Michelle Butler Hallett

1 scant TB for a 400mL travel mug. Drunk bare.

Steeped just four minutes this time instead of six — much more balanced. Water just off the boil vs at a rolling boil yields a better liquor, more complex, sweeter. The Assam remains assertive but does not get all woody on the aftertaste. Much more oolong and Darjeeling up front. I agree with another reviewer that Stash’s Christmas Morning rivals Tazo’s Joy. I think the Stash CM is a bit sweeter with the Assam finish, but Tazo’s Joy has more oolong in the nose. I’d need them side by side to determine which one a I like more.

All told, a beautiful blend.

4TB for a 12-cup pot, drunk bare.

Dry leaves: some tips, faint scents of jasmine and Keemun and a lovely comforting hug of Assam.

Steeped: jasmine disappears but resurfaces very subtly in the taste. Oolong aromas. Slight smokiness from the keemun. Winey-ness from the keemun dances with the wine-to-maltiness from the Assam. Aftertaste: Darjeeling, and Yunnan pepper. Some astringency, but I did steep this for 6 minutes; 4 minutes would be better, I think. Medium body. No bitterness. Quite lovely. I feel very relaxed and blessed, drinking this one.

I used water just off the boil out of respect for the oolong and jasmine in the blend.

1 rounded TB for 500mL water, drunk bare.

Nor’easter, day two. Rain and wind just battering us. Some areas have lost electricity. I should make tea in a pot and cozy, just in case.

A perfect day for drinking LOTS of tea. I’m about one cuppa each away from finishing tins of my faves — including this beauty. Robust. An almost creamy mouthfeel. Some malt, some smoke, some wine. Slight astringency. No bitterness. Never boring. Rich.

1 rounded TB for 500mL water, drunk bare.

Mmmm … getting something crisp, sunny and earthy all at once in the foretaste … Darjeeling? Nepal? Mineral notes, too, but that may be my tap water.

Hahahaha — ‘Cup of Brown Joy’ just came up in my iTunes playlist. ‘You could say I’m mad for tea, or just say I’m mad.’

Overall, once more, delicious and sparkling. Cheering. Tends slightly to bitterness, which makes me wonder if something more delicate in the blend mightn’t be happier with water just off the boil. Must try that next.

COMBO: 2/3 TB A&D Damn Fiine Holiday Blend plus 1/3 TB of Stash’s Kopili Assam for 500mL water, drunk bare.

Woke up craving Holiday Blend. And Assam. Ai. Have just ordered more HB and some Captain Assam. Is there opium in the Holiday Blend, or what? Woke. Up. Craving. It.

The addition of the Kopili Assam smooths out the brightness /sharpness (slightly smoky sharpness) of Holiday Blend, adds some depth, sweetens the whole brew a bit, and gives it a heavier body. I like the combo, but Holiday Blend is also damn fine on its own. Can’t wait to introduce HB to Captain Assam.

Now, back to Holiday Blend on its own. Sigh. Bliss. TEA!

1 heaped TB for 500 mL water, drunk bare.

I admit it. The label got me. Sweater-knit Imperial Walkers. A & D could have stuffed the tin with grass clippings and I still would have bought it just for the label.

And today, in the first of a three-day nor’easter, horizontal rain, wind that’s trying to uproot trees: it came! My poor drenched postman brought the Damn Fine Holiday blend! I figured I wouldn’t see it til well after Christmas, as out ferries aren’t running (nor-easter’s affecting the entire island) and so lots of mail is tied up. Worse, lots of people aren’t getting home for Christmas.

I wish I could visit each stranded one and give them a cup of this tea.

Dry leaves are long and tippy. You know how some Assam smells raisiny? I’m sure I’m catching a faint whiff of smoked pears instead. And Yunnan — God, there must be Yunnan in here. Keemun? Pinch o’ lapsang? All an Imperial secret? Dunno, don’t care. What I can say is this: bright but not astringent, assertive but not a bully, deep but not bitter. Truly a happy-making tea. Restorative. Medium body, thick-to-creamy mouthfeel. My brew is a teensy bit bitter, but only because I steeped it six minutes.

And yes, it goes fab with cookies. I noshed a shortbread while sipping.

PS For anyone frightened off by my mentioning lapsang, the smokiness is NOT that strong. More of a Keemuny-smokiness, or a mild, milk Caravan … and that’s only one tasting note in a blend. So Holiday Blend is not a smoky tea.

1 rounded TB for 500 mL water, 1 packet stevia.

My regular nightcap. Now that I’ve shaken up the packet a bit, I get more of the petal-ly bits which seem to put the ‘cream’ in this brew, and that mellows the tartness. Much more balanaced.

I agree with another reviewer: it’s hard to tell there’s rooibos in Lemon Cream Pie. It’s a cheerful tea, provided you like lemon. It’s also mondo refreshing if you don’t finish you tea before falling asleep and wake up later parched and drink it cold.

Upping the rating.

1 TB for 500mL water, drunk bare, second infusion

Less smoke and honey, more mineral and pepper. Given that this is a second infusion after a 5-minute steep, impressive amount of flavour.

Ye gods, I love this stuff.

