Doulton

This is a lovely tea. Thank you David’s for including this free sample with my order. Visually the tea is very lovely. Take a look at the photograph and imagine the colours looking more vivid. The taste is just sensational—delicate but strong enough that the Cherry taste really does come through. This would make a great offering for guests and a real treat for any occasion. I didn’t slurp it down but drank it delicately.

I was also much more careful than usual about heating and cooling the water, which undoubtedly pays off.

Sampler Pulled out at random—perhaps #15

I loved the aroma of the dry leaves: it was sweet as if the tea leaved had been infused with honey (although there was not physical evidence of that). It’s a very nice tea; it’s a better than nice tea. But it did not establish a very strong identity with me. I would certainly drink it—it’s a good black tea. But I did not make a note to purchase it. I would, however, recommend that people give this a serious test or consider ordering a sample if you are placing an order with Golden Moon.

I love Lapsang Souchongs and sometimes find it difficult to differentiate between them. They all start with a high score for me and then I try to grade them on smaller details such as sweetness and smokiness and whether or not the aroma and taste seem to be closer to tar, bacon, Bar-B-Que sauce, or whether there’s a je ne sais quoi about the tea. My personal morning favorite is Black Dragon by Upton Teas because it’s got a sweetness to it that does not compromise the punch.

LiberTEAS was kind enough to send me a lovely canister of The Jasmine Pearl’s Lapsang Souchong. I would call this a “medium” blend. In my mind, a “medium” blend is one that is not overwhelmingly smoky to the point that you think it’s close to being charred but one that is more like the leavings of a camp-fire and not a house-fire. This tea would make a great tea for those who are testing their LS wings or for those who want to explore the different gradations of the Lapsang Souchong experience.

LORI thoughtfully sent me three different versions of Casablanca mint to sample and compare. Mariage Frères has added bergamot which I can taste. It’s very nice. Adagio’s version tastes like a full-fledged mint single note tea and I can detect the blend in this one quite easily.

This tea is tasty and flavorful but it does not sing out to me in the unique way that other Mariage Frères blends have done. I would certainly drink this again and I might invest in the iced tea portions, but I don’t think I would get a full-fledged tin or this or even a bag.

I’ve had so many teas in the past many months—I’m approaching my 200th tasting note—and I must add that if I had sampled this only a few months ago it would have knocked my socks off. Right now, the specialness is diluted for me by the many teas I have experienced.

Golden Moon Tea Sample # 15 or thereabouts, selected at random

I was not surprised to see that other people have not had a fantastic experience with this tea. I thought the aroma of the dry buds, or pearls, was faint. The tea itself was virtually tasteless! I did a second brewing paying excruciatingly careful attention to time and temperature and amount of water, but again came up rather empty. I don’t know if the sample size is too small to match 4 ounces of water or if my tongue, spoiled by the strength of Lapsang Souchongs is just not willing to accept too much subtlety.

I would not buy this but I would try it again.

Thanks to LORI for sending me this sample. I wanted a late-afternoon tea with a strong flavour but not an overwhelming amount of caffeine and this seemed to be the perfect occasion to try Casablanca Twist. The dry aroma is pure mint. Steeped, the strong mint comes through very nicely. The Darjeeling is so subtle that I’m not sure that I would recognize it. I could be drinking a pure single-note mint tisane and would not know the difference.

Mint is among the tastes that I need to have in stock (along with vanilla, almond, chocolate) so I would certainly consider investing in a full load of this next time I order from Adagio. I don’t think it’s an earth-shattering revelation to me (as a tea like Maiden’s Ecstasy from Samovar was or Jackee Muntz) but I do think it would make a great member of the Reliable Dragoons of my teas—you know, those foot-soldiers who are essential back-up for the Admirals and the Generals. Why in the world I am thinking in military metaphor I don’t know unless the word “Casablanca” makes me think automatically of the WWII film with Bergman and Bogart and the wonderful Sidney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, and Claude Raines—-great cast all around. And Edward Gorey’s stepmother was the lady who burst into singing the French National Anthem! True, true, true!

