Doulton

I am sampling this Masala Chai thanks to the benevolence of LORI. I agree with her note that this is a smooth Chai with no one spice predominating. I think it is very well crafted and spicy.

If it were earlier in the day, I would be adding some black tea as one tasting note recommended. Overall, the is the richest and most robust Chai I’ve had. I’m not really tempted to embrace Chai as a way of life but if I ever feel compelled to keep it in stock (and I’m a very easily compelled woman) I may select this blend. Right now I’m marinating my own blend with a good strong Keemun base and several of the usual spicy culprits and some real vanilla beans (JacquelineM got me started on the vanilla bean thing). I’ll wait to see how that emerges.

With milk brought almost to a boil and some sugar this tea is a veritable meal in itself!

Since I wrote my first, fairly cautious tasting note on Upton’s LS Black Dragon, I have returned to it again and again. It has become my everyday first thing in the morning tea. I have at least two cups and I slurp and slobber and am very unladylike. I have not found a Lapsang Souchoung I dislike, but I like this more than others. It’s got a touch of natural sweetness and it’s also not quite as tarry as some LS teas.

I like the balance of smoke and sweet. I like this tea black, but I also like it with milk and sugar when I’m in the mood (often).

This tea became what I had hoped that Jackee Muntz might be—but Jackee is in limited supply. I am no longer “dating” Black Dragon tea. We are married. We’ve said the vows. We’ve plighted our troth. We are in this together for better or worse, till death do us part. I may take some afternoon lovers; I may have many French liaisons and I may have other trysts, but I’ll always wake up with you!

Indigo Tea Company sent me a free sample of this when I placed an order with them recently. I think it’s a good choice for a lighter black tea with a tropical vibe. As they say, it would be good iced (I’m drinking it hot).

It’s one of many teas that are “nice” but don’t have anything of extravagance in them. If you like a passion fruit overtone, you might want to try this. It just did not “pop” for me, but it’s certainly pleasant.

I have a cat named Mrs. Palmer, who has an enormous crush on my oldest son. Mrs. Palmer looks at me with disdain and superiority (which I love—every cat lady loves a superior cat) and she tolerates my husband. When my son comes around she gets this goofy dazed crazy happy expression on her face that I call “Spring Awakening”.

Leland Tea’s Bogart has given me “spring awakening”. I am a somewhat cautious tea drinker—I prefer to start out with a small sample at 1 or 2 bucks. Then I might buy more. Untasted, sight unseen, nothing known about Leland Teas, I purchased not one but two full orders of Bogart (and quite a few of their other blends). I ordered on April 12 and today, April 19th my tea has arrived. Very good record, considering that I also got teas today that were ordered on April 3rd.

Upon first sniff I fell in love; first taste confirmed the love, and I think that the explanation is that Leland Teas uses some Lapsang Souchoung in the blend. If you don’t like smoke, you would barely notice it, however. The predominant taste is the hazel nut, followed by the vanilla and the cinnamon. The nuttiness is divine and the vanilla is excellent. The cinnamon wisely remains a back-up player and does not try to take over the show.

I’m ready for more and I still have that “spring awakening” expression on my face. The question is will I be able to stop and try other teas? I have, from Leland, “Tiffany,” and “Garbo’s Peachy Blend” and “Kisses!” and more!

Golden Moon Tea Sample #8, selected at random.

The buttery note of this type of tea is always pleasing and so is the floral note. It’s good and pleasant but I don’t think that there’s anything here that will sear this tea into my memory and impel me to spend money on a full size. I like, but am not in love with, oolongs, green teas and white teas, so if you are reading this, please be a bit jaundiced about my opinion. I’m the person who thinks that the smokiest Lapsang Souchongs should be smokier. I am the person who drowns herself in perfume instead of applying a tiny whiff. I’m the person who used to wear Bob Mackie knock-offs. So I can respect this tea but not, perhaps, love it.

This is a serviceable Masala Chai. It’s not at all bad, but there’s nothing particularly memorable or outstanding about this one. Chai lovers might want to sample this.

For what it’s worth, I’m not a big devotée of chai, so my ability to judge fairly or to detect differences may be limited.

Thank you to Meghann for this sample. The dry tea has got a wonderful typical Earl Grey scent and there were quite a few white tips visible in my sample. The brewed tea is a very good Earl Grey. The bergamot flavour stands out clearly. The quality of the black tea seems to be decent at the very least and perhaps better.

I would most certainly recommend giving this a taste for those who are in search of their perfect Earl Grey BFF.

Golden Moon Sampler Tea #7 selected at random

I was glad to select a robust tea. It’s too early in the day to go in for an airy-fairy white muskmelon with breath of lilac type of tea. This English Breakfast did not disappoint me. It’s full and rich and the blend is a lovely combination. I would consider making a full purchase of this. I’d like to have a breakfast tea in stock aside from my beloved Lapchang Souchongs to offer visitors or in case my taste shifts—-and taste, as we know, can be fickle.

