Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black Tea and Green Tea Blend
Where to Buy: Mahamosa Tea & Spice
Tea Description:
A fruity Chinese-Sri Lankan black and green tea blend with unique hints of spice. You will taste notes of exotic fruits, berries and creamy soft almond. Orange peels and flowers add flavor and decoration. Ingredients: Black tea, green tea, orange peels, flavoring, rose petals, safflowers, marigold petals.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Today’s tea I geeked out a bit – I have to admit – it’s Jackfruit Delight from Mahamosa. Now let me tell you WHY I geeked out about Jackfruit Delight from Mahamosa. There are several reasons. The first being that it’s Jackfruit. Jackfruit has been popular in certain countries for a while now but here in the US it’s gaining popularity and I try and find Jackfruit and Jackfruit flavored things whenever I can. The 2nd reason I geeked out about Jackfruit Delight from Mahamosa is because it’s a Black and Green Tea Blend. I’ve had a lot of black/green blended teas that have been pretty bad and this one is the complete opposite. This black and green tea blend is super YUMMY!
Jackfruit Delight from Mahamosa smells like Jackfruit, green tea, and black tea. Mission accomplished on aroma! It ‘brews up’ a darker brown once in the cup. The Jackfruit flavor is powerful followed by BOTH the green tea and black tea flavors. My palate picked up about 60/40 green/black ratio. I think this is a good ratio to have. I have tried green/black blends before and all you can taste is a ‘stale’ green tea and very little to NO black tea. This is NOT the case here with Jackfruit Delight from Mahamosa. The green tea is nice and fresh and so is the black tea in this blend. The black tea doesn’t over power the green tea or the flavor of the Jackfruit. I give this tea two thumbs up on aroma, flavor, and blending success!
Sri Lankan Pumpkin Chai from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
So I’m really enjoying this Pettaiagala Extra Long Leaf OP we got in from Sri Lanka, and I know the pumpkin chai blends go over better in the fall, but I couldn’t help thinking that this would make an awesome pumpkin chai. So we blended it with ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, black peppercorns and organic pumpkin and other flavors.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about 52Teas’ subscriptions here.
Taster’s Review:
When I first saw the announcement for this Sri Lankan Pumpkin Chai from 52Teas I double checked my calendar. Yep, it’s March. (Well, it was at the time of this tea’s announcement!) Pumpkin Chai isn’t exactly a tea that you expect to find in March. In September, sure. Maybe even as early as August. OK. From August through January, but when February arrives, we’ve pretty much had it up to here with pumpkin. By that point, we’ve had pumpkin pies, pancakes, cookies, soup, cupcakes and tea. By February, it’s time to break out the Valentines and extinguish the jack-o-lantern.
So I entered into this tea experience with a certain amount of “meh.”
But I’m really enjoying this chai. It’s heavy on the nutmeg and I’m liking that. (Nutmeg is one of my favorite spices.) Usually when nutmeg is promised as one of the ingredients in a chai, I taste hints of the nutmeg but this is a well pronounced flavor.
I’m also getting a strong dose of cinnamon. The cardamom is a background note. The ginger and pepper hit the palate at about mid-sip. They aren’t overly aggressive, but they do offer a pleasant spicy zing to the cup. I find myself missing clove here – I think a little clove might help round out the flavors just a little bit better.
Last year (at a more appropriate pumpkin time – September 22) 52Teas offered a Pumpkin Chai that I reviewed in October and I seem to recall that having a nicely defined pumpkin-y flavor to it, but I’m not tasting as much pumpkin with this blend as with the previous chai. The pumpkin does emerge somewhat as the tea cools a little.
But the lack of clove and pumpkin-y flavor might hide the nutmeg and really, for me, this chai is about the NUTMEG! I could smell it when I opened the pouch. Before I smelled the cinnamon or ginger or cardamom or pepper, I smelled nutmeg. And as I hinted at before, this made me a very happy sipper, indeed.
And because this is the one of the best celebrations of nutmeg in a tea that I’ve had in quite some time, I will let the fact that it’s mid-April and I’m sipping on a pumpkin chai slide. Just this once.
Classic English Breakfast Black Tea from M&K’s Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: M&K’s Tea Company on Etsy
Tea Description:
It’s classic! It’s English (actually it’s Indian and Sri Lankan)! It’s…breakfast! Nevermind. We’ll cut to the chase. It’s a nice cup of malty black tea from the Bargara and Kandoli Assam estates of India and the Kenilworth estate of Sri Lanka (Ceylon). Great with milk, good with sugar, best in the morning. This blend is part of the Original 20 M&K’s Blends.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve enjoyed quite a few of M&K’s Tea Company’s blends now so I was really eager to try this Classic English Breakfast Black Tea to see how well they crafted a traditional favorite. And I’m really glad that I had this opportunity to try it, because this is quite nice.
To brew: I put 1 bamboo scoop of tea into the basket of my Kati Tumbler and then poured in 12 ounces of boiling water. I set the timer for 2 1/2 minutes and let time take care of the rest.
