Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Steven Smith Teamaker
Tea Description:
A flavor somewhat superior to traditional Earl Grey. Fragrant Ceylon Dimbulla and Uva are artfully combined with select teas from India’s Assam valley, then scented with the flavor of bergamot from the realm of Reggio Calabria, Italy.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Lord Bergamot from Steven Smith Teamaker is one of my all-time favorite Earl Grey teas. So I was very happy when this tea was included in April’s box from Knoshy.
What makes Lord Bergamot so great? I think it has to do with the fact that the black tea base is a blend of Ceylon teas from the Dimbulla and Uva estates as well as Assam tea from India. This creates a very pleasant, full-bodied base for the scenting of the bergamot oil. The Ceylon provides a smooth, rich flavor while the Assam adds a touch of malty flavor. There is a slight “wine-like” quality to the tea that contrasts in a lovely way with the tangy bergamot.
And I love that when I tear into one of these individually wrapped sachets I can SMELL the bergamot and it’s a powerfully strong scent. This is the way bergamot should be. It should be very aromatic.
By the way, this tea is available loose leaf too, and that’s how I originally tried this tea and as is true with other teas: I prefer it loose! However, Knoshy decided to send a box of sachets instead of loose leaf tea. That said, even in a sachet, this is still a really excellent Earl Grey!
The flavor of the bergamot is evenly matched with the richness of the black tea base. It doesn’t taste fake or chemical-ish. It doesn’t have a perfume-y sort of taste to it. This happens sometimes when the tea blender has selected a bergamot oil that is of lesser quality ~or~ when the tea blender has gone a little too heavy handed with the bergamot scenting process. (Or perhaps a combination of both factors.) But when a high quality bergamot oil is used in the right amount, it produces a SUBLIME flavor like I have here in my teacup right now.
It is a bright and tangy flavor, but there is a really pleasant sweetness to this too. The combination of the caramel-ish, malty notes of the black tea and the sweet/tangy flavor of the bergamot is moreish. Which is why, as I said at the start of this review, this is one of my top three favorite Earl Grey teas.
Those top three change pretty frequently, depending upon availability – some times a tea company either closes shop or they discontinue or change their Earl Grey; and sometimes it depends upon my palate – meaning that sometimes I come across a new favorite Earl Grey and one of the other teas is knocked to the #4 spot. But this one continues to be a top contender.
It’s just really good. If you like Earl Grey … this is one you should be putting on your must try list.
No. ’11 Méthode Noir Black Tea from Steven Smith Teamaker
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Steven Smith Teamaker
Tea Description:
An elegant blend of high-grown Ceylon black teas aged and scented in a Pinot Noir barrel. Deliciously complex with a subtle taste of oak, nuances of Pinot Noir grapes and herbes de Provence. An unlikely, but rewarding, pairing.
Taster’s Review:
During my last visit to the Smith Teamaker shop in Portland, I saw a package of this Méthode Noir Scented Black tea and I had to grab it. Having tried one of Steven Smith’s aged-and-scented-in-a-barrel teas previously and loving it, I was confident that this would be equally as enjoyable.
My previous experience was with a Whiskey barrel aged and scented tea, this time, the tea has been scented and aged in a barrel that held Pinot Noir. By placing the tea leaves in the barrel that once held the spirits, the tea leaves absorb the essence of not only the wine, but also the wood of the barrel … and I’m really enjoying the result.
If I had tasted this tea without knowing what it was, my first guess would be a Darjeeling based upon the muscatel notes of the tea … however, I would be thrown by the thicker, richer body of this tea. I am loving the sweet, grape-y tones with notes of currant. I taste the rich, oak-y flavor and a touch of savory herbs. It is very enjoyable … this is the kind of tea I’d enjoy serving to guests … kind of like a fine wine but in a teacup!
No. 25 Morning Light from Steven Smith Teamaker
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!
No. 49 Assam FTGFOP1 Black Tea from Steven Smith Teamaker
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Steven Smith Teamaker
Tea Description:
The legendary breakfast tea from the upper Assam valley of India. Full-flavored, rich and chewy with notes of caramel and malt, this tea is bright and coppery in the cup and makes a great wake-up any time of day.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve consumed many excellent cups of Assam tea over the years, but I can think of none that I have enjoyed more than this one. And that, in no way, is intended to take away from any of the delicious Assam teas that I have tried. Those that I’ve reviewed positively have been just as good as I described, and I enjoyed each of those immensely. But, I do believe that this one is my favorite. This one… is the KING of Assam tea.
It has many of the characteristics that one would expect from an Assam – it is rich, full-bodied and deliciously flavorful. It has a very strong malty tone to it, and a complementing caramel undertone. Sweet, but not too sweet.
This is a remarkably bright Assam – it doesn’t taste muddled or heavy or thick the way some Assam teas can taste. While it is a very full-flavored tea, it maintains a certain purity to it; a cleaner, more vibrant taste that doesn’t inundate the palate with that heavy sensation of “clutter” that can sometimes accompany an Assam tea. Even with a chewy, sweet, caramel-y malty Assam like this, my palate doesn’t feel overpowered by these heavy flavors. It finishes clean with a moderate astringency. The aftertaste is sweet with hints of fruit.
For the purposes of this review, I consumed the cup without additions, and it is delicious this way. It is also marvelous with a splash of milk or cream, which enhances the malty and caramel-y notes and gives it a very decadent, cozy creaminess.
Truly a remarkable Assam.
No. 96 – Jasmine Silver Tip from Steven Smith Teamaker
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Steven Smith Teamaker
Product Description:
Delicate, tender green tea leaves from China’s Fujian Province are harvested each May and steam-fired to maintain their flavor – then placed amid just- picked jasmine buds, which open slowly to share their fragrance. Many call it the perfect marriage.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I live in the Pacific Northwest, and there are many things to love about living here. I love the change of seasons (coming from Southern California, where it would seem that there is one season), I love all the trees and I even love the grey skies. And recently, while driving home with my husband after lunch in Portland, I realized something else that I love about living up here… the TEA.
Over the past few years (the last decade?) the consumption of tea has increased, but let’s face it, as a nation overall, the United States seems to be a coffee nation. Even I used to drink coffee until I came to the realization that it was the cause of my daily feelings of nausea around 11 am. Once I stopped drinking coffee, those ill effects also ceased. Since then, I’ve embraced tea and I love it. Even more than I ever liked coffee.
Anyway, the Pacific Northwest seems to be home of the coffee explosion (aka Starbucks), but we are also home to some pretty fantastic tea too. In fact, Portland is home to none other than Steven Smith, who is (at least, in my opinion) a ROCK STAR of tea!
And it definitely ROCKS that I can travel just 15 minutes or so and be in the presence of greatness at Steven Smith’s teashop. And even if you don’t live close by, most of Steven Smith’s delicious teas can be procured online.
As a jasmine fan, this was a tea I was most eager to try, and it certainly did not disappoint me. It lived up to the quality that I’ve come to expect from Steven Smith. The flavor is light and fresh – evoking thoughts of springtime (not that I’m eager for the change in season, but, the thoughts of the season are beautiful).
The green tea is sweet and light. There are vegetative tones to it which add a crispness to the flavor, but even with these slight vegetative tastes, I wouldn’t call this a grassy tasting tea. Just lightly vegetal, which is matched perfectly with the flavor of the jasmine, which is a soft, flowery taste without tasting overdone, perfume-ish or artificial. These two flavors are well balanced, and play off each other well.
Thank you, Steven Smith, for helping to bring the joy of tea to the Pacific Northwest.