Michelle Butler Hallett

1 TB for 450 mL water, biggish splash of 2% milk.

Ssssssssmokin …

Cayenne leads, but ginger at once smooths and sharpens the edges. Tasting some cocoa on the aftertaste, almost a comforting ‘There, there.’ Not tasting much Assam tea, but I expect I’d miss it were this blend made with a China black. All this sauciness needs a bold tea to stand up to it. Ahh, there’s the Assam, again, on the aftertaste, once the cayenne turns to sparkledust and evaporates. Very hot chai. I added the milk as a precaution; very glad I did. LOVE THIS/.

2 TB in a mate gourd (maybe 125 mL of water) half a packet of stevia, no milk.

Innnnnnnn-tense. I love roasted mate drunk with groud and bombilla: very rich and concentrated. Roasted mate with malt and cocoa: YUM. Definitely for slow sipping. Some bitterness, some — oddly enough — distant banana flavour, and some distant mint/green/vegetal flavour that I normally only detect on green mate. Some pipe toboacco scent, too. Yum to the E. Can’t wait to try this brewed as a tisane to compare. Maybe tomorrow. Not sure my body can handle much more mateine/caffeine right now.

1 rounded TB for 450 mL water, 1/2 packet stevia, no milk.

A bit o’ heat! Yessssss, this is what I’m looking for in anything labelled ‘chai’. The cloves and citrus oil make the very pungent cinnamon stand out all the more. The red rooibos gets a bit lost, but that’s okay. While Cinnamon Rooibos Chai is caffeine-free, it’s still quite stimulating — the scent alone can knock you silly, in a good way — and yes, it does help concentration. Sharp and sweet with some pleasant heat. Perhaps quite sweet enough on its own without my added stevia, but I find a stevia or sugar coaxes out spice-heat. (Not so much the artificial sweeteners; they just dominate the cup with their chem lab mace and chain.) I may blend this one with some ginger rooibos and then spontaneously combust.

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

I brewed the Pure Chai today expecting it to pack no heat; I really miss any spicekick i this blend, as I noted before.

So today I just expected a pleasant, slightly sweet cinnamon black tea.

And if that’s what you want, David’s Pure Chai is lovely. It’s an Indian black tea base, with CTC leaves I think (they’re very small_ and great big chunks of cinnamon sticks. plus whole cloves. Neither spice nor tea dominates.

I still want to try this simmered on the stovetop, perhaps with some ginger tea tossed in.

Today, I’ll settle for upping the rating.

Drunk bare, no milk or sweetener.

I steep around. An intense affair with Captain Assam’s High Seas Elixir now just a happy memory, I come back to my old standby, this particular organic and fair trade English Breakfast blend from my local teashop, Britannia Teas and Gifts.

This tea will gently but definitely wake you up. Pretty sure Assam’s in the blend, but I taste much more Keemun this morning, and that beautiful winey-ness is so civilized, almost decadent on a lazy Sunday morning. I ate too much salt and sugar yesterday, and I’m sure I can feel the tea (and my rooibos chaser) balancing out my electrolytes. I did steep this morning’s brew maybe a minute too long — somewhere around 6 minutes, I recalled I hadn’t set the time — and it’s slightly bitter on the aftertaste. But that’s okay. My own fault. This tea can do no wrong, so long as you treat it right.

This is a full leaf blend that is also a real reat to watch infuse through clear glass.

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

I let this steep too long — made it while getting supper on the table — and now an apple flavour dominates.

Before I forgot it, I liked it much better, though I’d definitely not call it nutty. Someone else compared it to an oatmeal cookie; I can go with that.

A sweet, if weak and thin, tisane. I like my brews fairly strong, so I loaded up … which may be another reason I got too much apple. And it’s apple peel I’m tasting, with all its tang and sharpness.

Not what I expected, and a quite thin-bodied, but still a very pleasant tisane.

Mondo impressed by this one. It’s pricey, especially when you figure in shipping to Canada, so I don’t know when I’ll be ordering it … but you get what you pay for.

Drunk bare, mo nilk or sweetener.

At it again … trying varied steep times today. Three minutes: like hearing the voice of a beloved round the corner. Five minutes: Yunna bliss, as I’ve noted before.

Also drinking this from my Royal Albert china cup and saucer. Don’t know why, but tea always tastes best to me in a fine china cup. Next best is a clear glass mug.

Brew this one strong and long enough and a fine sweat will break out on your forehead. However, steeped more than 4 minutes, the ginger dominates, and you lose any green tea taste. Still very tasty, but caveat steepsterite.

Chases away a chill.

1.5TB for 500mL water, no milk or sweetener.

My last, my very last, serving of Captain Assam. He’s moving on after too short a stay. (I finished off that 2 oz tin in 9 days.) This morning’s steep: very long, a good 15 minutes. Major puckery-astringency now but also a lovely new mouth-feel, very winey. Still no bitterness. Very refreshing. Captain Assam, I wish you the best on you the nest on your journeys, and I shall sorely miss you.

