Cheryl

Trying to expand my tea horizons, I ordered 5 samples of “breakfast” blend type teas from Upton to try and compare. From reading the descriptions and ingredients, this seems like the least “complicated” one out of the group, so starting here. I’m going to test with my usual T. of honey, because I’m just not brave enough not to : )

First impression: this has a bit of bitterness to it (not much, but noticing). I think malty would apply here. Thinking this isn’t something I’d wake up and crave (goal). Could be that the pot of Earl Grey Creme with CM Vanilla Creme has already spoiled my tastebuds this morning, because I am yearning to get up and add some (vanilla cream that is) to this. Hmmm, should I?

Yea, it needed it… just a little (much better now). Not going to give this a number yet. Overall, this may not be the “one” for me (breakfast blend that is). But we shall see.

This isn’t my first tea of the day, but after just doing a sink full of dishes (no dishwasher), everything looks so shiny and clean, so I decided to search through my (many) boxes of bagged teas. Somehow, this had made it’s way to the back of the shelf.

When I first started trying to find teas that could replace my Coke habit, one of the things that I was searching for was something similar to Sobe Green Tea, without all that sugar. Sobe’s has spearmint I think, so it took a lot of label reading and box buying to find something similar (most mint teas at the grocery are peppermint ones, or so it seemed). This was the last one I tested and ended up being VERY similar, that I started celebrating the victory. Now enter loose-leaf. I’ve tested mint-green teas from Teavana, Adagio, Upton, others from Stash, Republic of Tea (Twinings, Tazo bagged) and should just end the hunt for perfection. Why? Because having this tonight reminds me: I had already found it (at least for my tastes). The only thing left to do is to try this in loose leaf.

Rating this above my beloved Adagio Casablanca Twist, only because I love spearmint more than peppermint, but they both will always be a part of my (new) tea drinking ritual.

p.s. sweetened with one T. honey for yummy sweetness.

This is the last of my Upton Earl Grey samples that jumped into my cart with last order. Not highly rated on Steepster, but Upton says this is their best selling Earl and has high praises on their website. Last week I tested Stash’s Double Bergamot Earl and found that I was missing the tea in theirs. So hoping Upton comes through …

Well, yea, the bergamot is strong for sure. I do like bergamot, so that isn’t a problem. And yes, the tea is detectable underneath all this bergamot. This is crying out for some cream (but I promised myself not to use it tonight). I bet it would be great with cream (they do suggest it, as do many reviewers on the Upton site.) I’m actually detecting something bitter in the background…is it the tea? or the bergamot?

Honestly, as I’m finishing this cup, it occurs to me that I should take all 3 samples (this, Natural and Supreme) and just mix them in a tin and be done with it. After it’s gone, I’m not sure I really NEED a “plain” Earl Grey. I do love the EGV (having almost gone through 250g since 1-12 … and that explains the 4 lb. weight gain, after discovering the darn Coffeemate stuff, lol). To think I managed to get through Thanksgiving and Christmas without logging food and still losing 7 pounds, it does go back to “don’t drink your calories”, huh? Back to logging today : )

Since I love and can crave Upton’s Earl Grey Vanilla, the natural next step is to test their other Earls. Chocolate Earl Grey is crave-worthy too, and “Natural” Earl Grey was pleasant…so is this one (pleasant). Having gotten into a (bad) habit of adding Coffeemate Sweet Cream or Vanilla Cream to the EGV, I was a little worried about testing this with only a T. of honey. But there is absolutely nothing bitter here and the bergamot is noticeable but not overpowering. The honey is even making this a bit “too sweet”, but people look at me weird everytime I say something is too sweet (hmmm). Still have one Earl sample to go, so might have to do side-by-sides to find my favorite “straight” Earl from Upton.

The appeal for me with this tea was the mention of chocolate and cinnamon. It took me until the 3rd order from Upton to add a sample to the cart though, because cardamom appears to be the star. I like cardamom, but don’t love it like I do cinnamon or clove.

The brewed aroma is of cocoa and spices. First sip though, the cardamom is indeed the dominant flavor. Having added a T. of honey, it’s sweet and on the mild side…maybe mild to medium on the spice level scale. The cinnamon does get notice here too, not pushed out (good thing). What I’m not getting is the cocoa/chocolate in a noticeable way. I think it’s hanging out in the background, playing as the mellower (is that word?) of the spices because I still smell it when sipping.

