Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Grace Tea Company
Tea Description:
This extra slow-fired tea is of a rare and extraordinary quality. Our most well known and famous blend has an unusual depth, body and color that can be likened in description to a fine wine. A uniquely crafted tea blended with varying China, Formosan and Indian teas, Winey Keemun follows the traditional formulation of an English Breakfast blend. It’s one of our personal favorites.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The theme for this month’s Steepster Select Box is “Around the Clock” and features three teas to enjoy at different times … depending upon what time of day it is. As Steepster puts it:
Tea is a loyal companion. Always at your side, ready to infuse any occasion with flavorful, liquid love. Able to pack a punch or hug you close like a warm blanket, there’s a cup that fits any time of day: morning, afternoon, and night. So keep the kettle going for these three teas that will carry you from sunrise to sunset.
Obviously, this Winey Keemun English Breakfast blend from Grace Tea Company represents the morning tea. And what a lovely tea to select as the morning tea! It is bold, rich and delicious. It “packs a punch” but at the same time has a comforting flavor to it. In other words, it is invigorating but it makes me feel good about getting that burst of gusto.
This dark, full-bodied black tea introduces itself with a sweet start, somewhat fruity – like a well-aged wine. During the sip, I notice hints of leather, malt and earth, and a smoky tone in the background. Keemun tea usually has a variable degree of smokiness … some are very smoky while others are on the lighter side, with mere hints of smoky flavor. This tea is on the lighter side of smoky but I don’t know if that is because the Keemun itself is lightly smoky or if it is the fact that it is a component of a blend that includes several different teas, and the simple fact that this is not a straight Keemun tea may be the reason for the light smokiness.
The tea finishes sweet. There is some tangy astringency, but I notice no bitterness. Perhaps this is because I steeped it for just 2 1/2 minutes in my Breville One-Touch which seems to be the magic brew time for black teas such as this, but either way, I am enjoying the lack of bitterness here. The aftertaste is a light, fruity taste that is somewhat reminiscent of a wine-like aftertaste.
A rather enjoyable tea for the morning, I think this would also make a nice tea to enjoy in the early afternoon, perhaps as a pick-me-up, or even just a cup to savor in the company of dear friends.
Two more teas to explore from Steepster’s Around the Clock series, I hope that the teas they have chosen for afternoon and evening are just as enjoyable as this Winey Keemun English Breakfast.
Organic Kundaly from Butiki Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Butiki Teas
Tea Description:
Our Organic Kundaly is sourced from the Kanan Devan Hills Plantation in Kerala, India. This extra special Pekoe grade tea has floral and roasted walnut notes. Organic Kundaly is an assertive lightly astringent black tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is a really wonderful black tea that reminds me of autumn. It has a warm, roasted nut flavor that I associate with the crispness of fall, when the air begins to cool and the leaves begin to change.
I haven’t heard of Kundaly tea before, at first I thought it might be the name of the plantation on which the tea is grown, but I then noticed in the description that the name of the plantation in India is the Kanan Devan Hills Plantation. So, I began to carefully sip the tea, trying to place it.
Is it a Ceylon? It has some notes that remind me of a Ceylon, like hints of floral tones, and an astringency that makes me think of Ceylon tea. Is it an Assam? It doesn’t have the malty tone that I usually associate with an Assam. It is a fairly assertive type of black tea, I’d place it somewhere between a Ceylon and Assam in terms of strength.
But, it really isn’t quite like either one of these teas. The nutty flavors that I mentioned earlier seem to develop as I sip, and I really taste the walnut-like flavors as mentioned in the description from Butiki Teas. But, I was still quite curious about this tea, so I decided to drop a note to Stacy from Butiki Teas to learn more about it. Here’s what she had to say:
This tea comes from the Nilgiri tea region in south India. It has characteristics of most Nilgiri teas but it is sweeter and lighter than most Nilgiris that I have tasted. Its sourced from the Kanan Devan Hills Plantation in Munnar in Kerala state.
