darjeeling” to heart. I always associate Darjeelings with a specific taste profile, I guess…mostly via Black Darjeeling Teas eventho I have had Oolongs, Whites, and other Darjeeling Teas but I guess I will always have a place in my heart for Darjeeling Black. Don’t get me wrong – I’m LOVING this tea! I LOVE that it’s a Darjeeling Tea and that it’s a Darjeeling Oolong Tea. It’s not quite as muscatel as some of the Darjeelings I have tried but I’m totally ok with that. Sometimes I actually prefer it. It’s slightly juicy. In the 2nd infusion It’s more juicy as well as more muscatel and even a bit more sweet-woodsy tasting – which is very much welcomed. I do enjoy the 2nd infusion a bit more than the 1st but BOTH infusions are VERY satisfying. I appreciate the complexity of this tea. From start to finish it’s fairly fragrant, too! It’s also a winner HOT or COLD. A terrific tea for Spring, Summer, or Fall! Excellent!
Assam Anandabagh STFGFOP1 Autumn Flush Tea 2013 from Grey’s Teas
Tea Type:
Black Tea
Where To Buy:
Grey’s Teas
Product Description:
This is a lovely, tippy autumn flush Assam with a most attractive, slightly liquorice note. It is malty yet elegant, having plenty of tip evident. Just flown in this 2013 picking is a real treat. Infuse for five minutes. Drink with milk.
Keemun Peony China Black Tea from Grey’s Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Grey’s Teas
Tea Description:
This extra quality Keemun has a neat pine-needle leaf producing a subtly rich liquor with a toasty character and delicate aroma. A truly delicate tea that can be enjoyed any afternoon or evening.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
When I read the name of this tea on the package, I was a little confused by it: Keemun Peony. Is it a black tea, or a white tea? Before I brewed it, I brought up the Grey’s Teas Website and found that this is a Black Tea from China. The aroma of the dry leaf is rich with notes of a warm, toasty, earthy type of scent. There is also a sort of leather-y type of fragrance. The brewed tea smells very similar to what I experienced with the dry leaf.
Nice! This is such a rich and satisfying Keemun. It has wisps of smokiness in the background. Not an overpowering taste of smoke, I would describe it more as a smoke you’d taste if you were to taste a fire-roasted plum. And I mention “plum” because I taste notes of fruit in this cup as well, and it’s not so easy to pinpoint the fruit flavor I taste, but, I’d say it’s closest to plum. As I continue to sip, I notice that the fruit notes seem to morph into the fruit notes you would taste in a well-aged wine. The astringency to this tea further develops the wine-like flavors. There is a honey-like sweetness to the cup as well.
Overall, I would describe this tea as a masculine tea. It has a rugged sort of flavor, like something you’d want to drink early in the day to give you that inspiration to get moving. Toasty and smoked. Rich and earthy, with notes of leather. It does have sweetness to it too, from the aforementioned fruit and honey notes, but even these have a sort of masculine quality to them, tasting sweet but with savory undertones to cut through some of the sweeter notes. Nothing too sweet here. Just a smooth, rich tea experience.
Assam Smoked Oolong Tea from Grey’s Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Grey’s Teas
Tea Description:
Having a big, tippy, curly leaf, this is a most unusual and aromatic oolong from India’s northern Assam region. It is produced using the semi fermented oolong process and is smoked with an oak-like wood, unlike the pinewood used for lapsang souchong. Its aroma is unique. Brew for three minutes and drink without milk. Once tried, forever besotted!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I could smell the smoke in this Assam Smoked Oolong Tea from Grey’s Teas the moment I opened the pouch. But what I liked is that the smoke … didn’t overwhelm me. I didn’t get that “off-putting” sort of feeling when I smelled the tea … and that often happens when I encounter a really strongly smoked tea. I like that I can definitely tell that this is smoked, but it’s not an assault on my olfactory nerves.
And this is a really interesting cup of tea! I brewed this tea the way I usually brew an Oolong – in my gaiwan, using short steeps – and my first cup is the combination of infusions 1 and 2 (following a quick 15 second rinse).
The sip starts out with an immediate introduction to the smoky notes. But I can also taste the fruity qualities of this dark Oolong, and together with the smoky notes, it almost tastes as though a plum and a peach were smoked in a pit. It’s a very unique flavor.
And I can also taste floral notes … and with the smoky tones, it almost tastes as though flowers were smoked with those stone fruits. This tastes unlike any other tea I’ve ever tasted. The smoky tones are extraordinary in themselves, because this doesn’t taste like the typical “smoked” tea … the flavor is deeper, richer … more like the fire from a hearth rather than a campfire.
The second cup (infusions #3 and 4) brought a more unified taste. There is less distinction between the different flavors. I taste a little bit of sweet and savory. The smoky notes are prominent. The fruit tones are sweet and sour and the smoky tones are savory and even hint at some bitter notes, with hints of sweet, exotic flower in the distance. This cup is very smooth and has very little astringency to it. It has a very pleasant, soft mouthfeel.
As I brewed the third cup, I sort of expected some of the smoky tones to wane, but the smoke remains! It softens somewhat … but it really surprised me just how long the flavor stays with this tea.
If you’re one of those who love a good, smoky tea – you really should try this Assam Smoked Oolong from Grey’s Teas! I’m not a huge smoky tea fan … but I really enjoyed this, and it surprised me at how long the smoky tones lasted. It’s a really enjoyable and very flavorful tea!
Royal Tea of Kenya Tajiri Black from Grey’s Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Grey’s Teas
Tea Description:
A rare and wonderful orthodox tea from Kenya: Royal Tajiri was planted over fifty years ago on naturally fertile soils at an altitude of 6700 ft in Gatundu District, amongst the foothills of Mount Kenya, alongside the Rundu and Mukengeria rivers. This gorgeous, orthodox, large leaf tea is neatly twisted and has a lovely appley and caramel aroma. In the cup it is deep bronze. It is full bodied, rich and smooth. Brew for four minutes. It may be drunk with milk.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The first thing I noticed with this tea (besides the large, twisted leaves!) was the aroma of the brewed tea – as the description suggests, there is a distinct apple-like note with hints of caramel to the fragrance of this Royal Tea of Kenya Tajiri Black from Grey’s Teas. It smells … irresistible – very autumnal!
As I sip it, I’m wishing I could taste the apple that I enjoyed in scent of the tea, but there are only mere hints of a fruit-like tone. It isn’t as distinctly apple as the aroma. But, that’s not to say that this is not a wonderful tea … it IS. It’s really quite a delicious tea … I just kind of got my hopes up when I smelled that apple.
But there IS a delectable caramel-y tone to this tea that brings a wonderful sweetness to the sip. The tea is rich and robust. I taste hints of a peppery like spice to it … it’s in the distance, but, with every sip, I find myself noticing just a slight hint of that pepper … as if someone ground a peppercorn in the tea when it was brewed. There isn’t enough there to really call this a peppery or a spicy tea … or even a warmly spiced tea … but just this faint, vague whisper of pepper.
There is a fair amount of astringency to this tea, that brings a drying sensation toward the finish and into the aftertaste. The aftertaste is sweet and slightly earthy. Overall, this is a very enjoyable cup of tea – it would make a great first thing in the morning kind of cup … as well as a great way to perk up mid-day when you need a refreshing jolt. I like it served hot – straight up! But … if you want to go a little indulgent … try it with a drizzle of maple syrup. OH my!