I think what would bring out the chocolate is a little bit of cream, but need to get back to being calorie conscious, so skipping that for now. This will go into my “finish sample, but probably not order more” pile, but only because of personal taste (cardamom).

Backlogging: This is one of four bagged teas that I bought while away for a week. I also bought the “regular” Earl Grey, and thought this one was actually better. The extra bergamot, combined with cream (sweet cream by Coffeemate) made a nice orange cream type of flavor. Still miss the black tea part, although it is more apparent in this (not so much in “regular”).

Packages from Teavivre and English Tea Store were here when I got back (yay), so hopefully can start testing things again soon. Glad could keep up on everything on Steepster while away though! : )

Backlogging: Purchased this while away for a week, but it just caused me to miss my beloved Upton Earl Grey Vanilla. What I miss is the actual black tea part (weird for me to say, but it’s true!). While the bergamot is noticeable, it’s weak overall. Not bad, just “ok”.

Backlogging: Purchased some bagged teas while away last week, and this is probably my favorite of the bunch. The tea is not bitter and blends well with the flavorings. I added sweetener, and while I think Upton’s Creme Caramel is better, this is ok in a pinch.

Backlogging: Been away from most of my other teas last week, resorted to buying some new bagged teas. This one impressed me the least. The black tea seemed to be buried under the flavorings, which while they were ok… I wished I had some Upton Creme Caramel, where the tea is an equal player. Weak overall, not bad…just lacking.

Disclaimer: Really out of my element on this testing. Having nothing to really judge it against, will just record impressions and opinion (but take it for what it’s worth right now). This is a white tea (unusual for me) and I’m testing it without additions (eeeek, lol).

The brewed tea aroma is floral (can’t place which) and vegetal…mostly vegetal (like a pot of fresh green beans boiling on stove).

First sip impression: eh, going to take a few more sips to adjust to “no sweetener” added. Sip sip sip … this does taste like a vegetable broth of some sort (not green beans). There’s a slight bitterness to it (slight, slight). Not really liking the aftertaste, even though the tea itself is quite drinkable “plain”. While it’s still warm, going to run and add a little honey (wimping out, I know)…. Added a tsp. of honey, and it justs seems to get more vegetable-like. Since I’m not one to drink vegetable broth, this isn’t for me. Not going to give it a number rating (wouldn’t be fair). It’s probably quite good for what it is … not a weakling by any means.

When I placed my last Upton order, a sample of this went into my cart. But wait! It’s almost sold out (so I bit the bullet and added a tin to cart). Did I make a mistake? Hmmm, that’s on my mind as I test this tonight.

Sniffing the tin, it does indeed smell like those chocolate/orange cream candies that are popular around Christmas-time (name escapes me). After steeping, I did a little testing because I suspected this would need sweetened, and it did (added 2 tsp. raw sugar to 15 oz.). This black tea used is STRONG and a bit too strong for me. I’m not getting much chocolate (or orange for that matter). Tasting like coffee (eeeeeek) to me. Added 1 T. (or so) of Coffeemate “Natural Bliss” Sweet Cream. Sip. Sip. Sip. Mmmmmmmmm. NOW this is great. I’m getting that chocolate-covered orange cream candy impression. The tea itself has mellowed, and it is as described. I must have missed that this had flowers when ordering (brain focused on the chocolate part…go figure), but I’m not getting any hint of flowery’ness in this. I wished I had bought a whole tin of Creme Caramel yesterday, but am not regretting the “risk” of getting a whole tin of this one. Yum (and perfect for a cold snowy night…brrrrr).

This is the first caramel tea that I’ve tried and I am happy with this one. It brews up nice and dark/rich with a bit of a burnt caramel aroma. This black tea is very strong and present, but not bitter in any way. This is as close to coffee-like that I’d want to be. The caramel is very strong as well, and I think it’s the tea base that is giving it a slight burnt impression. Added 1 tsp. raw sugar and 1 tbs. of Coffeemate “Natural Bliss” Sweet Cream to sweeten it up some, and it is really strong and flavorful.

Knowing that I love Upton’s Earl Grey Cream Vanilla, I wanted to test some of their other Earl Grey choices and ordered 3 more to try (including this one). I picked this one first, because the bergamot aroma from the dry leaves was not overpowering (just right).

