ColumbiaKate

This is a very enjoyable flavored black tea. Customers to Columbia Kate’s had been asking about this flavor often enough that I finally added it to the inventory. Apparently it was a local favorite in years past. I’m glad I did as it has become one of the more popular teas even among guests having it for the first time.

The primary tones are the hazelnut, tho not too strong. The nuttyness is mellowed by the natural sweetness of the fruits and slight spicyness of the orange. I’m not a big hazelnut fan, as it is reminiscent of flavored coffee but I would put this tea above any hazelnut flavor I have had in the past.

I mentioned in one of my earliest tasting notes that Apricot was the first flavored tea I encountered. Also one of the first ‘loose leaf’ teas. It seems appropriate since my very first employment was on a fruit farm cutting apricots for drying.

Naturally this tea holds within it’s aromas and taste the essences of memories and pleasant experiences. The fruity, natural sweetness only enhances the teaness of the tea. The Metropolitan Apricot is a smooth cup with some of the coppery brightness of a good Ceylon tea. It is quite satisfying to return to a favored flavored tea.

Ah, Tea and Toast, cinnamon toast. This is a perfect tea blend, for me. I love to start the day with a rich, balanced brew. I find myself coming back to this one again and again. Windsor Castle examples why blends exist, why they work. The strength and maltyness of Assam, on its own, is smoothed by the flowerness of the Kenya and livens up with the Darjeeling. It is flavory straight up. Not too strong. But, this one is also excellent with a touch of sugar and milk… and with the taste of crispy cinnamon toast accompanying.

Lemon Myrtle has become a favorite component of mine lately. It adds an aroma that follows through with a wonderful lemony richness without the tartness of lemon. Vanilla creme is a now a very popular flavor addition, so I think Art of Tea has been right on with their blending creations.

I enjoyed this blend very much.

I am really enjoying this tea. The description of the blend, from H&S does not indicate the 8 teas used in the blend, but from looking at it, it is lovely, colorful and I see various types of leaves. I can definately see white tea, probably green and oolong. Assam is there.

Drinking this is like a pleasant puzzle to solve. There are multi-levels of flavor including some, but not a lot, of fruityness that brings sweet tones. You don’t need to add sugar, but try it occasionally to see if you can bring out any certain fruit flavor.

V-day SweeTea Tea, thanks Saykayay!
A bright, smooth Darjeeling with a mild sweetness. A brisk roof-of-the-mouth darjeeling finish. nice.

Spices and Tea just illustrate, to me, how well our favored drink takes to blending. It virtually says, “Bring it on”! Pile on a variety of traditional chai spices and throw in rose petals too. The tea can take it.

I love rose in tea. It harkens back to the first time I tasted Turkish Delight and realized the delicate flavor of flowers can be so ‘delightful’.

This Metro Tea lived up to my expectations. I brewed for less than the suggested 7 mins, but I did add the ‘chai obligatory milk and sugar’.
It is truly Yum. Fragrant and flavorful!

On my last order from Metropolitan, I splurged and bought some of this. It is a bit more expensive, but on tasting is quite worth it. Also it is supposed to bring good luck, so I thought it a good way to start 2011.

Here is some further description from the companies’ site.
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It all begins with a tea producer named Mr. Huyincai. Mr. Huyincai worked in the district of Panyong in Fuan City, Fujian Province. In 1851 while making a routine inspection of his tea plants, Mr. Huyincai noticed a small section that seemed to be producing leaf of exceptional quality. Mr. Huyincai regarded this exceptional crop as a gift from mothernature and decided that it should be processed in a new and unique way. He plucked the leaf and decided to allow it to ferment before firing it, a process that turned the leaf black. While this technique of its own is not unique, Mr. Huyincai also developed a complicated production procedure that resulted in a tea so special he decided to name it 9 Bend Black Dragon.