Just got a bit of this from TeaEqualsBliss … thank you, oh, thank you …

2TB for 500mL water, lightly sweetened with stevia, no milk.

From the aroma, I expected a thin-bodied, faintly cocoa-tinged woody rooibos. Which can be just fine, so I happily set it steeping. For quite a while in a covered mug — hey, it’s rooibos, and I also had a cup of Assam brewed.

Instead, I’ve got a heaven-is-chocolate-scented silky, medium-bodied cup of bliss. Tastes a lot like a properly-made cocoa, but no powdery mouth-feel. So smooth, almost creamy, and I haven’t added milk. The vanilla is an inspired touch and smooths everything out.

I’m astonished at how good this is. No caffeine. No calories! A puntload of antioxidants! One of the tisanes, and one of the best cocoa-based drinks I’ve ever drunk. The rooibos itself is a tiny bit woody on the aftertaste, but then I did steep it for 15 minutes. Highly recommend.

1 bag, 275mL water, no milk or sweetener.

For a bagged Assam, really decent. Stash also carries a looseleaf Kopili Assam, and I think those leaves are a higher grade than the ones in the bag — that tea is one of the best I’ve ever tried. I’m enjoying the bagged Kopili more than I did the first time I tried it some years ago; I think I just didn’t steep it long enough last time.

A good Assam. Decent maltiness. Will develop some bitterness if steeped over 7 minues (yes, I steep that long sometmes). Undeniably more convenient for the office than the loose version, but I find it difficult to get the richness of flavour I crave.

2 TB for 450mL water, lightly sweetened with stevia, no milk.

And up goes the rating. I can taste much more creme brulee flavour with a stronger infusion. Two tablespoons is a lot, yes, but the liquor comes out a beautiful light russet. The flavour is deeper and more pronounced — no woodiness this time — and the mouthfeel is lovely: silk and cream. Even my cheeks are happy.

1scant TB for 450mL water, lightly sweetened with stevia, no milk.

I am having a Very Bad Day. Almost four weeks of assorted nuisances have blended, entwined and swollen to create my grotesque today. I am ready to scream. Or cry. But what did the posters in WW2 England say? ‘Keep calm and carry on.’ And what would my war-bride English grandmother say? ‘Cup of tea.’

My nerves are shot, so I figure I need rooibos. Then I remember the new packet of Creme Brulee from David’sTea I thought I might keep on hand for a gift. I, um, opened it. Steeped some.

Mmmmmm, yes, that’s better.

The green rooibos base tastes bright, but not minty or woody as some red rooibos can get, and not dull and grassy like some crappy green rooibos I’ve had. The liquor is a lovely pale brass. The scent is caramelly but not overpoweringly so. The aftertaste is a slight bit woody, but I don’t mind it. Soothing. Very mild. Silky mouth-feel.

1 scant TB for 450mL water, no milk or sweetener.

On my second attemot with the Chocolare Chili Chai. I expected to like this one, but I’m underwhelmed.

Lots of really good chocolate aroma, but very little tea aroma. I think the base is a China black. I dunno, I can’t help thinking an India black would have been a better choice. No real heat, just a minor nibble from the chilis on the aftertaste. Except for the Chai Guarana, I’ve found anything labelled ‘chai’ from David’s Tea to be a bit dull. No true heat, no singing marriage of hot and sweet spices. Not for me.

1.5 Tablespoons per 450mL water. (David’sTea recommends 2 teaspoons for 250mL water. I brew my tea pretty strong. This tisane needs the extra amount, too,)

A beautiful tisane just to look at. I’ve given serious thought to buying some just to have out in a bowl as potpourri, or in a clear jar for display.

Lovely chunks of apple and extremely fresh and fragrant cinnamon stick. A few peppercorns and four gorgeous green pods — caradmom? I brewed this completely loose, no bag or filter, as I wanted to watch it steep.

At 5 min, most of the tisane is still floating. Liquor is cloudy and pale. The aroma, my mother-in-law assures me, IS baked apples. Just like her mother made on cold days, with butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, nuts and raisins. This tisane has, in fact, scented the entire top floor of my house and beats even my good Pumpkin Spice Colonial Candle.

The taste? Red apples. You can even taste the peel. Red apples and sweet spices. (And no hibiscus! Yay!) Delicious. A very special tisane.

If you opt not to use a filter, you will have to sip around/through the ingredients floating on top. Just so ya know. The frugal amongst us may even scoop out the steeped tisane to mix into oatmeal later.

Drunk bare (no milk or sugar), 1 TB to 500mL water, 4-minute steep.

The Captain’s a bit more mellow at four minutes. Still a very fine Assam, but I do prefer the bit of atringency I get with a 6-minute steep.