In any event, I like this tea. I don’t know that Adagio has created a one-of-a-kind blend, but it’s good and it’s nice and it’s minty fresh. My rating reflects the fact that the Darjeeling is not the major player it’s advertised to be. Maybe it went AWOL to take the waters?

Golden Moon Sampler Number #13 or 14 (The numbers do not matter so much now because I picked out two or three of these to send to Angrboda!)

I liked this tea, but I was not blown away by it. I’ve had some first and second flush Darjeelings that are more memorable; I don’t think that this tea will be memorable. I don’t want to imply that it’s not memorable; drinking it was a good time. But I can find other Darjeelings that I would invest in before this.

Am I becoming a tea snob? I don’t really want to be, but if you drink enough tea willy-nilly one heads towards the realm of making discriminations and being discerning. Golden Moon has done better teas, in my opinion. I also would like to say that their sample package is a brilliant idea and has been one of my best tea money investments. I hope that more tea companies follow this lead in terms of offering a lot of samples without a huge financial commitment. When I am done with this adventure in sampling, I am almost certainly going to place an order.

Forever nuts? Forever nursery school! As a night-time non-caffeinated tea, this succeeds. I am, however, wondering if I will ever again be able to love a tea that seems geared towards a two year old audience. The bright cheery cherry red color (from beetroot) does not transform the fact that the beverage tastes like very very weak hot apple cider.

I could not detect the nuts at all. I purchased this tea as an almond-lover, but the tea seems to be all apple with a dash of cinnamon. If there is a nut taste (and I’ve strained to detect one) it might be a touch of walnut.

The more I drink tea, the more I realize that I’m just not suited for those concoctions that really are not tea at all. If I must avoid caffeine, then these sweet little beverages will not make me happy. I’d rather drink water.

This tea does succeed as what it is—not an almond tea but a nice apple drink. It’s refreshingly free of rooibos.

I hope that my lowish rating does not prevent those who really would like this kind of drink from making a purchase at David’s Tea. When David gets with the caffeine, he does an exceptional job.

Golden Moon Tea Sample #12 selected at Random

Dear RICKY sent me a sample of this so I knew what to expect. My opinion has not changed really; I think it would be nice to keep a rose tea in stock but I don’t know how frequently I would choose this. I could see getting this if I were inviting certain types of people over—-Anglophiles who would prefer that we were still in the Edwardian period, if not the Victorian period. It’s most certainly an evocative tea.

Thank you so much to LENA for sending me a sample of Samovar’s Breakfast Blend. The dry tea has a very pleasant and sweet aroma. It’s quite robust but the sweetness adds an appealing twist. This is a mannish tea with some real sweet soul.

The brewed tea is quite strong and certainly deserves consideration for anyone looking for a good shot of caffeine. It’s very malty. I added some milk and a bit of sugar and decided I prefer this tea with the additions. The sugar and milk seem to elicit more of the sweet overtones of chocolate and raisin and the milk cuts through the strength a bit to make the tea relax a bit.

I will certainly consider buying a full-size tin of this tea when I, inevitably, place another Samovar order.

It may be the end of April, but we’ve got frost here. That’s right: FROST! So I decided to try a tea that I might have otherwise saved. This holiday tea is a delight for a chilly morning. It’s not heavy-handed at all, as some holiday teas can be. It’s got some restraint with the cinnamon (how I deplore the unrestrained use of cinnamon!), and genial highlights of clove and orange. It’s nice to taste a “holiday” flavored tea that has such a good blend.

I think this is a good afternoon or evening tea and it would be great for festive moments. Right now I’m feeling about as festive as a lump of clay drying out on an unused and unloved potter’s wheel, so this might not be the moment but I can taste how the nose and mouth must be willing to meet the tea on positive terms. This tea is lifting me up a bit! Well-done!