Kundaly is one of 3 rivers in Munnar. I had originally purchased this tea solely to use as a base tea for some flavored teas but decided to also sell it separately because I was enjoying it so much. It’s the base of our Almond Indulgence and Raspberry Truffle tea.
I hadn’t even guessed a Nilgiri because I usually think of Nilgiri to be more similar to Assam teas with a slightly malty note and deep, rich flavor. I brewed another pot to see if I might notice more of a Nilgiri type flavor, and when it’s freshly brewed and just poured from the teapot hot, I notice some malty taste an a richness that is definitely very Nilgiri-like.
But since I don’t usually drink my teas straight from the teapot (I like them to cool slightly, at least!) I didn’t notice it before. As the tea cools, the malty notes take on a more sweet toasted nut flavor. It is certainly lighter in texture and taste than most Nilgiri teas I’ve tasted, but, it does have a pleasant assertiveness and strength to it.
This is a very enjoyable black tea – one that is strong enough for a morning tea, but also quite nice as a contemplative afternoon cup. It is one of those teas that is absolutely worth exploring – I highly recommend it!
Organic Decaf Masala Chai from Arbor Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black (Decaffeinated)
Where to Buy: Arbor Teas
Tea Description:
Finally, our customers that only drink decaffeinated tea can indulge in a chai latte! This Fair Trade Certified Masala Chai Organic black tea blend has a medium-body with exceptionally spicy flavor and aroma. Surprisingly similar to our caffeinated version of Masala Chai (and offered at the same price!) our Organic Decaf Masala Chai Black Tea uses a broken leaf grade black tea (BOP) blended with cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and black pepper. In contrast to our caffeinated version, we amped up the pepper for a slightly hotter mouth feel. The clove and ginger really come through, with a wonderful cardamom finish. As with all our decaf teas, this tea is decaffeinated using a state-of-the-art carbon dioxide (CO2) decaffeination process that does not involve the use of harmful chemicals. We recommend steeping a triple-strength cup of this organic Indian tea and serving it with honey and steamed milk.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Another decaffeinated tea that surprises me!
Truly, I have had fewer decaffeinated teas that I have not enjoyed versus those that I found to be very good (or better than very good, like this one!) but yet, the memory of those few that I disliked remain to taint my initial reaction to decaffeinated tea. Those thin-tasting decaffeinated teas with chemical aftertastes still haunt me. Fortunately, this decaffeinated chai from Arbor Teas is neither thin in taste nor does it have that icky chemical aftertaste. This is actually so good, I find it hard to believe that it’s decaffeinated!
As mentioned in the above description from Arbor Teas, there is a bit more of a peppery bite to this one compared to the pepper level that I recall from Arbor Teas’ caffeinated version. In that review, I had mentioned that the pepper stood out, and here, it stands out a bit stronger, but without tasting over-peppered. Instead, the pepper seems to meld quite nicely with the flavors of the other spices. There isn’t too much ginger or cinnamon here, which is also a plus given the fact that with so many chai blends seem to rely too heavily on the cinnamon or ginger to deliver their spicy impact. Not that it’s bad to have a chai that’s been heavily laden with cinnamon or ginger, but it is nice to find one that allows the flavors of the cloves and cardamom to shine through.
This has such a unified flavor – everything is so well rounded! The black tea has a strong flavor – without a strong decaffeinated flavor – and it melds seamlessly with the flavors of the spices. It tastes spicy and exotic. It is a beautifully executed chai … and I find it so delicious that I don’t even miss the caffeine!
I enjoyed my sampling of this tea hot with a little bit of turbinado sugar to complement the spices. I did not add milk to it to make a latte, but, I think that the spicy composure of this chai would make for a very harmonious chai latte, so if you prefer your chai as a latte, I’d say go for it!
I’d recommend this whole-heartedly to those who are looking for delicious decaffeinated teas … this one is a keeper!