Being somewhat new to tea, and to Earl Greys, I’m not an expert by any means, but this tea is very enjoyable to my tastebuds. I’m not getting any bitterness from the tea and the orangey flavor is noticeable, but not over the top. What more to say? Added about a T. of honey to 15 oz. and thinking it wouldn’t have needed that much sweetener (which is a good sign, yes?).

Note that Upton has switched from using spearmint in this tea to peppermint. When I ordered it, it said spearmint. When it arrived, it said peppermint. Looking at the reviews on their site, many mention spearmint (so I’m not crazy, lol).

The aroma of the dry tea is of peppermint (uh huh, sneaky Upton). I prefer spearmint, but since falling in love with Adagio’s Casablanca Twist, peppermint is ok too.

I added 2 tsps. of raw sugar to this and it is very sweet (note to self: use less next time). I can taste the tea and it is very mild and good. The peppermint is mild in this, and in comparison to Casablanca Twist, it is sort of a “Casablanca Twist” light (more green, less peppermint). But I like this a lot. Mint is a category that I’m going to favor over others, so take that into consideration … but will probably add this to my next order to have around. Mild, calming, nice tea.

Waking up this morning to snow reminded me that this is still winter. This is one of only a few Upton samples left to sample, so good as time as any.

The dry aroma threw me at first. I can smell the spices, but I think the (unnamed “citrus” threw me). Potpourri? Maybe. After brewing, the tea became less fragrant.

Black tea, citrus peels, rose petals, chopped almonds, cloves, vanilla bits, cardamom, artificial flavor:
The black tea base is not obvious nor bitter (yay). The cloves and cardamom are well behaved and not overpowering. I can taste the almonds in the background, along with the vanilla … which makes this a very calming blend for my tastes. This is no where near being a “chai” (which cloves/cardamom conjur up). Having added a tbs. of honey, this is very sweet… might get by with less (almost too sweet). I do sense the rose in the aftertaste, which is ok (not something I’d seek out). Overall I’m really liking this tea (fears an Upton order in my future, since this is seasonal). Very mild yet flavorful.

I bought this from their latest sale, because I love Chai/Chai blend, which is this plus White Ayurvedic Chai (in what proportion, one can only wonder). I have the WAC and thought it was weak on it’s own, so if I don’t like this on it’s own either, I could always blend them.

The aroma of the brewed tea is of cinnamon and other spices blending in. First sip is cinnamon and a fruity tone. Yep, I’m getting the pineapple mostly but the other flavors are melding in. Since I like pineapple (mmmmm, pineapple upside down cake) and cinnamon, I’m finding this very good. Little too much ginger for my (sensitive) tastes, but that isn’t a fair criticism imo. Overall it is sweet (added tbs. of honey, but think it would be sweet anyway). Aftertaste is back to the pineapple and cinnamon. Haven’t tasted (green) mate on it’s own, so not sure how it’s playing in here, but not noticing much beyond the fruit and spices.

Will see if this perks me up tonight (groggy)… tgif!

Had this when I woke up, with a T. of honey and a T. of the new Coffeemate “Natural Bliss” Vanilla (which is very good btw, but has a wee bit more sugar than I’m comfortable with…will use sparingly). This is becoming a morning routine, as I love Earl Grey Creme Vanilla.

On a side note: I have allergies, bordering on being ashtmatic at times. One of the reasons for switching from Coke to tea is to be able to incorporate honey into my daily routine (and for calorie reduction overall). It really was helping me avoid medications. This morning was validation for this practice. When I woke up, it was one of those mornings with breathing difficulties (out of breath walking anywhere). Thinking I was doing something wrong (by reading comments here about honey), for the past few days I’ve been trying to switch away from honey to raw sugar, or no sweetener. I have to remember why I’m using it, because after 2 cups of this tea with honey, I’m breathing MUCH better. So there! A tea purist I will probably never be, but time will tell.

I hate being repetitive (just tested Jade Oolong and Jasmine Silver Needle by Adagio, and found them not to my liking), so I will just say that I am learning that floral scented teas are not my thing. This is a cross between the 2 others tested tonight (falls in the middle of likeability).

These 3 failures to my tastebuds is causing them to scream out for a mint testing : )

Ordered this because I saw a lot of people refer to it as their “favorite oolong”. Reading the description, it mentions that it is a green oolong (being a newbie, not sure the differences). Also the descriptions mentions fragrance again, and am not sure I’ll be a fan (after testing several jasmines).