1gently rounded TB for 500mL water, drunk bare.

Steeped 3 minutes to get that creamy mouthfeel.

A lovely Tu Kuan Yin. I’ve only tried one other, so I’m no expert. A haunting tea, faintly mineral, more floral. Medium-bodied, yet delicate, if that makes any sense. Infuses multiple times; I get at least two good long steeps. The less greedy amongst us could probably get three or four.

Love. Gentle, lasting tea love.

1 TB for 500 mL water, drunk bare.

Yes, at the Kopili Assam again. Tasting bitterness for the first time — only because I ate some ice cream before sipping the tea. Silly mbh.

1 scant TB for 500mL water, drunk bare.

Dry leabes are long and look like living honeyed brass.

Note to self: heaping TB is the better option. Still, this Yunnan is luxurious without being heinously decadent. Layers and layers of flavour today, including honey, smoke and pepper, earth. Crisp finish. No bitterness. Yes, I abused it again today with a longer-than-approved steep, but hell, I like it. Excellent for a rainy day. I am craving a malty Assam; this Yunnan will make me appreciate the Assam all the more, while at the same time being fab in and of itself.

Le sigh. Le bliss.

2 bags for a 500mL travel mug, drunk bare.

Another delight for a rainy morning drive. A dependable, really tasty ginger black tea that takes the chill out of the pouring rain. Practically screams to be simmered in milk on the stove with from cinammon black tea. Forgives a long steep — really good black tea base.

1 rounded TB for 500mL water, drunk bare (nothing added).

As others have noted, jasmine does a cheery ‘Ta-da!’ when you open the tin. And that’s great.

I set the timer but couldn’t repond right away and ended up with more of a 4-minute steep. With that length of a steep, a new scent wafts up from the brew: line-dried white shirts. That incredibly clean scent you only get in summer when you, that’s right, hand white shirts on the line to dry in the sun and the wind. I love that.

The longer steep thickens the body a bit; any longer and it might get soapy. I’ll probably water this cuppa down a bit. But oh, that clean, irreplacable lovely jasmine. I can taste more of the green tea base today, too: a sweet green, as others have pointed out, thank goodnes, not grassy and not briny.

Jasmine fabness. One of the best I’ve tried. Up there with some of the jasmine pearls.

1 heaping TB for 500mL water, drunk bare (no milk or sweetener).

Left the leaves steeping merrily in the travel mug in this morning, as I needed to do the morning driving …

The faint peppery scent of mad hot Yunnan wafting up from a travel cup as I naviagte traffic on a rainsoaked morning — now THAT is a blessing to count. It got strong, of course, but not bitter, just very, very rich. One caveat: I wouldn’t dare drink it this strong on an empty stomach. Same goes for super-steeped Assam.

Rich and mysterious, like dark silk in winter: you wouldn’t think something normally so delicate and fine could keep you warm, but it does. The peppery notes seem to mute as the steeps past 6 minutes, but they fight back on the aftertaste. The honey and, well, Yunnan tea notes deepen. Gets a tiny bit smoky when it’s this strong, too.

A super-steep gives this normally light (not thin) bodied tea more of a medium body that drenches the taste buds.

3 bags for a 1L pot, drunk bare (no milk of sweetener).

A really smooth and deliciously gingery black tea blend. Very resilient, too; today’s cup was re-heated in the microwave but still tasted fresh. Three bags is a little light for the volume of water, but my mom-in-law and I leave the bags in. This tea does not get bitter, even when the bags are left in overnight and the tea heated up again in the morning. Wish it came loose.

1 TB for 500mL water, drunk bare.

Second go with the Earl. Another lousy working day; the Earl gives solace. Whispers to me of sunny citrus groves in Italy while outside fog coalesces into a sparkling wall. Smooth black tea base, really, really fruit bergamot — none of that dish-soap garbage happening here.

Tonight I steeped for 6 minutes instead of the recommended 5. (Started slurpting at 4 min, though.) The tea did not turn bitter. Not sure how much further I want to push a steep of this, as I don’t want to waste any. Overall flavour has deepened, become more complex: is that a bit of Indian tea I taste in the blend? Just a bit?

Has surpassed Stash as my second-favorite EG ever. Only Numi’s Aged Earl Grey stands in the way. Wish I could Numi and Damn Fine side-by-side and make a final decision.

A cheering tea.

1 heaping TB for 500mL water, no milk, no sweetener.

Ya know, you could simmer this chai blend on the stove for potpourri. The citrus and clove oils are strong and sharp and rich. This morning’s brew tastes almost mulled — very festive. No woodiness from the red rooibos, either. And its sooooo good for you, especially in a stressful time of year. Pleasant heat but nothing to burn the mouth off ya.

1 TB for 500mL water, half a packet of stevia (equivalent to 1 tsp sugar)

Love Electric Lemon when it’s bone-rotting cold and damp outside. I’ve commented on the deliicous sharp heat below. If you don’t like ginger or lemon, you will not like this tea. It’s straight ahead, REAL ginger. No icing or sweet little men with gumdrop buttons here.