Organic Singampatti Oothu Estate Black Tea from Arbor Teas
Tea Type:
Black Tea
Where To Buy:
Arbor Teas
Product Description:
This very fine black tea hails from the Oothu estate in the Indian state of Kerala, just miles from the southern tip of the Indian peninsula. Isolated from the rest of the country by the Western Ghats, tea grows at the Oothu Estate amid lush green rainforest and stunning natural beauty. In fact, Oothu translates to “spring of water.” The Singampatti group of estates produce the largest amount of organic tea in the world. This organic, Fair Trade Certified black tea is full-bodied, smooth, and subtly sweet with light to medium astringency.
Sustainability is a cornerstone of Arbor Teas’ business philosophy. In addition to offering an exclusively organic selection of teas, they recently became the first tea company to offer their whole catalog in 100% backyard compostable packaging. They’ve also carbon-offset the entire supply chain of their products, from origin to the customer, making Arbor Teas the greenest option for Earth-conscious tea drinkers, and one of few tea companies recognized by Green America.
Tasters Review:
Many of you know I enjoy sampling Estate Teas but while sipping on the tea I like to read up on the state itself. I’m very excited Arbor Teas offers this black tea – Organic! As a matter of fact ALL of the Arbor Teas TEAS are Organic and I think that is wonderful!
Upon first sniff of this tea prior to adding hot water to it the aroma was a black tea with naturally fruity notes. Once I added the water the aroma morphed to a sweeter-woodsy type smell which was also pleasant.
The flavor of this tea is wonderful! It’s a cross between a medium-strength black tea that is a bit woodsy-sweet and a cocoa yet slightly fruity flavor. It certainly is something.
The aftertaste has a coca-type taste to it…perhaps a little like cocoa-powder…to give you an idea of what I am thinking for an aftertaste, that is.
It’s a very satisfying cup and I enjoyed it very much and would suggest it to others who are fans of above average and special-tasting yet true-straight-up black teas!
Indian Mocha Chai from Enjoying Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Enjoying Tea
Product Description:
This Sri Lankan Chai is made from Indian spices and high-grown Ceylon tea with natural cherry and chocolate flavors. The combination of ingredients gives this tea the depth and character of those served in Chai stands prevalent in India and Sri Lanka. This tea has a superb body with mellow Indian spice notes and overtones of mocha. When brewed this chai is coppery and bright in color and is wonderful served with milk. Please note: Turn your bag of Chai upside down a few times. The powdered spices can settle at the bottom of the bag during transit.
Taster’s Review:
This is one of the more unusual chai blends that I’ve encountered. When I first tasted it, even before reading the product description (above), I immediately tasted the chocolate, but there was something else there too. Something I couldn’t put my finger on immediately, and then it came to me: Cherry! I don’t think I’ve ever had a chocolate cherry chai blend before.
The chocolate and cherry flavors really give this a unique and delicious flavor. It isn’t a overly sweet, cloying chocolate-covered-cherry kind of flavor, but more of a savory, dark cocoa powder with slight bitter undertones and a sweet-tart cherry accompaniment.
The spices are mild here. I can taste the cinnamon the strongest, but other spices are difficult to distinguish. The black tea base is a delicious black tea; it isn’t particularly strong and it doesn’t really stand out amongst the other flavors, but it does offer a rich backdrop for the other flavors.
If I were to summarize the flavor of the overall cup in one word, that word would be “mellow.” Not in a bad way, though, because it’s a very pleasant cup. I am finding this to be more about the chocolate and cherry flavors, though, than the chai spices. Again, not a bad thing – just different. As I’ve said before, sometimes different is good. And in this case, that is very true.
I find this to be delicious served straight. If you wish to accentuate the warmth of spices, add a drizzle of honey. If you want a sweet, creamy treat, try adding some milk and make this a latte. It makes a fantastic latte! Very yummy.