Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Steven Smith Teamaker
Tea Description:
Awake to a festive gathering of highly sought-after teas, combining floral, nutty Darjeeling with bright, lively Nuwara Eliya, caramelized North Indian Assam and a pinch of fragrant Douglas Fir needles. Whoa, tannenbaum.
Learn more about this tea blend here.
Taster’s Review:
I debated with myself about when I should publish this review. I thought originally that I should publish it on Christmas morning, since the number of the tea is 25 for the holiday, but then I thought – no, since this is a very limited tea, and I was told only one batch was made and once it’s gone, its gone! – I should publish this review early enough so that anyone who might be interested in the tea can have time to order it before it disappears.
And … you really SHOULD try this tea. It’s amazing. I should start with a disclaimer: I love Steven Smith. He is like a rock star, a god, an icon, even! Of the tea world. I love that he is located locally, and that it takes mere minutes for me to get to his tea shop (well, a few minutes drive, after how ever long it might take for me to coax my husband in to taking me to the shop), and I love how every tea that I’ve tried from Steven Smith Teamaker is delicious.
But this … this is really special, even in the array of amazing teas from Steven Smith. It is a blend of three teas: a Darjeeling which gives the blend a sweet, floral intonation, a woodsy note and a hint of lightness to the overall cup, Nuwara Eliya Ceylon which provides a pleasing, even and bright flavor, and an Assam that adds a sweet, caramel-y undertone and a touch of maltiness and richness to the cup. These three teas, together, offer a very full and satisfying flavor without coming across as too heavy. It’s a very palate pleasing combination.
But, Steven Smith didn’t stop there, because a blend of just these three teas might make a very enjoyable breakfast blend, but this was to be a holiday tea… and what would be a more perfect addition than a touch of pine? Douglas Fir needles, to be precise. The needles give the tea a fantastic flavor – a touch of crisp, mountain air – it tastes of pine, of course, with hints of refreshing, invigorating mint.
It’s really good! It’s the kind of cuppa that puts a smile on my face and puts me into the holiday spirit! Which I’ve needed … because I don’t even have the tree up yet! Yikes! I guess there’s no time like the present. And now, thanks to Steven Smith, I’ve got the inspiration I needed to get busy with the task!
Arya Emerald Darjeeling Green Tea from Happy Earth Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green (Darjeeling)
Where to Buy: Happy Earth Tea
Tea Description:
A good value green tea from Arya Tea Estate which is known for its high quality of produce. This tea bears the rich satisfying flavor of Darjeeling; nothing like the bitter green teas out there.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
When I think “Darjeeling” – whether it is a black, or a green, or even a white or Oolong Darjeeling – one word comes to mind … MUSCATEL! I love that sweet, wine-y, grape-y, slightly woodsy, earthy note that is so uniquely muscatel.
So, when I come across a Darjeeling – again, no matter what type of leaf it may be – I find myself expecting a muscatel tone to the flavor profile. And when I don’t experience muscatel, I am a little disappointed.
And so it is with this tea.
The truth is, not all Darjeeling teas possess that muscatel note. There are some very delicious Darjeeling teas that do not. I shouldn’t expect muscatel from every Darjeeling and I shouldn’t be disappointed by a Darjeeling that doesn’t offer that flavor. But, I love muscatel, so I can’t help but want it whenever I come across a Darjeeling.
This is NOT a bad green Darjeeling, not at all! In fact, it’s really quite lovely. But, it does not have the muscatel tone that I desired, either. This is much more reminiscent of a Dragon Well or perhaps even a buttery Chinese Sencha. It tastes much more like a Chinese green tea than an Indian green tea, although I must admit that my experience with Indian green teas is a bit more limited than with Chinese.
This is tasty, very much so. It is sweet, it has a creamy texture to it, very smooth and there is very little astringency. Absolutely no bitterness. Hints of grass and vegetative tones, and I even taste a slight fruitiness to this … citrus-y with a hint of peach. It’s a very pleasant tea to sip.
There’s just no muscatel.
Castleton Muscatel (2nd Flush) from Darjeeling Tea Lovers
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black (Darjeeling)
Where to Buy: Darjeeling Tea Lovers
Tea Description:
CASTLETON MUSCATEL is one of the finest muscatel teas that we have come across this season. This tea has been made from selective leaves that come from PURE CHINA BUSHES at an altitude of 6200 ft above sea level which is ideal for the MUSCAT FLAVOUR.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Every time I go to open a new pouch of tea from Darjeeling Tea Lovers, I am so excited for what awaits me. The teas I’ve tried from them so far have been absolutely incredible, and this one is also amazing.
This has such a crisp flavor … there are actually faint notes of mint in the background! The muscatel is a very forward flavor. Sweet and fruity with a fair amount of astringency. The cleansing astringency is somewhat dry and plays to the muscatel notes quite nicely, giving it an almost wine-like finish. In the aftertaste I notice a far off in the distance hint of mint, but otherwise the aftertaste is very clean.