I sweetened the brew a bit today, and I’m surprised to find the stevia mellows the heat. I guess it’s because it takes the tart edge off the lemon. Slightly sweetened, Electric Lemon tastes less medicinal, but I definitely prefer it naked. Ahem. This tea, I mean. The stevia also mutes the green tea base.

1 TB for 500mL water, no milk or sweetener.

I am not an Earl Grey fan. Sometimes I really want it. Most days I ignore it. Very much a mood thing with me. But when I do drink Earl Grey, I am horribly picky. So far, only two EGs, Numi Aged Earl Grey and Stash’s Earl Grey, have ever wowed me. Many, including Twinings, make me gag.

I ordered Series 3 — an Earl Grey, a Caravan, and a Jasmine Green — from Andrews & Dunham solely on the strenth of their Captain Assam’s High Seas Elixir and their really funny copywriting. And the labels. I freakin LOVE the labels.

I figured the Earl Grey would be one I’d give away as a Christmas gift. But nooooo, this evening, after an exhausting and almost fruitless workday (now entering hour 11 of same), I want Earl Grey. Hot. Diplomatic solution to Klingons off the port bow, the whole bit. Damn Fine, eh? Let’s check the mettle of your dilithum, then.

Warp core breach! In the best possible way. Smoooooooth black tea base, and a bergamot flavour the proves that bergamot is, in fact, a citrus fruit and not paint stripper. No bitterness, which is a lovely suprise; too many EGs used a crappy tea base that gets really bitter on its own and then further sours under the bergamot. Body is light — very pleasingly so — and but not weak. Liquor is about halfway between brass and copper. Fragrance is distinctive and delightful. Clean finish: the tea taste vanishes, but the bergamot haunts.

If you don’t already like Earl Grey, I doubt this will convert you, as it’s the Earl Grey-iest I’ve drunk in a long time. If you like Earl Grey, you really should try this one.

2 bags for a 500mL teapot, no milk or sweetener.

A very pleasant aroma of rum, nutmeg and, faintly, ginger, but the overall brew is weak and thin. Faintly spiced rum aftertaste but with an oily mouthfeel. No tea taste whatsoever. I remember Holiday Chai being much, much better. Rats.

1 scant TB for 500mL water, nothing added.

I love jasmine tea. It can be tricky to brew, and I learned recently, thanks to this very site, that for years I’ve been using water that’s too hot. Water that’s too hot can scald tea leaves and blossoms and make the overall tea bitter.

Today, I followed instructions … at least, as best I could without a thermometer or fancy adjustable kettle.

Dry leaves are medium to long and twisted. Liquor is pale straw. Scent is heady and heavy with jasmine … with REAL jasmine. No fakery here. Assertive and pleasant finish. Clean mouth-feel, which I really like and generally only find in white teas.

The green tea, as another Steepsterite has noted, is not especially strong and is almost as delicate as white tea. Almost, but not quite: there’s a slight bit of vegetal and (ooh, look at me with my new word!) mineral tastes from the green tea. The mineral taste may come from my tap water, either; my city’s water supply comes from a lake. In winter, when the city lowers the chlorine levels, you can catch bits of reed and rocks in the water, very refreshing.

But back to the tea. The jasmine mouth-feel is fairly heavy; someone else compared it to soap. I wouldn’t go that far, but this is a serious jasmine tea. The scent alone intoxicates, in a good way; can’t wait for the jasmine “hit” from this brew. AHHHHH, there it is … laughter and smiles and peace. Any word on whether jasmine flowers are narcotic at all? ;)

Final note: aftertaste goes from clean to slightly powdery.

I slightly prefer the Dragon Pearls I got from my local teashop, but Andrews and Dunham’s Jasmine Green is also excellent. I’ll be sorry to finish this little tin, but I won’t be hoarding it, either.

1TB, 500mL water, no milk or sugar

Oh, MY! I steeped this in a little 500mL teapot set on a desktop mug-warmer … and then FORGOT about it. Half an hour later, I found it. I thought, oh well, let’s see how bad this got.

Guess what?

It’s amazing.

Dark liquor, yes, but clear, no murk or sediment. No bitterness! A simply divine scent of some mysterious fruit brandy — beyond raisin — then the taste of really, really good deep Assam. An astringent finish, but I like that with Assam. The brandy-like scent translates to a heavy-wine mouthfeel, something like what you get with a good Keemun, only heftier.

Kopili Estate, I salute you.

No notes yet.

2-3 TB in 125mL gourd, 1/2-1 packet stevia, 125 mL steaming (not boiling) water.

Sweet yet ‘green.’ Some coffee flavour, some white chocolate, some cloves. Really pleasant and mellow green mate taste amongst it all. Medium body and slightly creamy mouthfeel when sipped through a bombilla, versus a definitely thin body and sharp mouthfeel when drunk as a tisane. Good for 3-4 infusions. Can be quite potent. A good friend when fighting deadlines. Yerba mate does not affect my sleep hours after the fact, something I really like. Dregs in the gourd look like the bottom of a bog, but that’s okay — everyone else is scared to drink it. More for me!

I try never to run out of this one. I’ve asked for a big 250g bag as a Christmas present.