Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black Orthodox Tippy Kenyan Tea
Where to Buy: Butiki
Tea Description:
Our truly exceptional Royal Golden Safari originates from a small scale farm in Kenya and has long golden leaves that mingle with milk chocolate and cacao colored leaves. Toasted walnut and oaky notes are prominent with a light pear undertone. Cocoa notes are also present. This orthodox tea does not contain any pesticides.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I was making breakfast when I decided to brew this tea today. I had just got an order in from Stacy and this was one of the samples I requested. I was really not even thinking of doing a review on this one as I was simply wanting to wake up and just enjoy a new tea but I decided not only does this tea deserve a review, Stacy deserves my review, but there is also a review contest going haha. So I decided what the heck. Now again, when I took my initial sips I was not thinking about the tea so much in order to review it – as just wanted to get some tea into my system. Yet what hit me was an intense and lovely flavor of Sweet Potato and Brown Sugar! I instantly thought of another very fine tea that I love that is highly prized and difficult to get ahold of! How lovely to have another option for this flavor profile!
When a tea is so easy to pick flavor notes out of its a real pleasure because it makes it so much easier to review, to enjoy, and to feel joy from. The tea surprised me with flavor note after flavor note!
This tea has a nice sweet aroma and flavor with a creamy texture in the mouthfeel. It gave up notes of honey, nuts and chocolate, and as I have already mentioned, sweet potato, and brown sugar! Just YUM! No wonder it is called Royal Golden “Safari” it felt like being on a safari and discovering one new surprise after another!
There is a malty element to this tea yet its not as malty as one may expect – it is rather mellow and soothing. In a manner more like a Darjeeling in its lighter feel and flavors yet very much the flavor profile of Assam without the heaviness.
The second steep was a bit light in the flavors but steep three brought them back out. It was also in steep three that cinnamon and pear began to peek through.
I forgot to mention that I just love the way the leaves look in dry form. They are truly quite beautiful! The cup itself is pretty as well ranging from steep one a deep crimson color to later steepings being a lighter amber.
I of course love that this tea is pesticide free!
Unfortunately I did not get a fourth steeping from the leaves but I was very pleased with the three I did get! No need to be greedy with such a fine tea.
Overall I really quite like this one. Royal Garden Safari offers delicious flavors and while I don’t know if I would say it could hold up well to milk, being on the lighter spectrum, it would hold up well to sweetener but I would not muddle such a lovely naturally sweet cup with additives.
Royal Air Force from Rare Tea Co.
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Rare Tea Co.
Tea Description:
It’s a very traditional British tea of the like we haven’t seen for many years. It comes from two beautiful, independent tea gardens; the Makaibari Estate in Darjeeling, India and Satemwa Estate on Thyolo Mountain in Malawi. Both are committed to creating the finest tea using sustainable practices to benefit both the land and the people who live on it.
These teas were made by farmers, not by vast agri-businesses. They were not processed by machine but crafted by skilled men and women. The producers go to extraordinary lengths to make this wonderful tea. When you taste it I hope you’ll agree that it is a tea we can be really proud of..
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
What a sleepy day it is today. Autumn is ringing in here in Kansas. Leaves falling, wind is intense, its getting colder, everything is turning orange, red, and yellow. I love it. This is the type of day I would normally just dig deeply down into my covers and curl up tighter, sleeping the day away. However, I had far too much to do today and was up earlier than most days. I needed a good strong, stout kick! I reached for a sample of this tea that my Sororitea Sister Anne had sent me.
It smells like steel cut oats simmering on the stove top, smells even slightly of toast, just the aromas I want to wake up to! I love my oats and toast in the morning!
The flavor has a light fruity note to it but keeps its composure as a bold, strong, tea. Its rich, and malty, with a light zing that says, “Wake up Soldier!” It has a light sweetness but still takes well to added sweeteners if you prefer. I personally try not to sugar coat my morning as I would only slag back into a state of stupor and would not resist the temptation to go back to bed. I need to face my mornings head on, with vigor, and this tea provides me the gentle shove I need!
The fruit in this tea brings forth the darjeeling muscatel notes, just enough to open the eyes and make you pay attention. Perky is how I would describe the fruity note.
However, on the flip-side, I also find this tea so smooth that it would be fitting for an afternoon tea as well as a morning pick me up! There is a creamy mouthfeel in the sip which to me speaks of comfort, like a cup that gives you a gentle hug then says “now get to work!”
Lady Londonderry from English Tea Store
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: English Tea Store
Tea Description:
Our Lady Londonderry Tea is a delightful afternoon tea with a malty floral flavor and hints of strawberry and lemon. This tea is made from black tea, dried orange, daisy white, and natural flavors. This tea is delicious hot or iced, and either way, your family and guests will feel like royalty!
Tea has been a British delicacy for hundreds of years. Royalty, lifestyle, and tea have long been connected. Portuguese princess Catherine of Braganza brought the tradition of tea to Britain after she married Prince Charles II. She served it to her aristocratic friends at Court, and soon it became fashionable in London to have afternoon tea. With its light and elegant flavor, Lady Londonderry would have been a hit with ladies and gentlemen!
For the best brew, Lady Londonderry Black Tea should steep in water that has been brought to a rolling boil for 2-5 minutes.