Unfortunately, we can’t tell you much about his complicated production procedure since the details of it are judiciously guarded by a handful of people in Fuan City to this day. What we can tell you is that the name is both derived from the lucky 9 Bend River that flowed through his birth-place of Wuyishan (9 is a lucky number in China), and the symbol of the black Dragon, long considered lucky in China. We can also safely say that the luck rubbed off. Within a short time his tea had won just about every award there was to be won throughout China and Europe. As its popularity grew, the tea came to be regarded as a precious gift amongst the nobility and ruling classes of both places. Letters began to pour in from people who had drunk the tea and been rewarded with bouts of good luck – a Prime Minister re-elected here, a nobleman awarded a new fifedom there, etc. Needless to say, Mr. Huyincai became very wealthy. In fact he was considered for a time to be one of the wealthiest men in Fujian. Thankfully, besides good luck, Mr. Huyincai was also blessed with brains and so reinvested his newfound wealth back into his factory and started the operation that produces his tea to this day.

As in the days of Mr. Huyincai, 9 Bend Black Dragon – which goes by the production name of Panyong Needle – is only produced in the district of Panyong in Fuan City. Production totals these days are around 50 tons annually and the tea is still regarded by traders as one of Fujian’s finest exports. Professional tasters praise this tea for its exceptionally fresh, sweetish infusion, pure, thick nose, and bright golden cup. Brew a pot for yourself or your customers today, say a prayer for old Mr. Huyincai, and keep your fingers crossed. Cheers!

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The loose tea is beautiful. Long, twisted and glossy. It is a pleasure to look at.

I infused this for less than my usual 5 mins as I anticipate a couple re-infusions. I can tell you that the 2nd and 3rd are excellent as well. The flavors hold up nicely, and I can taste the oaky flavor with a light astringency. This tea is everything it is touted to be. In my estimation.

I have noticed that many of the Metropolitan tasting notes here on Steepster are of their bagged tea. I will hope to bring many more tastings of the whole leaf tea that I carry in my shop to the notes on this site. I have not had many disappointments. Their tea continues to be the bulk of my re-orders and backs up the popularity with great sales.
I only sell the loose leaf and prefer loose/whole leaf in my own tea drinking.

For TeaEqualsBliss Challenge: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3rxNCzzJpY

This morning I am trying the sample that H&S sent wth my order.
It IS a good cup of tea for chocolate tea lovers. A full bodied cup of tea and lovely aroma without milk and sugar, but ‘with’ and it tastes like hot chocolate (a bit on the watery side) but enjoyable. I like it. I will have to try it side by side with Metro’s Chocolate before I decide whether or not to switch.

If you love cinnamon bears or red hots, you will love this tea as well.

I’m not a big fan of strong cinnamon in a drink. I love it in baked items. So, this was not on my list for a recent H&S order. However, the rep suggested I add it as it is their best seller.
They also mentioned that I would need to know, to tell my customers, as I ‘would’ be asked, that it does not have any sugar or sweetener of any kind added. It is all naturally sweet due to the 3 kinds of cinnamon.

If you crave something sweet and can’t do sugar, go for this tea. Among the many touted health benefits, researchers have found that sniffing cinnamon results in improved brain function -– subjects did better on memory and attention tasks when taking whiffs of cinnamon as opposed to other odors or no odor. However, the potential health benefits of cinnamon that have received the most attention have to do with its effects on blood glucose and cholesterol.

I actually did enjoy my cuppa more than I thought I would. The spices are too strong to taste the tea. I am sure it will be a good seller for the shop.

The Republic of Tea has done a nice job of packaging and marketing. I do wish they would do more with loose tea tho. I might consider adding them to the vendor list. I frequently have customers mentioning their teas.

For a bagged tea the aroma and flavor is quite nice. I do get the sage. It is definitely a good combo with the fruity blackberry.
The brewing instructions on the can recommend 3 to 5 mins.
I used 1.5 and got the best flavor. IMO. Bagged teas with the small pieces of leaves infuse so quickly it is practically instant tea.