I find this to be a very enjoyable cup of tea – usually with Darjeeling teas, I find that they make a really nice afternoon cup because they aren’t overly energizing; they tend to be more of a calming, relaxing cup of tea. But I find this particular Darjeeling to be more invigorating … I could easily start the day with this! The flavor is very vibrant!
If you are a fan of Darjeeling Teas, you really MUST try the teas from Darjeeling Tea Lovers. Every single tea that I’ve tried from them has been a superb example of what Darjeeling tea should be – and while that definition seems to get broader and broader for me the more I drink Darjeeling, it is one I don’t mind redefining, because I keep finding more to love about Darjeeling – thanks to this company!
Indian Spiced Chai from Tealicious Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tealicious Tea Company
Tea Description:
Our version of Indian Spiced Chai Tea surpasses any other available. We blended our magical recipe of anise, cardamom, cloves, whole red peppercorn, ginger, vanilla and cinnamon together with our finest Ceylon OP to create this delightful Chai.
Learn more about this chai here.
Taster’s Review:
Autumn has officially begun! Well, at least for me it has. I know that the official first day of autumn was a month ago, but, for me, it isn’t really autumn until I need to start putting on sweaters when I go outside. When it’s cold and wet and grey … when drinking a hot, spiced chai blend is so comforting!
This Indian Spiced Chai from Tealicious Tea Company is indeed comforting … and oh-so-good!
The spices are really delightful. They are warm and soothing. I like that the cinnamon and ginger do not seem to be overwhelming the flavors – I can taste each of the spices. The cloves are strong, the cardamom gives a warm, exotic note to the cup, and I can even taste a hint of snappy licorice from the anise and I’m really loving that. For those of you who tend to not like licorice flavor, don’t worry, the licorice-y note isn’t strong, and the anise really melds together nicely with the other spices to create a more unified flavor. It doesn’t really taste “licorice-y” … or even “cinnamon-y” or “clove-y” for that matter. It just tastes warmly spiced.
The vanilla is my favorite element of this chai. It adds a very pleasing creamy touch to the cup; eliminating the need to add milk. It tastes so sweet and creamy, almost latte-ish without the milk!
Which is good because the black tea base is a Ceylon tea, and it’s a fine black tea base but I think that this chai could definitely benefit from the bold, malty flavor of a rich Assam. The Ceylon tea is smooth and tasty in this blend, but it just feels and tastes a little weak. The background doesn’t seem as “solid” as I like from a chai. As a result, adding milk to this chai may end up muting the flavors more than enhancing them.
But as I said, adding milk really isn’t necessary, because the vanilla really gives this tea a deliciously sweet, creamy taste without the milk. This is really delicious served without milk, with only about a half a teaspoon of turbinado sugar to enhance the spices a little bit.
A really delightful cup of chai to help kick off the start of my favorite season of the year!
Spice Blend from Tiger Spring Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tiger Spring Tea
Tea Description:
Our Spice Blend is a blend of ceylon tea, orange peel, cloves, cinnamon bark, ginger and fennel seeds. It is a spicy, comforting brew with or without milk, and can be sweetened with sugar or honey if preferred.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Even though Tiger Spring Tea did not indicate this as a “chai” on their website, the ingredients are very chai-like, which is why I categorized it as a chai. As I taste it, though, I find it to be a little less like a chai and a bit more like a Christmas Spice tea. The spices are warm and soothing, but they maintain a nice balance with the black tea base – in this case, a strong Ceylon tea – and the orange notes from the orange peel. It’s very holiday-ish, and it has me looking forward to the upcoming holiday season.
The overall cup is pleasantly spiced. Not what I’d call hot or spicy, but, it is zesty and warm, like a good mulled cider. The orange brightens up the cup considerably, and the Ceylon here is a very good quality Ceylon that is on the stronger side (no wimpy Ceylon here!) and holds its own in the midst of the spices. Of the spices, I find my palate focusing primarily on the clove – with the cinnamon and ginger playing more of a background note and the fennel offering more of an accent note.
And even though it is a bit more holiday-ish than chai-ish, it does still strike a familiar “chai” chord too. It’s very warming, very comforting, just like a good, well-spiced chai, and it would make a nice latte if you happen to be in the mood for a chai latte!
As for me, I find this to be delicious without the milk … and while it doesn’t really NEED it, the spices really perked up when I added about a half a teaspoon of turbinado sugar to my cup. It tastes good straight up, but the spices really seem to SING with the little bit of sugar that I added to the cup, so I would recommend adding just a little bit of sweetener to this to enhance the flavor of the spices.
A really warm, pleasant Spice Blend from Tiger Spring Tea. It is a wonderful way to welcome autumn – my favorite time of year.