Auggy

Greetings fellow Steepsterites! Yes, I have been woefully MIA for the past while, due to a couple of main reasons. One, I have a new obsession with knitting (anyone here on Ravelry?) and two, my tea pantry is rather full. These two factors have combined in such a way that it means that I am adding very little new tea to my pantry (currently I am in sip down mode – I’m down to 75 teas!) and spending most of my money on yarn (though I did finally cave and get A&D’s Double Knit, Tiger Assam and Mount Gray. More on those in future.) Just in case my love of tea and half a dozen cats didn’t cement my status as a nerd, I think adding knitting to the mix does.

Anyway, even when focused on drinking through some teas, I still can’t say no to trying new things. Which is how I ended up with this little tea (and a couple others). So yes, keep in mind during this review that this is a tea provided by Whittard, not purchased with my yarn money.

As some of you may remember, I am on the hunt for the perfect Earl Grey. WWJLPD. (What Would Jean Luc Picard Drink…. what was I saying about my nerd status?) So far, I have come close but haven’t hit THE tea. Will this be it? No clue!

It does start off strong. The smell of the dry leaf is really neat. It’s so easy for EGs to go perfumey but this one doesn’t. Instead it smells spicy and earthy and really nice. I sniffed the bag the entire time my tea was brewing. I suppose the earthy could be the tea, but given the strong scent of the bergamot, I kind of think the tea isn’t going to play much of a role here.

Post-steeping the liquor is really dark. Seriously, when I made the husband’s tea, it looked like coffee before I added the creamer. Not a good or bad thing, but an interesting one, I think. Smell-wise, it’s a bit sweeter and lighter than the dry leaf which edges it a bit into perfume territory, but not in a bad way. In a ‘yum, I’d wear that everyday’ way instead of that ‘OMG, what is that old lady wearing? You can smell her half a mile off’ kind of way (the latter of which tends to be the perfumey way most EGs smell).

I feel I must interject for a moment before I continue. While I am on the hunt for the proper EG (WWJLPD), I tend to be massively disappointed with EGs more often than not. I’ll admit, I was expecting this one to go the same way. Especially since my first sampling of this was with no sugar or milk (though a rather short steep time). So it is with rather a lot of surprise that I must report:

Crap people, this is good. The initial note is bergamot. Like, bergamot. As in the fruit. Maybe a bit of bergamot peel, even. It’s obvious and noticeable yet not overwhelming. The tea is definitely the backup singer to the bergamot. It’s a bit indistinct and bit muddy but it’s solid and full-bodied and feels silky. I definitely like how it feels. (I’ve been subjected to a lot of Twinings English Breakfast in the past week which must be drunk with milk to make it tolerable but even then, it has a bit of a starchy, cardboard-ish mouthfeel. This is positively decadent compared to that so I very much appreciate it.) There’s a touch of bitterness at the end of the sip, but it’s not from the tea. It’s kind of a peel/pith tingly note from the bergamot. Tea-wise, the end is very clean with no astringency or bitterness. As the tea cools a bit, I get a slight touch of tacky feeling in my mouth after a sip which tells me that, with some encouragement, this tea could go astringent, but I’m okay with that because I think that quality helps make a tea good with milk and sugar (a necessity in the perfect EG since the husband takes his morning tea doctored).

While I’m not ready to marry an EG based on one tasting, I’ll admit, this one has me rather excited. I could totally see this as answering the question of WWJLPD.

Sigh, it looks like my Steepster absence has not changed my inability to write a short review! I have two more Whittard teas (both EGs!) to review and a few A&D teas so I shall try to be a better tea reviewer in the future. If I can tear myself away from my knitting. (I’m currently making socks.)

Some of you may remember my seemingly constant hunt to find the perfect, Picard-worthy Earl Grey for the husband. While I don’t necessarily see Picard as a lavender guy, I figured what the heck, I’d try this one, too. (After all, I didn’t have to get much since it was offered in my grocery store’s bulk section.)

It is without hesitation that I state that this tea is not even remotely Picard-worthy. The only thing it has going for it a nice and silky mouthfeel. Sadly, that silkiness combined with the slight bitterness of the tea and the floral smell of the lavender makes me think I’m having my mouth washed out with soap. The bergamot in it isn’t bad though, but I can really only pick it up when I hold the tea in my mouth. And honestly, I only do that so I can enjoy the fleeting moments of silkiness and flavor before I swallow and the bitterness begins to encroach.

