Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Indie Tea
Tea Description:
Finest Earl Grey Tea Decorated With Citrus Peel.
Some Are Left Of Crazy. Others Are To The Right Of Crazy. Then There Are Those Who Are Right Smack Dab In The Middle Of Crazy.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Organic Crazy Earl Black Tea from Indie Tea is really interesting! I can definitely taste the Earl Grey coming through, but, the additional orange and grapefruit flavors add their own little twist to the classic taste of the bergamot orange notes.
The black tea is brisk and smooth. I taste a peppery note to this black tea so it is making me wonder if this is possibly a Yunnan black tea base … or at least a blend with Yunnan tea. It’s a very flavorful black tea base.
The bergamot is softer here … it is smooth and doesn’t have the perfume-y quality that is often associated with bergamot. It has that tangy taste that you expect from a bergamot but without the strong floral/perfume taste. It could be that the additional citrus notes of orange and grapefruit bring the citrus notes of the bergamot into focus while blurring the more “perfumed” quality of the bergamot … I don’t know.
What I do know is that this Crazy Earl from Indie Tea is definitely an interesting take on Earl Grey … and a nice change from the usual Earl Grey. If you’re a fan of the Earl … you should give this one a try.
Mad Tea Party from Indie Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh
Where to Buy: Indie Tea
Tea Description:
Steeping Steeping Little Pot, How I Love You Quite A Lot, Chocolate, Chiles, Cherries Too, Make A Tasty Pu-Erh Brew!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I didn’t read the description of this Mad Party tea from Indie Tea before I brewed it, and by a quick look at the leaves, I figured it was a black tea blend … not a pu-erh! Had I known it was pu-erh, I probably would have done a quick pre-rinse, but, as it is, this is really quite enjoyable … even without the pre-rinse. The aroma is quite earthy, the flavor is not quite as earthy … which is usually why I like to pre-rinse my pu-erh anyway … to rinse away some of the earthy flavor.
The first couple of sips – sipped while still fresh from the teapot hot – were earthy … and tasted of strong pu-erh. After the cup cooled slightly, the flavors of chocolate, cherry and chili began to pop. I noticed a hint of smokiness to the cup. The pu-erh base is rich and mellow, and allows the flavors to express themselves in a really delicious way.
The chocolate tastes rich and smooth … the cherry has a sweet yet tart taste to it, and the chili … while spicy … doesn’t attempt to offend the tastebuds by overwhelming them with heat. It’s a gentle heat … and it slowly builds as I continue to sip. But even now, as I pass the halfway point of my cup … the heat is still quite subtle and really very lovely. The back of the throat feels warm without feeling assaulted by chipotle chili.
The chocolate is the real star of this cup … and I suspect this has a lot to do with the pu-erh base as well, because the chocolate really seems to come alive in the presence of the pu-erh. It’s really quite enjoyable.
Really yummy. This is a pu-erh I’d consider keeping on hand … I like the heat level, I love the chocolate-y tones, I love that it is a little earthy and smoky but it never goes overboard on these two tastes. I love the way the sweet-tart notes of the cherry come through … again, subtly … and really beautifully.
Two thumbs up on this one.
Wise Man’s Caravan from Indie Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Indie Tea
Product Description:
Wisdom May Be The Road Less Traveled, But It Beats The Road That Leads To The Unexpected Swamp Filled With Hungry Alligators.
Organic and Fair Trade Ingredients: Organic Assam Black Tea, Organic Cloves, Organic Orange Peel, Organic Cinnamon, Organic Cardamom, Organic White Peppercorn, Organic Allspice, Organic Ginger, Organic Nutmeg, Organic Myrrh, Organic Frankincense.
Taster’s Review:
I must admit that Frankincense and Myrrh are two ingredients with which I have very little (read: none) experience. I wouldn’t be able to readily identify either if I were given something that had been spiced with them. I might have tried something with one or both of the ingredients in it before trying this tea, but, if so, it apparently was memorable.
But that is certainly not the case with this chai! This is really a delicious and unique chai – and it is indeed memorable. The black tea base is robust enough to stand out and be noticed amongst these spices without overwhelming them. It has a pleasant flavor with a nice malty note.
The spices are strong, but they don’t hit you upside the head. The cloves, cinnamon and cardamom come through most distinctly. I do like the addition of the allspice and nutmeg, it gives the tea a very solid warmth and pleasant nutty/woody flavor. The spices come through with very little heat though… this is what I would call a well-seasoned spiced tea rather than a spicy tea. It’s rustic and unusual.
While I do enjoy ginger, I like that here it is a little subdued. It doesn’t come on too strong or peppery – it kind of sits back in the background and lets the other spices come out and play. I also like the hint of orange here. It isn’t strong, but, it is a nice citrus-y sweetness that lightens up what might otherwise be a very spice-laden cup.
This is a very unusual chai – unusual, but very enjoyable. Different is good!
Lover’s Lane from Indie Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Indie Tea
Product Description:
Ahhh…Who Can Argue Against Romance?
To Turn An Otherwise Ordinary Occasion Into A Treasured Memory Where If You Play Your Cards Right, You May Even Get To See A Full Moon.
Taster’s Review:
This is a unique and beautiful blend – one of the most unique blends I think I’ve ever come across!
The green tea base is an organic Dragon Well green tea. It offers a pleasant vegetative taste without tasting too grassy. It is lightly sweet but not buttery the way a Sencha would have been, and I think that the buttery tone would have overwhelmed the other ingredients. Dragon Well is absolutely the best choice for this blend.
The rose and the lavender together create a harmonious floral quality that is seamless. It is a sweet and romantic pairing, offering a lovely floral taste without coming across as a soap-like taste. The orange here is probably the softest flavor, but I like that it is there. It is just the right touch of bright, sunny taste.
I have been very impressed with this tea company – Indie Teas. They offer unique blends that you are probably not going to find anywhere else. These teas are works of art!
Moroccan Sunset from Indie Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Indie Tea
Product Description:
Gunpowder Green Tea With Peppermint and Safflower Petals.
The Word Exotic Can Have Many Meanings. When It Comes To Tea, Think Of An Adventurous Journey To A Far Away And Unfamiliar Environment… The Other Meanings We’ll Leave To Your Imagination.
Taster’s Review:
This is one of the better mint flavored green teas I’ve encountered lately. There is such a pleasant balance of tastes.
The gunpowder green tea is a strong component, but, it isn’t overwhelmingly grassy or vegetative. There is a soft, fresh taste that is somewhat “green” – a little vegetative but not really so much like vegetables or even grass… just somewhat… leafy in taste.
It is a gentle taste that I really enjoy – a surprisingly good flavor from gunpowder green! Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy a good quality gunpowder green, however, sometimes, gunpowder greens come off very vegetative. This one is not. I don’t know if it is because of the peppermint in the blend, or that it is just a gunpowder green of exceptional quality (or perhaps a combination of the two), but, this is one of the better gunpowder green teas that I’ve encountered.
The peppermint flavor is also strong, but, it isn’t overpowering. It tastes minty, but it doesn’t taste mouthwash-y or medicinal in any way. It just has a fresh, clean taste that melds perfectly with the gunpowder green tea. It is a well-blended tea!
The safflower petals in this blend do not lend much in the way of taste, although they certainly do give the blend a very pretty appearance. While this isn’t quite as unique a blend as some of the others I’ve tried from Indie tea (there are a lot of peppermint green teas out there), it is delicious and one of the better mint green teas I’ve tasted lately. Kudos to Indie Tea!