Thank you so much to LENA who sent me this tea.

This is a very buttery and mild green tea. It’s utterly delicious, however. The liquid is medium yellow and the taste is vegetal but not as strongly so as some green teas. Overall, I think that this would make a great introduction to green teas for those who hesitate: it’s got some veggie but not too much; it’s got quite a bit of butter, and it’s not at all fishy. Overall, it’s delicate and discreet, but not a simpering wallflower.

I would most certainly consider this to be a go-to green tea and will invest in a larger size.

Golden Moon Tea Sampler #11, selected at random

I do like melon and was looking forward to this tea very much. It is not disappointing. I brewed only about 3.5 ounces of water because I didn’t want to flavour to get watered down too much. Am I the only person who uses a couple of tablespoons of loose-leaf tea for a decent sized mug?

In any event, I think I got the tea/water ratio spot-on; the water was boiled and then cooled somewhat (although I don’t know to what precise degree) and I set the timer for 4 minutes (Golden Moon advises 2-4 minutes).

So….I’m most certainly going to put this on my list for a “treat tea”. It’s a bit delicate for a morning tea and probably a bit costly for an everyday tea, but this is the first of my Golden Moon samples where I know that I will have to purchase the tea. I’ll wait to see what else becomes a “must”. This melon’s divine!

Thanks to MeghannM I had the opportunity to sample this tea. The black tea looks promising with the dried berries and the peppercorns, but there was not much of an aroma. I guess that unless the peppercorns are at least somewhat broken, they may be there only for decorative effect or to provide the smallest nuance of flavour.

The brewed tea is another example of what I would call a “pleasant” tea. A “pleasant” tea is certainly better than the average tea-bag but does not really stand out as a memorable experience. This tea certainly has some berry taste and perhaps a shade of piquancy but it’s no better than adequate. The more I drink tea, the more I realize that there’s no reason to settle for adequate when there are so many exceptional teas out there.

This might be worthy of a try for fans of strawberry for an afternoon refreshment.

Thank you to MeghannM for the opportunity to taste this tea. It’s a discreet little black tea with definite lemony and berry overtones. What berry? I don’t know—the berry is too elusive to pin down. I think that it’s a nice blend but when I say “nice” perhaps I am damning the tea with faint praise. Nothing really steps up and shouts out “Look at me! Smell me! Taste me!”

If I had had this tea 6 months ago I would have been mightily impressed but I’ve tasted so many black blends since then that I’ve become a bit fussy and I want all teas to stand up, salute, tap dance, and do cart-wheels in an utterly original way. This particular blend seems like it could be a great basic afternoon blend for somebody who wants something different than Earl Grey or other well-established afternoon teas.

I want to thank LENA for sending me this delightful tea. I liked it quite well although not enough to want to buy it. I thought of Maiden’s Ecstasy by Samovar (with which Bolder Breakfast shares some traits) when I was drinking this. The tea is, as another reviewer, the wonderful Auggy described, a pu-erh with training wheels and there’s certainly a place for that for tea-drinkers. The tea is robust and has some chocolate qualities. And yet I ask myself what is missing here?

I am not sure what it is I want. I want more of something—a je ne sais quois—to be elucidated here. Maybe I want more pu-erh or maybe I want more of the chocolate to step forward. This is a tea that may (or may not) stick in my memory and call forth an urgent order in a day or two or a week or two. That has happened to me a lot here: I’ll give a tea a good but not rave review and after I while I will find myself wanting to return to that particular taste and revise my opinion upwards.

I added some milk and a small lump of sugar.

This was only so-so. I am still sampling some decaffs and rooibos for evening potations, and this seemed to lack flavour. I’ve had decent chocolate mint black teas, so maybe it was the rooibos standing in the way of a tasty experience.
Worst than meh but not so bad that I wanted to toss it.