Can Steepster influence your tea purchases? Absolutely.
I was in TJ Max yesterday looking for some kitchen items for the Teahouse. Out of curiosity, having seen this tea mentioned on the discussion board, I checked to see if the Sonora TJ’s had some as well.

Because of Steepster, I was willing to try a bagged tea. Since becoming a tea merchant and being exposed to incredibly tasty loose tea, I have come to the conclusion that I would never want to drink bagged tea again.
If you want tea ‘fast’, bagged is the way to go. You can infuse in one minute, which is the way this tea tasted best to me.

It has a nice aroma, but the brew is a bit metallic to my taste.

I think I have had guests and visitors asking about this tea since I opened, so, just shy of a 4 year anniversary I have added Harney & Sons to my vendor list.

Aromatics are important to me. I sell a lot of tea based on customer response to the smell.
Paris certainly lives up to a wonderful nose experience. I smell the creaminess, the berry and the bergamot. Nice!

However, the smell of the loose tea does not translate to the same aroma coming from the brewed tea. This does not mean the tea is not good, it just doesn’t, to me, realize the expectations created.
I infused for only 4.5 minutes because this tea brewed dark quickly and could tend toward the bitter if over-infused. I don’t taste the berry or the creaminess (vanilla). I do get the bergamot and a hint of smoky.
The tea tastes like a wonderful black tea blend. I would certainly drink it again and again. It will be interesting to follow guest response.

I’ve always enjoyed Naturally Flavored Fruit teas. My first exposure was an Apricot Tea. Hence, I’ve measured following tastings by my enjoyment of that for some reason.

Metro’s Loose Leaf Blueberry tea is an excellent flavored tea. The unsteeped aroma is inviting. I favor judging expectations by inhaling the blend in advance of infusion.

This infusion was short of my typical 5 minutes. The tea brews nice, full and strong, so I don’t recommend oversteeping. The blueberry flavor is distinct and you get the back of the mouth flavor as well.
If you like milk and sugar, that will enhance the blueberry.
Very enjoyable.

This is Metro’s loose leaf blend, not the bagged which has it’s own tasting notes.
You can also get an organic blueberry from Metro.
My preference will always be loose leaf.

After waking up to a heavy frost and a chilly house, Winter Blend is an appropriate choice. Needless to say, heating the kettle was my first action this morning.
This is truly a “comfort tea”. The orange and apple are fruity and evident. The cinnamon is there but does not announce. The least of the flavors, the rose and nuttiness, just make it a nice well rounded blend.
Great without milk or sugar, but add that in and it’s excellent as well.

In my shop I call this Orange Spice, as I frequently have customers asking for a blend with orange. This satisfies and is reminiscent of Constant Comment only kicked up several notches in flavor.

This was my first Iron Goddess. If you are going to have a first of anything, this is it.
It set my standard for a baked oolong. You will enjoy seeing the leaves expand to a large full leaf. Beautiful. The flavors are as described and multi-layered.

I have a Teahouse with over 70 teas, so naturally I get to taste all of them and I’m always buying more because I want to taste more.
Most of my guests are not necessarily into trying tea for itself, but more for the experience, so I buy mostly tea that is not rare or special but something many people will like. My hope with my tasting notes is to not only express my views about the taste of a certain tea, but to express the likes and dislikes I hear from my customers. In this way I can share what I’ve learned about the teas I sell and serve.

Buckingham Palace Garden Party by Metropolitan Tea is one of those teas that appeal to many. In fact it is one of my best sellers. The Blend of 3 flavors that are familiar, Assam, Jasmine and Earl Grey, puts it right in the comfort zone. Different enough to appeal to the adventurous but not heavy or strong in taste.

I enjoy this tea as well, The Earl Grey gives just a hint, as does the jasmine. It is a great beginner’s Tea. I do recommend it.