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Thank you Angel for this sample.

In appearance the leaves are: dark brown, thin and curly with some golden tips present. Also has stick/stem pieces. It has a sweet wood and malt scent with a touch of cocoa and smoke.

Once steeped the colour is golden red/brown and bares a rich but sweet malt scent with sour cocoa and fresh wood.

Flavour is medium in strength with sweet malt tones that lighten to reveal fig and prune notes. The fruit lingers in the after taste with some wood and dryness. As it cools it becomes slightly more sour and smoky.

Overall: Other than some sourness it is rather smooth and lightly creamy which makes the delicious malt and fruit flavours linger. Strength remained consistent and pleasing.

Some quick notes on this one while I listen to music tonight, currently have Nirvana – Bleach playing.

Scent is toasted and floral though subtle.
Flavour is toasted with hay, flower and sweet wood tones. Some astringency with a sour quality. Tastes like an Oolong rather than a green tea, or at least that’s what I found. Like a toastier version of a Cloud Mist green.

Another cup brings out the savoury flavours, resembling a blend of baked broccoli and asparagus. Also the sweetness seems to have increased somewhat.

These meant to be quick notes but I got carried away with the music, moved on to Avenged SevenFold – Beast And The Harlot now. It was a nice green with Oolong qualities that had enough flavour and character to be pleasing, though I don’t think I could drink it all the time. Husband was surprised this was a green tea too.

I bought a jar of this for my birthday which is in a few weeks time but I also received another jar of this tea from my fukubukuro bag from Yunomi. So I figured I may as well try it now and have the other jar on my birthday as planned.

Colour is bright green and foams wonderfully.

Flavour is smooth and very creamy, lightly grassy and sweet. Very light in strength, incredibly easy to drink and wonderful sweet grass tones in the after taste. The last sip had light umami tones.

The powder blends well with the water and it makes each sip consistent in flavour and texture.

I think this is the smoothest Matcha I have tried, it’s taste and colour is stunning. No chemical flavours or astringency at all. Will have to do a detailed write up of this with pictures I think at some point.

In appearance the leaves are: long and thin, with a variety of brown, red brown, green colours and silver tips.

They have a dry yet light floral scent with elements of wood, leather and malt.

Once steeped this tea is Baltic amber in colour and has a light, wooden scent.

Flavour is light to medium in strength with some sour astringency. Tasting damp wood shavings, light musk and rich malt with a smoky finish.

As it cools it becomes more astringent and tobacco like.

Overall: It’s a ‘rough’ tasting Darjeeling with astringency and lots of sourness. I’ve had Arya Ruby Darjeeling a few times before and knew what it lived up to what I remember. It’s the sort of Darjeeling that would be good for every day use but not for those special occasions. Quality was good but I wouldn’t say it was amazing, and it certainly is not to my taste.

In appearance this blend consists of: small black tea pieces with noticeable cinnamon stick pieces, clove pieces and green leaves of some kind.

It smells of cardamom, clove and cinnamon in particular. A little dry but very refreshing and citrus(y) with a spicy, peppery finish.

Once steeped this tea is dark reddish brown in colour and has a sweet yet spicy aromatic scent.

Please note: A drop of milk was added.

Flavour is medium in strength with crisp, spice notes. It’s a little dry from the spices but the milk helps. Spice wise I can taste the cardamom, cinnamon, clove and pepper which pretty much matches it’s raw scent. The cardamom in particular freshens the blend and adds some sweetness whilst perfuming my mouth in the after taste.

Overall: I found this Chai to be a particularly dark blend which is perfect for adding milk. It can be enjoyed without milk but it may be slightly astringent or too dry. That is all personal preference, though usually Chai is served with milk as standard.

I have sampled many Chai in my years and this is certainly one of the darker, ‘full on’ blends that I tend to favour. The spices are strong but not too much and though dry it’s not an issue once milk is added. It’s a very nice example of a classic Masala Chai. My only criticism is that I love sweet Chai and my all time favourites contain almond, though again that is down to personal taste.

For pictures and more information please view my blog.
http://www.kittylovestea.co.uk/2015/01/22/discover-indian-tea-with-golden-tips/

In appearance the leaves are: long and mostly whole with some rolled and others open. Some are silver and covered in white hairs.

They have a dry yet light floral scent with elements of wood, grass and musk.

