Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Simpson & Vail
Tea Description:
The Beesakopie Estate is located in the eastern most region of Assam, closest to the Burmese border, in the Tinsukia district.
If you’re looking for a very malty, well balanced tea with a rapid infusion, then look no further. This tea is a CTC style (cut, twisted, curled) and unlike leafed tea, it doesn’t expand. The tea brews to a deep amber cup that stands up to the addition of milk. A real morning “wake-me-up” beverage!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Yay! I love a good, rich, malty Assam and this Beesakopie Estate Assam Black Tea from Simpson & Vail is exactly that! It is remarkably rich and malty and oh-so-good! It’s got that first thing in the morning kind of GUSTO that you want from an Assam too!
The dry leaf is a remarkably fine cut (or chopped?) CTC – resembling what many might think is dust or fannings. Yes this DOES indeed look like something that you got from an inferior tea bag, but, it doesn’t TASTE like it! Don’t let a finely cut CTC fool you into thinking that the tea lacks quality, this is not always the case, especially in Assam teas like this one.
However, with a fine cut tea like this one, you do need to be careful on how you brew the tea, because it can become bitter faster than a larger leaf Assam can simply because there is more surface area exposed in the brewing process. If you normally would brew a larger leaf Assam for three minutes, go just 2 1/2 with this tea. I normally brew an Assam at 2 1/2 minutes, and this one, I went with 2 minutes and I have a tea that’s been brewed perfectly to my taste sitting in front of me.
The flavor is very rich and full-bodied. It has a strong, vigorous flavor – it’s one of those teas that will help you get those eyes OPEN and your blood pumping on days when you’d rather be snuggled up in bed sleeping than up and at ’em. There is a sweet, caramel-y undertone to the tea that melds well with the strong, malty overtones. There is also that delicious “freshly baked” quality to this tea – reminiscent of a fresh loaf of french bread with the chewy crust. Nice!
I prefer my Assam teas served hot, because I find that the rich, malty flavor expresses itself best when the tea is warm. As it cools, the malty notes seem to lose something. It is still good …just not as good, you know? And because it’s a robust, hearty brew, it takes the additions of milk and/or honey well, if you care to add them. I personally like this with a half teaspoon of turbinado sugar – just enough to soften that sharp edge of the Assam without overwhelming it. On more relaxed days, I might add a splash of milk and go latte, and on the days when I really need an extra boost, I drink it straight.
However you choose to drink your Assam, this is one that you should definitely try!
Chai French Vanilla Black Tea from Simpson & Vail
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Simpson & Vail
Tea Description:
Chai Masala (Spiced Tea) is a tea blend with origins in India. It is traditionally a mix of black tea and spices that is steeped in milk with sweeteners added to it. For this blend, we’ve taken our popular Chai tea blend and added the subtle, creamy flavor of French Vanilla. This tea brews to an amber cup with a spicy aroma and a taste that is creamy with spice notes. Rich and delicious tasting!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Spiced Chai blends are among my favorite … especially this time of year when it’s cold and wet outside. There’s nothing quite as comforting as a nice, warm, chai latte. So cozy and yummy! And I’m absolutely loving this Chai French Vanilla Black Tea from Simpson & Vail!
The black tea base offers a solid background of flavor … it is delicious and strong, with a hint of malt to it (which melds quite nicely with the French Vanilla flavor!)
The spices are very nicely balanced … the cinnamon has that sweet yet spicy taste to it. The cloves and cardamom add a lovely warmth to the cup, and I’m loving the anise in this. It adds just a hint of snappy taste to the cup without tasting too licorice-y. Don’t get me wrong, licorice is one of my favorite flavors and I love it when a tea goes a little overboard with its licorice-y flavor … but here, I wanted to really enjoy the French Vanilla flavor … and this blend allows me to do just that!
The French Vanilla is the main event … but that doesn’t mean that it overwhelms the cup. This is still a chai and it still has the warm, robust flavors of the spices … but the vanilla is front and center. It is sweet and creamy and adds a really nice dimension to the cup. If you didn’t want to go latte with this, you wouldn’t need to, because the vanilla gives it enough creaminess to taste latte without the dairy. However, I was in the mood for a cozy chai latte, so I added some milk … and this really UPPED the creaminess immensely. So decadent … such a cozy, comforting treat.
A wonderful chai from our friends at Simpson & Vail. This is a great company run by some really terrific people. I have had some really great dealings with them and they are very responsive to their customers (and they go out of their way to accommodate special requests too, like if you want to create a special gift bag for someone!) Excellent teas … and an excellent tea company!
Red Velvet Cupcake Rooibos from Simpson & Vail
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where To Buy: Simpson & Vail
Tisane Description:
A cup of this brewing “tea” imparts a heavenly aroma of chocolatey goodness. The aroma is truly awesome. And the taste? This “tea” strikes the perfect balance of chocolate, rooibos and cupcake. So brew a cup, sit back and relax, knowing that the goodness in the cup is also good for your waistline!
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
When served fresh-out-of-the-teapot-hot, I find this to be a little too rooibos-y for my liking. I tasted hints of chocolate and another indistinguishable sort of sweetness, but, really, what I tasted was rooibos – that nutty, woody, sweet taste of rooibos.