50% or more of this tea comes from estates that are part of the Ethical Tea Partnership. The ETP is an initiative started within the tea industry to monitor and regulate living and working conditions on estates around the world.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This tea has pleased and delighted so many, just even judging on those I shared this tea with in tea swaps, everyone has commented back raving reviews, and good times shared with others and this tea! One lovely lady had a sweet tea party with her daughter and granddaughter, and this is the perfect tea for that! Lady Londonderry steeps to a really intense looking reddish brown cup which you would think by looking at it would really have a strong “in your face” flavor or be really robust but it’s a dainty tea. However it boasts such wonderful flavor offerings that it has also been enjoyed by the men I have shared it with as well! Now, if you are a male reading this and feel its too much of a girly tea for you, just simply order it as a gift for your wife or girlfriend and she will love you for it and you can sneak it from her!
Lady Londonderry is wonderful hot, and excellent iced it has such divine fruity and floral flavors in a rich base that does not get covered by all the added goodness!
While there is no added sweeteners to this tea, it is lightly sweet yet not so sweet that you could not add sweetener of your own, also it takes to milk or cream quite well!
You may not want to add any cream though as in my opinion it already has a sweet creamy flavor and mouthfeel! Add to that the berry notes, along with a light citrus taste, and the best silky malt base flavor that just floats around and dances playfully on your taste buds like butterflies in a garden of flowers.
When I first bought this tea and tried it, I clung to it ravenously! I was sure I would never want to share this tea – letting the cat out of the bag about just how good it is. Yes I wanted to be selfish and savor it all myself, but in time, I realized something this wonderful should not be kept to oneself. It was truly MEANT to be a tea to be shared with others. A tea deserving of everyone experiencing its loveliness. The Lady, as I call this tea, is perfection in a cup. She melds all of her qualities perfectly into this mysterious brew that everyone seems to get a slightly different taste from. Just like women, this tea is complex, but gentle, and LADY-like.
Its interesting that sometimes when reviewing teas, some of the most difficult to review are those that I adore so much. I believe that is because when I really love a tea it is because it is so unexplainable! Some things we just need to try for ourselves.
Lady Londonderry however has been one of my long time favorite teas and has a permanent place in my collection!
I also love the English Tea Store, their pricing is excellent, they have a wide array of tea ware, and treats, and their tea selection is amazing, not to mention the pricing is shockingly affordable! Some have reported that shipping is a little slower than most places but I feel that it is well worth the wait!
Organic Fair Trade Assam from Hampstead Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Hampstead Tea
Tea Description:
A uniquely strong, full bodied malty tea from the sun drenched region of Assam.
Ingredients: Fairtrade black tea
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Do you ever wake in the morning, only to wish that you could sleep longer? Of course! Don’t we all? Truth be told, I experience that just about every morning!
On the days when I can’t hit the snooze button, this is the kind of tea that I need in my tea cup. It is a strong, stout kind of tea, with plenty of gusto to help me wake up and get focused.
This full-bodied cup has a rich, malty character, and takes the addition of milk and honey quite well, if you care to add them. These additions will help take that Assam “edge” off just a little. I find this to be quite enjoyable without additions, as well. Very bold and spirited, yes, but sometimes, that’s just what I want from a tea. This one delivers.
I do recommend exercising caution when brewing this tea, though. I found that 2 minutes is the perfect time for this tea … any longer and you may wind up with a cup with a bitter bite to it. Assam tea is celebrated for its strength and rich flavor, but not for its forgiving nature!
This is the kind of Assam that you want to have on hand for when you need that extra push in the morning! One of the strongest Assam teas that I’ve yet to encounter!
Premium Keemun Hao Ya Black Tea from Teavivre
Tea Type: Black Tea
Where To Buy: Teavivre
Product Description:
Origin: Qimen, Anhui, China
Ingredients: Dark black, glossy thin buds topped with golden tips
Harvest time: Hand-picked in April, 2011
Taste: A bold but smooth, fruity taste with a lingering, mellow aftertaste
Brew: 1-2 teaspoons for 8oz of water. Brew at 194 ºF (90 ºC) for 2 to 3 minutes (exact time depends on your taste – a longer time will give the tea a stronger taste and color)
Health Benefits: Keemun black tea is fully oxidised, and so does not have the same level of antioxidants as our Green or White teas. However it still makes a great healthy tea to drink, especially if drunk with no or minimal milk and sugar, and provides a great natural source of fluoride and other vitamins.
Tasters Review:
I never know what to expect from Keemuns. I think they are a very diverse tea…with tastes, generally speaking, all across the board! But this one from Teavivre seems to be right up my alley! This is wonderful! As far as the strength of the black tea base I would have to say it’s around medium strength but it’s the other things that are happening with this black tea that make it special.
It’s slightly woodsy but a tad smokey, too, I would say a bit more smokey than woodsy but I can taste both characteristics. And it’s not a heavy smokey like a Lapsang Souchong but it’s still present! At the beginning and then again on to the aftertaste it’s velvety and creamy. The malty notes are in the middle of the sip!
This is grand! I like this a lot! I would have to say in the 90 percentile on my personal rating scale! This black tea has a lot to offer as far as your taste buds go…one to try and talk about amongst friends!