Once steeped this tea is light amber in colour and has a light yet crisp and sweet grassy scent.

Flavour is light to medium in strength with sweet grass and floral tones. It’s a little dry which adds a savoury touch and tones down the sweetness. Specifically I can taste: grass, sweet pea, gardenia and wheat. The after taste of sweet flowers lingers in the mouth for a long time.

As it cools it becomes slightly astringent.

Overall: The flavours were nice and pure and I did enjoy the savoury wheat taste, that made it rather unique and different from what I expected. However it did not strike me as amazing, though the quality was very good. I’m trying to think of why it wasn’t amazing but I cannot explain it, something was missing for me…perhaps my love of vegetal and seaweed greens like those found in Japanese varieties have changed my preferred taste when it comes to greentea.

For pictures and more information please view my blog.
http://www.kittylovestea.co.uk/2015/01/22/discover-indian-tea-with-golden-tips/

In appearance this tea consists of: long, thin leaves that are covered with silver hairs. Some are darker in colour though they still have the silver hairs.

They have a sweet, light and floral scent that is dry and almost perfumed.

Once steeped this tea is light orange in colour and has a light, floral and sweet scent.

Flavour is light to medium in strength and bares a floral sweetness. It’s dry and nutty which comes through in the after taste. Also elements of light peach which contrast nicely against the peony and honeysuckle notes. It has no astringency.

As it cools it becomes creamy though remains highly sweet and dry.

Overall: This was a delicious white tea, full of flavour and of great quality.

While I am not the hugest fan of white tea in general I do appreciate a nice pot of it from time to time. This particular type had more flavour and strength than I anticipated which made it a wonderful drink. At times it reminded me of a light Oolong rather than a white tea, and the quality blew me away.

For pictures and more information please view my blog.
http://www.kittylovestea.co.uk/2015/01/22/discover-indian-tea-with-golden-tips/

In appearance this tea consists of: small, dark and curly leaves with some stems and golden tips present.

It smells sweet and woody with elements of cocoa, malt and smoke.

Once steeped this tea is garnet in colour and has a light malt scent with a hint of fresh wood.

Flavour is medium/strong in strength with rich malt tones that are slightly astringent and smoky. Also has a dark fruit flavour which goes into the after taste, prunes and dates in particular. Some dryness is present throughout.

As it cools it becomes more dry and seems thicker, especially the malt tones. Also getting fresh tobacco and wood shavings.

Overall: This was pretty much as I predicted: it was rich, it was dark and very full of flavour. The fruit flavours made me think of a few Taiwanese blacks that I have tried recently, so while this had Assam qualities it also kept my tasting fresh and interesting. That being said I prefer a more classic Assam. Also the quality was again very good.

For pictures and more information please view my blog.
http://www.kittylovestea.co.uk/2015/01/22/discover-indian-tea-with-golden-tips/

In appearance this Darjeeling consists of: small and dark, curly leaves which range from dark brown, to red brown, to green to white.

It has a sweet yet earthy scent of wood and flowers. Also a touch of malt and dry musk .

Flavour is rich and dark with a hint of sour astringency. It’s very wooden and musky which lingers in the mouth beautifully. Also reminds me of dry, mixed flowers.

As it cools the wood becomes more like malt and the astringency develops an air of light smoke.

Overall: This was a beautiful Darjeeling that bared heavy muscatel tones and offered the warmth of the Indian sun. A great example of what a second flush Darjeeling should be.

On the grand scale of things this Darjeeling was very nice but not perfect, it was missing the nutty and creamy qualities that I admire. Please keep in mind that it is down to personal preference.

For pictures and more information please view my blog.
http://www.kittylovestea.co.uk/2015/01/22/discover-indian-tea-with-golden-tips/

A few days ago I started my morning with this tea and have decided to do so again, only that this time it’s iced. I cold steeped some two days ago and have been drinking it since, it was a nice way to finish the last of this sample. This morning is the last glass full and I have to say that this went down better than I thought it would. Usually with sweet iced tea (particularly fruit sweet) it becomes too pop like and ends up tasting like pure sugar. This however, tastes refreshing and the sweetness is toned down behind a perfumed, grassy green tea flavour. If anything the sweet essence is an after taste that doesn’t last too long. I’m wondering if Frank intended this one to be iced.

Nice start to the day :)