If you’d like to experience this tea without actually purchasing it, just grab some floral soap (lavender, I’m sure, would be idea but the floral aspects aren’t pronounced enough that I think it would make a difference), lather up your hands and then wipe them across and around your lips. Now lick. Ta-da! You have now had this tea.

The more I sip the lower the rating drops so I’m just going to pour it out now.

A little something I picked up at my grocery store. (I think I was in a bit of a buying frenzy as they had Les Palais des Thés teas for $3.)

Sadly, it smells like rooibos in the bags. Just rooibos. Post-brewing, the main smell from a distance is rooibos but if I stick my nose in the cup, I get almond. Almond is nice.

Taste-wise, there’s a strong flash of almond/marzipan as I first sip, then kind of nothing, then rooibos, then a bit of coconut aftertaste. The aftertaste develops a bit more after about thirty seconds, becoming quite nice as the almond comes back some. The aftertaste is almost a dead match for the aftertaste of a coconut macaroon ice cream I have (and love).

But here’s the thing: rooibos does not go well with these macaroon flavors. Normally, wood and coconut can blend well, but in this case, it doesn’t because the coconut takes on a sweeter, higher note when coupled with the almond. So the macaroon taste and the rooibos tastes remain separate and battling during each sip.

A very contentious tea. Maybe that’s appropriate for Election Day. Meh.

Another share from the delightful Angrboda! Oh how she spoils me so!

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from this one – TeaSpring’s description only says a peppery note with a sweet finish and it blends well with milk – so I was expecting something sort of one-note and a bit rough. That was backed up by the scent I got when I stuck my nose in the cup – a vaguely sweet, mild tea smell, nothing spectacular. But the taste? It sure packs a wallop!

First, the most distinct thing for me is the end note – at first (when the tea is hot) it gives a soft plum-skin-like sour note similar to some Keemuns. Mostly, sour and I don’t agree, but for some reason I tend to love it in my Chinese blacks. Perhaps because it is coupled with such smoothness and sweetness. As the tea cools, this note migrates more towards heavy cocoa. For the second half of my cup, I felt like my tongue was being dipped in cocoa after each sip.

That’s the endnote, though. What about the main part of the tea? It’s flavorful and sweet. Oh, so sweet! I can’t really peg the sweetness – it’s more like white sugar than honey but sugar isn’t quite right either. But it’s very there. The whole front end of the taste is filled with sweetness. Sort of a combination of a sweet light rye bread with maybe a hint of floral or fruit (I can’t quite tell) and then a dash of cocoa. Or like sweet potato without the potato. That kind of sweetness.

Anyway, this is a fantastic little tea. There’s so much going on flavor-wise that each sip is attention-getting. It’s weird, though, because the notes are all sorta soft and elusive as to what exactly they are and so it seems almost delicate. At the same time, though, this isn’t a delicate tea because the potency of the flavor is like punch-you-in-the-mouth intense. I like teas like this that confuse me with so many yummy flavors and interesting characteristics. They make it impossible to get bored!

This is like the mullet of teas. But instead of “business in front, party in the back”, it’s “Assam at the beginning, Ceylon at the end.” Assam’s malt, cardboard and a hint of honey show up while it is hot, a milder Ceylon woodiness and lighter body (and something fairly rye-like) shows up as it inches closer to room temperature.

Needless to say, though, this is both tastier and more stylish than a mullet.

Look, I have nice logical tasting notes written out for this tea (another delightful share from Angrboda) but there are lots of good tasting notes here talking about the chocolate and cinnamon notes, the delightful sweetness coupled with the light rye-ish grain taste. I mean, it’s delicious, that’s pretty obvious. (And how awesome is it to find natural cinnamon in a tea?!?)

But let me tell you exactly how delicious this tea is. This tea is so good that I had my first cup on Tuesday and by Tuesday afternoon, I ordered 4oz of it. (It should arrive today!) And now I’m having my second cup and I want to go order more because no way will 4oz be enough of this tea. The only tea I’ve done that with before is CTG’s Keemun which remains my favorite tea of all time. (I bought 200g when CTG closed, even though I still had 100g in my pantry. And I wish I had bought more.)

This kind of makes me want to flail around like Kermit the Frog it’s so good. (There actually was a little flailing and some cheering when I saw that tracking had my package out for delivery.) And today it’s giving me hot cocoa – like creamy mouthfeel and everything – which makes me want to flail even more. I love this tea. It’s fantastic. Two cups (plus resteeps) and it has earned a place on my Desert Island Tea List.

I ♥ this tea.