Bright and feisty. Little tiny leaf steeps quickly and gets bitter fast. This will wake you up.

Confused. I could neither taste nor smell the lavender, though I did see it. A very minty and woody rooibos. Not for me,

Drunk bare — no milk or sweetener.

I did not think this tea would live up to the hype. I adore a good smokey tea, but too often, the smoke dominates.

So, I was wrong.

Caravan gives off a very strong smoke scent, but the steeped tea is almost sweet. The smoke is an accent, not a bully. There’s a wine-iness too, as you find in some Keemuns. (Keemun in blend?) Also something savoury, almost salty, that excites the sides of the tongue. Finishes clean, though smoke lingers in the mouth.

Damn fine.

Drunk without milk or sugar — ‘bare tea,’ in Newfoundland English.

My heart deeply wounded by the absence — rather, by my never getting to try — Thomas Sampson (though he did send me a lovely note), I thought to ring up the Captain, who, surely, cannot be as harsh and hard as he’d like everyone to think. After all, he seeks a mermaid.

I’m sorry. I just love the writing round the teas from A&D.

Received my order in the storm of a very bad day. Couldn’t even properly welcome the Captain, just showed him his berth.

This morning: dry long leaves with plenty of golden tips, smelling raisin-y, as others have noted. Sweet. Brewed for 6 minutes by mistake, 1 TB for 500mL of boiling water.

Oh.

My.

First those high sweet notes of a really good Assam. Then strength and heft. A heavier mouthfeel to this one, but it’s lovely - creamy, silky. A bit malty on the sides of the tongue, a slight bit of astringency in the aftertaste- but I did overbrew by two minutes; A&D recommend a four-minute steep. But these are characteristics of Assam that I love and desire. A clean finish, but you know you’re drinking TEA. ‘Proper tea’, as my English war-bride grandmother would call it, that will get you through a storm and help you recover afterwards. The sort of tea George Orwell meant when discussing the virtues of Indian tea: ‘First of all, one should use Indian or Ceylonese tea. China tea has virtues which are not to be despised nowadays — it is economical, and one can drink it without milk — but there is not much stimulation in it. One does not feel wiser, braver or more optimistic after drinking it. Anyone who has used that comforting phrase ’a nice cup of tea’ invariably means Indian tea.’ (_Evening Standard, 12 Jan 1946).

Not at all a harsh Assam. But a very strong one. Ideal.

And Captain Assam’s High Seas Elixir is, of course, a limited edition. I don’t know whether to hoard or binge. Probably binge. Then it won’t go stale.

(For the record, I do not despise China black tea; in fact, sometimes nothing else will do. But I do agree with Orwell that it doesn’t pack the same punch as India black yea.)

Received a free sample of David’s Orange Pekoe in a recent order.

Dry leaves: zero scent, but they look intriguing. Unassuming, perhaps, like that quiet guy who excels in art class in high school and hides behind his hair.

4-minute steep, boiling water, 1TB for 500mL, no milk or sweetener … classic ‘normal tea’ taste. Some depth and sweetness from the Assam, brightness from the Ceylon … very good. No bitterness. Yet still finishes a bit hollow, like it lacks something … more punch from the Assam, maybe? I find myself bracing for a malty pucker, some astringency on the back of the tongue, but it doesn’t arrive.

I’d confidently serve this at a big dinner or a tea party as ‘normal’ tea offering, but I’m not sure I’d go out of my way to get it for myself, not when David’sTea alone offers so much more. And my old fave, the fair trade English Breakfast from my local teashop, Britannia, leaves this eating yesterday’s dust. Perhaps I’m being a snob.

Sipping a big 500mL mug of this at Starbucks this morning … last time I tried Joy, Tazo was stiull using those little teabags with fannings. Now Tazo is all about full-leaf, and while I deplore the petroleum-based bags, the full leaf, of course, makes a huge difference.

How to steep a blend of black (including delicate Darjeelings), green and oolong? The hot water at Starbucks is just below boiling, as far as I can tell, and a 4-minute steep of one bag (they’re big bags, packed) in a 500mL cup yielded to me a toasty, slightly nutty and green, sweet and incredibly floral oolong bouquet. I would not steep this blend any longer than 4 minutes, and I would definitely use water below boiling. Don’t worry, the black teas will make themselves known. Might be soe Yunnan in here, too; definitely getting a peppery bite. I really like the 2010 Joy blend and would happily give it as a gift.

I was surprised at the flatness of the batch of Black Needles I got. Flat taste, I mean. I got some of the pepper but only a teasing hint of musk, and then a stale-wininess. Has a sharp scent, almost of sweat. If this had been my first ever black needle Yunnan, I might have liked it better, but my local teashop and Stash Teas both supply better versions.

A decent tea, but not an excellent black needle Yunnan.