This is a robust blend. I like that it focuses more on the Assam than the Ceylon, which gives it more of a rugged, hefty flavor. It’s strong and edgy, but without being bitter or too astringent. Had I steeped this for longer, though, I think that I would have had a bitter cup. Take care not to oversteep this blend!
The flavor is bold with notes of malt and there is a fruity, wine-like quality to this as well. There are two single estate Assam teas in this blend and I suspect one is more malty while the other is a more ‘wine-like’ Assam. It’s a nice balance between the two qualities. The Ceylon adds a certain ‘evenness’ to the flavor. It’s a rich, flavorful cup that would take the additions of milk and honey well – which is what most people look for in a breakfast blend.
Personally, I don’t usually add milk or honey to my teas, so my cup has that rugged edge to it that I like in the morning. It’s the kind of tea that I’d want if I need a good shake awake. It’s the kind of tea that will get you going.
Really nice!
Vithanakanda Estate OP1 Black Tea from Empire Tea Services
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Empire Tea Services
Tea Description:
Fancy extra large wiry leaf. Smooth taste. Exceptional.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The above description for this Vithanakanda Estate OP1 Black Tea from Empire Tea Services is short and simple … but it is also spot-on! This cup is indeed smooth tasting and truly exceptional! One of the best examples of high-quality Ceylon teas I’ve tasted.
From the very first sip, I’ve been WOWing on this tea! That is to say, from that very first sip, the first word I uttered is wow! It is smooth from start to finish … absolutely no bitterness. Just smooth, rich taste that starts off sweet with notes of honeyed caramel, and a few moments later, I notice a rich malty tone.
Moments later, a fruity note comes in to play with hints of flower in the distance. The finish is sweet with a citrus taste that is faintly tangy … and it is here that I notice a slight – ever so slight! – astringency. I find that the astringency becomes apparent only when I’m really focusing and trying to find it … so for those of you who tend to avoid teas with an astringent finish, I think this one will be to your liking.
Having recently reviewed another Ceylon from this estate, I have to say that the Vithanakanda estate is turning out to be one of my favorites for Ceylon tea. The teas produced on this estate are of the utmost quality: rich, smooth and delicious and beyond what I’ve come to expect from a typical Ceylon. This is the good stuff!
This tea is very pleasing. A medium to full tasting tea, not what I’d call particularly invigorating the way you’d expect an Assam to be, for example, but, it does have a strong, brisk taste that would make a good pick-me-up when you need something that will recharge you. Enough flavor to hold up well if you like to add milk and honey to your tea … but enjoyable enough to drink straight-up too!
Lord Petersham Black Tea Blend from The Devotea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Amoda Tea
Tea Description:
This is our Mother’s Day Tea. One of the Amoda moms has been asking for a black tea “that’s not boring”. So we found one for her.
There’s 7 different black teas layered in here! Medium-body, medium-strength, full taste. There’s citrus, malt and honey and that amazing smoky character that likes to linger.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn how to subscribe to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
I have wanted to try this Lord Petersham Black Tea Blend from The Devotea for a long time now – and the monthly tea tasting box from Amoda Tea made that possible for me today! Thank you, Amoda Tea!
The Devotea maintains an active presence on Tea Trade, and that’s our home here on SororiTea Sisters too, so I’ve been hearing a lot about this tea blend. I tried to win it back when the Devotea was hosting regular giveaways on Tea Trade, but, I never won anything. Bummer! I have been meaning to order from them for a while, but, every time I have funds available in my “Can Buy Tea” budget, somehow, I forget to order this!
Now I HAVE to order more of this, because this blend is FREAKING awesome! Seriously … it’s extraordinarily good. I know I’ve said that this tea or that tea is good, and I’ve meant it. But, if you have room for only one black tea in your tea cupboard – this is a tea you should definitely consider as your one and only. I’ve encountered a few “one and only” black tea blends … this tea blend is absolutely a contender for that distinction as well.
I think that Amoda Tea describes this tea well when they say that it’s medium-body, medium-strength with full-flavor. It is all those things. It doesn’t taste or feel too heavy or overwhelming. It isn’t one of those “kick you in the backside” kind of teas that you would turn to on those mornings when you are too drowsy to focus. Instead, it’s one of those teas that you drink because you LOVE tea and you want the optimal tea experience. As I sit here and drink this, I am so astonished at how beautifully round it is. It is completely satisfying in it’s flavor.
I steeped this for 2 1/2 minutes in my Breville One-Touch, and this worked out perfectly. It is not overly tannic, it isn’t bitter, it is just … divinely delicious. A wonderfully balanced cuppa that tastes rich with its notes of sweet honey-like tones, malty goodness, and hints of earthy notes. There is a citrus-like finish to it. The smoky tones that Amoda Tea mentions in their description … there is just the right amount of smoke to this blend. It doesn’t taste aggressively smoky.
This is so close to perfection – this blend – that I can’t think of a black tea blend that I like better than this one at the moment. There might be one … but, this tastes so good that it is clouding any other opinion that I might have!