I’ll see if this tea calls to me in the next several weeks. Overall, a hearty recommendation.

This tea is just another tea that Randy Jackson would call “aight”. It’s most certainly blueberry but neither the black tea nor the blueberry are strong enough for my taste.

I would recommend this tea to a blueberry afficianado looking for a lighter afternoon fruity tea

Golden Moon Sampler Tea #6, selected at random

I was glad that I picked this out rather early in the evening. I would have tossed back a very robust tea into the “ocean” of the basket.

I don’t hate licorice, but I’m not a huge fan. I found this tea more pleasant than anticipated, but I don’t think I would feel a need to keep it in stock. If I knew a big licorice lover, it might make a superb gift.

Pleasant and light, the anise flavour shone through but was not overwhelming. It was a great one-note white tea.

Thank you so much to LORI for sending me a generous sample of this tea. I knew that I would like it. As a Lapsang Souchong addict, I’m partial to any smoked teas. This Russian Blend is not exception. While it does not have the deep scorched-earth taste of some smoky teas, it is an exceptional blend that adds an element of fruit and natural sweetness to the smoke. Their notes suggest an apricot taste and I fully concur with that.

This may be another tea that I will have to purchase a full tin of because of the exquisite blend. I’m not certain how Samovar’s blenders managed to strike such an expert balance between smoke and fruit without allowing the smoke to take over. It’s a nifty hat trick.

Thank you so much to MEGHANN for sending me a generous sample of this tea. I certainly tasted the cherry in the tea and, although you can see the coconut, I did not pick up on the coconut taste. It was a very pleasant afternoon tea, but I’m not likely to invest in a full bag unless the flavor really “pops” out distinctively.

I enjoyed it, however, because the light taste of cherry was very nice, but it made me crave a more distinctive flavour.

Thank you so much to LORI for sending me a sample of this tea. I can understand why many drinkers rave about it and I can also understand the audacity of the name “ecstasy”. The flavors are very complex and in some ways contradictory:

The aroma and taste remind me of an exotic market where one is besieged by a plethora of odor. The fish stand abuts the chocolate-covered fruits and the artisanal breads are next to a display of dripping honey. The garden soil is adjacent to the herbs and spices. It’s a mélange, and a very good one at that. I would say that the “earthy” aroma and taste predominate over the others. I could close my eyes and be carried away to the exotic bazaar of world flavours and foods.

I’m looking forward to multiple steepings.

I got this as a free sample in my last order from David’s Tea. The Barberry, by the way, resembles small cranberries, but the taste it not as strong.
This sencha is perfectly pleasant and a good choice for a basic fruity green tea with few, if any, vegetal overtones. I also think this would make a delicious iced tea.

I’m not in love with it, but when I survey my iced tea options as the weather gets muggier, I might order a large size of Barberry Fling.

Golden Moon Tea Sampler #4 selected at random

I was glad to see that nothing too delicate came up—-I was worried that this “pick” might be “white tea’s baby’s breath with airs of ethereal ephemera”. I do like a BIG taste and I fear that all subtlety is lost on me.

I would call this an “average” chai. It’s tasty,and spicy, as Chai should be, but not overwhelming. There is absolutely nothing to complain of, but I don’t find anything so memorable that I’m sitting up and wanting to proclaim the excellency of it.

I think that Golden Moon is for the advanced drinkers, the Zen drinkers, the sophisticates. Somebody said someplace that boddhisatvas could roam through hell as if it were a playground. And I think that advanced minds can really appreciate Golden Moon and its nuances. As for me, I can roam through a playground as if it were hell!

This really is a different blend. The dry tea looks very intriguing with different colors and lengths of leaf. It has a complex aroma that includes strong black tea, grassy green tea, and premises of fruit and flower. How was it going to taste?

I got this in a sampler size from Harney & Sons and may have to invest in a full tin. Eight at the Fort develops into a very strong and delicious blend of flavors. After about half my mug, I added some sugar and milk and I think I like it better with the additions, but it’s perfectly good without them.

Harney and Sons reveals that this is “A blend of eight different teas (keemun, assam, oolong, ceylon, yunnan, darjeeling, nilgiri, and silver tips).”

I was, at first, afraid that this tea was too ambitious and that it would not work, but I should trust Harney & Sons. It works as a good strong tea that would be excellent for both morning and afternoon. And what a fantastic name!

I’ve been drinking Lapsang Souchong Black Dragon by Upton Tea’s every morning for a couple of weeks and truly love it. Late yesterday I received an order from Narien Teas (ten days from order to delivery and they have a lot of small inexpensive sampler bags).