As the tea cools in my cup slightly (for just a couple of minutes!), I find that the chocolate-y notes begin to develop and they come together with the rooibos notes nicely, although, I can’t say that this tastes so much like any red velvet cupcake that I’ve tasted. I haven’t tried a lot of red velvet cupcakes, as they don’t tend to be my favorite cupcake (when I want chocolate, I want CHOCOLATE, not a hint of chocolate that’s been swathed in a red velvet-y color, although there are times when I love red velvet, I like the slight tang of the red velvet combined with the creamy, sweet-tangy frosting). But, of the red velvet cupcakes that I have tried, I can’t say that this tisane that is in my cup tastes much like any of those.
That’s not to say that it isn’t a tasty cup of tea. It is. When it’s really hot, I am not a big fan of it, but, after a few minutes of cooling time, the chocolate flavors pick up a bit and it becomes a nice, slightly chocolate, rooibos tisane. I taste a very subtle note of coconut as well as an ever so slight raspberry taste here, but these flavors are pretty inconspicuous and difficult to discern unless you really tune in to the tea.
Pleasant, but I must say that Simpson & Vail does have better dessert teas. Right off the bat, I would recommend their Cinnamon Chocolate Brownie. That one is amazing!
Strawberry Cupcake Black Tea from Simpson & Vail
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Simpson & Vail
Tea Description:
When you sip this delectable brew the strawberry taste first hits your tastebuds followed by the rich, creamy, chocolate “cake” taste. Some of our staff like this blend with agave or sugar, but I find it’s delicious (and less caloric) as is! The aroma is as enticing as the taste – sweet, baked strawberry cupcakes. Yum! The cup leaves a lingering creamy taste of fresh fruit that makes it hard to resist another and another and another sip!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Mmm… cupcakes. I am very fond of cupcakes. I can’t tell you what it is, exactly, about them that I love so much. I think it’s just because it’s a little cake, all cute and adorable. Just enough for one person. I can eat a cupcake and not feel like I’ve overindulged (just don’t eat more than one!) And with all the cupcake bakeries popping up all over, trying to win our business, they are coming up with so many new and tempting flavors.
And as much as I love the unique flavors that are coming out, I love the classics too. Like strawberry cupcakes. And this tea captures the joy of a strawberry cupcake so deliciously!
But this isn’t just a strawberry cupcake flavored tea. It’s a strawberry chocolate cupcake flavored tea. And… the only thing that can make a strawberry better is … chocolate, of course. With my first few sips, I tasted strawberry. After about four sips, the chocolate flavor starts coming through. And it’s not just a little bit of chocolate, here, this is CHOCOLATE!
The strawberry is a sweet strawberry flavor, with a hint of berry tartness toward the end of the sip. The chocolate has a creamy flavor (frosting?) to it … and there is a bake-y, cake-y kind of flavor to go along with it. It’s kind of hard to tell whether or not it’s a strawberry cake with chocolate frosting, or a chocolate cake with strawberry frosting!
And the black tea is not overlooked here either, nor is it off in the background minding it’s own business. It stands strong, tasting rich and even a little malty which really enhances the overall “cake-y” kind of taste. It has a very bold flavor, and there is a moderate amount of astringency that seems to draw attention to the strawberry.
This is a really tasty tea, and it is rich and satisfying enough to serve as a breakfast tea, too. Imagine: strawberry cupcakes for breakfast! Sounds like my kind of breakfast!
Citrus Paradisi Earl Grey from Simpson & Vail
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Simpson & Vail
Tea Description:
Citrus Paradisi is a citrus lovers delight. We’ve combined our best selling Earl Grey black tea with natural grapefruit oil to create a taste sensation. The tea brews to a dark amber cup with a hearty, full bodied taste. The aroma and taste of this blend is captivating and refreshing.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I am THRILLED to be able to try this variation on the classic Earl Grey. I’ve made it no secret that I’m a huge Earl Grey fan, and I just love it when a tea company comes up with such an intriguing twist on the traditional Earl Grey.
This blend starts with a black tea based Earl Grey and then adds grapefruit oil to offer an additional layer of flavor to the cup. The result is really quite delightful. I taste the bergamot … but it does not attempt to overpower the grapefruit, which really brightens the cup. It is bright and juicy, and I’m loving it!
There is a compelling balance between the citrus flavors here. The bergamot is there, but, because of the presence of the other citrus notes it doesn’t become overwhelming or aggressive. It tastes tangy and just a wee bit floral without coming off as soapy. The grapefruit gives a touch of acidity to the cup without making it too tart, instead, what it does is just brighten the whole cup – making it tastes more vibrant and lively.
And the black tea does its part in this too, providing a solid layer of black tea flavor in the background: earthy, rich and full-flavored. It is fairly mellow as far as black teas go – however, I think a bolder tea would have been too much. The grapefruit is the real star of this cup, and I like the way the flavors all come together.
This is a deliciously different take on the classic favorite, Earl Grey. I’d recommend it to the Earl Grey fans who might be looking for something just a little bit different, and also to those who don’t normally care for bergamot. The grapefruit alters the flavor of the bergamot just enough so that it doesn’t taste quite like any bergamot I’ve tasted before!
This tea gets two enthusiastic thumbs up from me!