This to me is bitter, or maybe this is what people mean by astringent (it’s different than when I say a black is bitter). I don’t like this because of that … totally assaulting my (sensitive) senses here. My immediate impression is bleh bleh bleh (going to go dump).

This smells wonderful (if you like jasmine, which I do). The taste is overwhelmingly jasmine, which I do not like. I’m just not sure that perfumes (flowers) have a place in tea, although many obviously disagree. I love to wear perfumes, but just don’t think I’m going to like tasting them. It’s kind of like wearing a scent and licking my wrist … wouldn’t do it. It would be awful, I’m sure.

This tea gets high praises on Steepster. Setting personal preferences aside, this is probably a very good jasmine white tea. I do taste the tea in this…it has a grassy taste (hmmm, I wouldn’t go out and eat grass either). And it is definitely screaming “heeeeeey, there’s jasmine in here”. I can see people really liking this, if that’s where their tea preferences are, but it’s just not for me.

I’ve had this a while and put off testing it .. not sure why. In the mood for chocolate tonight (and have none in the house, which usually isn’t a problem…candy isn’t one of my many sins, lol).

Ingredients: Oolong tea, coconut chips, roasted mate, carob pieces, flavoring (chocolate, coconut, roasted chestnut, cream), licorice root, rose petals

The scent of the dry blend is of chocolate, but more of a dark cocoa kind of way. The brewed aroma is very similar, picking up on the hazelnut (which worries me… not a fan). First sip, I am tasting this hazelnut quite prominently (uh oh). It is being tempered by the other flavors, noticably the coconut which is adding sweetness I think. Aftertaste is where I’m picking up on a slight coffee hint that others have mentioned, but it’s not bitter at all so tolerable to me. Haven’t tasted mate on it’s own, so not sure if that would be giving it that undertone (of coffee?), but don’t see anything else on list that could be doing it. Hmmmm, maybe it’s the hazelnut …

There are things I like and don’t like about this blend. Overall, I can drink it. The coconut and chocolate are becoming apparent, but the hazelnut has too much of a role here (for my personal tastes). IF you love hazelnut chocolate, give this tea a try … in that respect, it’s very good.

Not having much luck with Adagio’s flavored black teas, my expectations aren’t high with this tea. But how could I resist chocolate covered strawberries?

The dry leaf smells like chocolate to me, with some faint sense of strawberry. Brewed, the strawberry aroma is enhanced.

First sip is very disappointing… there is that bitterness that is all too common in Adagio’s flavored black teas. Behind it are the strawberry and chocolate flavors, but very faintly. Could be that my tastebuds just can’t get past the bitterness to appreciate. Oh well, live and learn, eh? : )

This is the base tea that Adagio uses in their Casablanca Twist Tea, so I wanted to try it without the peppermint. Casablanca Twist is a favorite of mine from Adagio, but I do usually prefer spearmint to peppermint (this tea caused me to rethink that, or at least give peppermint more credit). It is confusing though, because Adagio classifies this tea (Darjeeling Sungma Summer) as a black tea, but Casablanca Twist as a green… but it’s not a green, is it? : )

Anyway, I added a tsp. or so of honey to this, since that’s how I drink Casablanca, and honestly many other teas too. First sip, I am happy. There is no bitterness at all to this tea (a worry of mine with blacks). There is a sweetness to it, but is that the honey or the tea? Probably both, since I didn’t add much. Trying hard to pick up the muscatel and spice flavors this is supposed to have, but alas I can’t … that’s not to say they aren’t there however. Very mild and pleasant black tea. I think I’m making progress in my journey : )

Will be curious to see how this turns out mixed with spearmint leaves (you should see how much of those I’ve accumulated, because I do like to drink spearmint plain …well steeped long, with honey).

The description of this tea sounds great … peppermint bark chocolate! The dry leaf also smells great. It reminds me of a York Peppermint patty.

This brews up to be a very light colored tea, and has retained a weaker version of the scent of the dry. Upon first sip though, my first impression is of overall weakness of flavors. When they say “whisps” of chocolate, they aren’t kidding. The dominate flavor is of green tea with peppermint, but there is that “somethin somethin” in the background that reminds one of chocolate. I followed directions, but feel that this could benefit from adding more tea than recommended. Overall I like the flavors. It’s light, so if one was expecting stronger flavors (like me), there would be disappointment. Going to retry later with more tea.

ETA: As it cools, the chocolate flavor comes out more.