This one is a bit stronger than Black Dragon when it comes to the smoky effect. Black Dragon has a tad of natural sweetness enfolded in there. I’d call this one a more vigorous, robust smoke flavoured tea. It’s very good. My difficulty with Lapsang Souchongs is that I don’t have the palate to pick out the individual notes very well. I seem to like them all and they provide a bracing start to the day. I have yet to give my heart away to any one brand of LS but I’ve given my heart away to this genre of tea.

Thanks to AUGGY who sent me a generous sample of this. I thought I would probably like it because I’m fond of sencha and genmaicha. The roasted rice adds a very nice nutty flavor to these teas which always seems to result in an irresistible aroma and taste.

I am not on the fence at all, but I do have quite a few other genmaichas that I like. I’m going to give this one another go. It may be essential to keep it in stock. It’s salty-malty; it’s ricey-nicey; it’s sweet and beautiful. Splendid aftertaste, too.

Golden Moon Tea Sampler #3: Picked at random

This is a good tea. I liked it but I also acknowledge that I’ve become a bit spoiled. If I had tasted this 6 months ago I would have assigned it 100 points and would have pledged to drink it every day. At this point, I need to start my day with a Lapsang Souchong and then move on to a nice strong black tea. This could be one of them, but it just didn’t “pop” in my mouth in the way that Keemuns, Yunnans, and Darjeelings do.

I think this is a good tea but I know my test for a great tea (for me): having a severe anxiety attack because I don’t have more in stock and feeling a need to run and order it. I won’t do that with this one but I wish it well.

This very pretty tea didn’t make stars fall, but it’s a very nice light and sweet cinnamon. Lately I’ve been reacting against cinnamons that are simply too heavy. This tea has the right touch—-I can taste the cinnamon but it’s not going to overwhelm the tea. Naturally sweet, it’s a fiarly basic black.

I might not choose it for everyday use, but I would be very happy to serve this to a visitor. It’s got the high “bling” factor plus a perfectly nice taste.

This was a pleasant and sweet surprise. I was offered a sample by somebody not on Steepster and thought, from the name, that it would be a bit bogus. I was surprised by its sweet fruitiness. I want to try more. The two cups I had were delicious—fruity and minty.

This tea has a je ne sais quois that makes it superior to the many fruit teas I’ve sampled of late.

I may have to drink this several times before I come to any conclusions. The dry aroma really highlights the tomato. Pretend that you are in a tomato garden and you can smell the more distant odor of basil and green bell peppers. And tea, of course.

The French store, from which I ordered this says that: “Many great things are born from the most outrageous ideas. So for which reason should a tea not be perfumed by the lush perfume of tomatoes? Flavor: Tomato and lemon. Base: Darjeeling.”

Sipping my first cup, I am having a bit of cognitive dissonance. This tea is so very summer salad and at the same time so very much a black tea. I could see it working more with a green tea, but I also think I need some time to lean into this tea. I might add a bit o’ sugar next time. I think that I am going to like it because now that the tea is finished, I want to do an immediate second steep.

I feel that I ate a very juicy and ripe tomato that was grown in a garden in the full summer. Some green bell pepper and maybe some basil were added. A couple of grains of salt and black pepper were sprinkled over it and then a squeeze of lemon juice.. And then some caffeine steroids were added.

Gratitude to The O Dor for their interesting ideas and I suspect that this tea will gain more points as I drink it more. I don’t think it’s for tea purists, but it’s probably for anyone who likes something different. It’s piquant!

EDIT:
This tea is very tricky, fussy, and moody although it’s worth it if you can get it right. Steeped too long, and it’s bitter quickly. 2 minutes and 45 seconds is perfect for me. It can be very astringent. It is highly reminiscent of gazpacho. It’s worth pursuing to try to get it right, in spite of its moodiness.

I got a sample of this (loose leaf) from Harney & Sons. With the loose leaf tea I know that I steeped a lot more leaf than one could get in a Harney bagged tea. While this tea was simple and sweet and not particularly impressive as I drank it, I started to notice that the after-taste was quite authentically pomegranate and very sweet and fruity.

It would not surprise me if I never think of this tea again.

It would not surprise me if I suddenly have a deep craving for it in the future. It’s made an imprint, at the very least.

I notice that they suggest this as an iced tea and I think that it would make a very tasty and flavorful one.

I am enjoying this tea. I suspect that it is highly similar to other almond teas, but there is a sense of nut “butter” which I don’t get from my other beloved almond teas. There’s not enough of a difference to assert that this tea stands out from other almond teas, but it is, like many of them, excellent for almond lovers.

Yes, I am enjoying this tea.

I think that I will always like to have an almond tea “in stock” (along with a vanilla and a coconut tea). So far I have not tasted the one almond tea that it must be, but this one is certainly a contender.

The California Tea House gave me very speedy delivery service on my order. That counts for a lot with me. As i drink more tea, I can anticipate what to reorder and when to reorder it.