How lucky I was to get these from the generous LENA. Thank you! 6 months ago I would have confidently asserted that I dislike Jasmine tea because my only experience was with one of those wretched tea-bags (probably Bigelow or perhaps Twinings).

But recently I’ve grown to really enjoy and be impressed by the subtle aromas and tastes of green and white teas. The Jasmine flavour is one that I’ve grown to esteem. I think that Samovar’s Jasmine Pearls are, hencefar, the best I’ve experienced. The tea manages to be floral and biscuity. The characteristic buttery taste of some green teas is here but this is most certainly a jasmine tea and not merely a riff on a green tea.

The jasmine aroma is delicate and demure, yet it asserts itself beyond the taste of a biscuit-y tea, or a butter-y tea. I suspect, and not just from the price, that Samovar has one of the very best, if not the best, Jasmine Pearls for offer on the marketplace.

Sampler Packet #10, selected at random.

I previously have written a tasting note for this tea which AUGGY had generously given me and was happy to select it today. It is a very good Lapsang Souchong and the second try with this tea was not a disappointment. I am down-grading this just a tad, however, for no good reason except that I’ve discovered that excellent in Lapsang Souchongs is not that difficult to achieve. I am lucky in that the tea I’ve fallen for big time is one of the less costly teas out there.

I’ve tasted quite a few and liked them all. The only one that I have a particular craving for—the only one that I really am particular about—is Upton’s Black Dragon. This one is great. I would never say “no” to it and would never mark it down, but it just does not have what it takes to win me away from Black Dragon.

I like peaches. I love the idea of a Peach Bavarian or Peaches Melba (named after a great opera singer, Dame Nellie). A more rustic peach cobbler sounds nifty and a good peach ice-cream is close to divinity. Add peaches to an Olde English Trifle? Brilliant!

But I just cannot get the peach tea thing. Ginger Peach is a combination that makes me sag a bit. Usually you cannot find the ginger nor the peach. In this blend, it’s the ginger that is missing in action. I can taste some of the peach and the aroma is peachy.

If I loved the concept, my expectations might be higher and my note might be more effusive. But I don’t like the concept.

A friend gave me a canister of Republic of Tea Ginger Peach Tea several years ago because she loved it dearly. But I had a feeling….so I donated it (probably not very helpfully) at one of those food drives at school where you bring in unopened items and there are baskets overflowing with Kraft Macaroni and Cheese and generic cans of peas and corn. I hope that the tea found its way to an affectionate owner.

What Indigo Tea managed to do with this was to highlight the peach aroma and peach taste so if you really like peaches, I’d recommend that you give this a try. I like the way that they did not allow the ginger to overtake the peach.

Simply delicious! Another waker-upper with a slurping and slobbering factor.
TeaSpring provides great, speedy service straight from China.

I don’t think so.

Somebody sent me a whole bag of this tea and I was about to give it away, untasted, untested, untried. But for some reason I hesitated. I don’t like Rooibos but the other tea I had from The Tea Table was remarkably good. The Tea Table has a nice web site proclaiming that “I believe it is customary in polite society to take some slight refreshment at five o’clock.” (Oscar Wilde)

An Oscar Wilde quotation. Good. And it just morphed into a Thomas De Quincey quotation! Better! Best? This tea could be a solution to my rooibos hate. I really liked it. The vanilla raspberry taste seemed fresh, smooth, and authentic and even though the tea does look like wood shavings, I didn’t pick up any of the tell-tale taste of sawdust. It looks as if I have another tea company to order from.

Sampler Tea #9, chosen at random from the Golden Moon Tea Sampler

I don’t love Jasmine but I don’t dislike it. I found this tea to be “pleasant.” I think that I use the word “pleasant” in a lot of tea reviews where I find nothing objectionable about the tea, but I don’t get excited at all. I don’t particularly want to or need to purchase these “pleasant” teas because there’s an entire world of “pleasant” teas out there.

I have not sampled a lot of jasmine teas, so I cannot make any meaningful comparisons.