(ETA: The second steep today is cinnamon-y with the endnote of rich dark chocolate. The husband is outside mowing in almost 80° weather but I’m having to restrain myself from going outside to make him try this. I’m sure the last thing he wants right now is hot tea, even if it tastes like a decadent Mexican hot chocolate.)

I received a lovely tea package from the (even lovelier) Angrboda and I was excited to see it included this tea – after all, she speaks highly of it and I do enjoy a good Keemun! Happily, I’m not disappointed – our tea twin powers seem to be working!

I’ve been a bit stuffy lately so I didn’t bother smelling the dry leaves, but I couldn’t help sniffing the tea post-brewing. It smells so good! It makes me think of a light-ish rye bread with honey – lots and lots of honey. There’s some fresh baked biscuits and maybe a little cowboy. (That is, the smell of someone that’s worked around leather, dirt and barns and doesn’t smell strongly of those things but has hints of those smells. Personally, I find it a pleasant smell.)

The taste is surprisingly sweet – honey and maybe a bit of plum, but not a tart plum, more super-ripe plum meat instead of the tart skin. There’s a bit of smoke (but more cigarette than campfire) when I slurp and a nice little smokey prickle in the aftertaste. This actually reminds me of the delightful Keemun 1110 by RoT. Keemun 1110 has a fig taste instead of plum (but they are both purple, so it’s a pretty similar taste for me) and an orchid sweetness instead of this tea’s honey sweetness. This one has a bit more depth to it because of what I now think of as the cowboy flavor and that’s what the Keemun 1110 was missing for me.

CTG’s Keemun is still my all time favorite, but this one has easily bumped Keemun 1110 down a place in my “Best Keeemuns Ever” list. Big thanks to Angrboda for the chance to try it!

Okay, this is surprisingly good. I was at the grocery store the other day and poked around to see what offerings RoT had in the Chinese green department. Chicago Tea Garden made me like them (with their lovely Wuyu and Bi Luo Chun). I just ran out of the BLC and since it’s not like I can buy any more, I’ve been kind of hoping (but not expecting) to find something that could replace it.

This isn’t quite there, but maybe with some tweaking it could be a good contender. It’s got the nice sweetness that CTG’s BLC has and a good nuttiness. It does have a prickle of saltiness and astringency and a bit more sharpness to it than CTG’S BLC, but it’s not so strong that it is unpleasant. I wonder if, with a shorter steep time or less leaf, I could get that astringency to back of. If I could get it to do that without losing the sweeter notes, I’d be a happy camper.

I will say, I’m pretty sure this stuff is fairly fresh as the store didn’t offer this in their bulk section the week or so before I bought it. I’m starting to think that the fresher a Chinese green is, the more sweetness this is. Can anyone confirm or deny that thought?

Hmm, not too much dancing going on for me. It’s got a hint of sweetness and chlorophyll as it cools, but mostly it is a bit of a flat, woody and somewhat boring taste. The saltiness I tend to get from Chinese greens isn’t overwhelming, but overall, I’m just not in love with this tea. It’s drinkable, but not necessarily desirable.

The dry leaf smells a bit like coconut and death. Maybe some weird cough syrup – not cherry but some sort of medicinal fruit. I wasn’t too up on the idea of a fig tea and now I’m downright apprehensive. However, I am feeling bold today. (Or stupid. Sometimes I get the two confused.)

Post-steeping it smells more of coconut and a hay-like cookie. Better. A little scary, but still. Better.

The taste is faintly pu-erh-ish (earth, hay, barn) but it’s not too heavy or thick (which is the issue I seem to have with most cooked pu-erhs). Instead, in the middle of the sip (where the syrupy thickness would start to come in) the coconut kicks in and lightens things up, turning them sweet-but-not-cloying. The finish is still sweet but almost… jaunty. I’m not a huge fan of licorice/anise tasting things so I worried about the fennel in this, but I can’t really pick it out other than a hint of tingle in the back of my throat at the end of the sip. It’s been ages since I’ve had fig so I can’t say if this is appropriately figgy or not. Mostly, I get pu-erh and coconut.

All in all, not a bad tea – definitely not as bad as I feared. For those that like the flavor of pu-erh, this would probably be more successful, but for me, the aroma of pu-erh makes me unconsciously brace myself. Even though the too-heavy syrup I am braced for doesn’t kick in, just the subconscious anticipation of it makes drinking this tea not so relaxing for me.

This does make me want to try a coconut tea from ATR because the coconut aspect to this is nicely sweet, light and creamy. I’d like more of that, please.

I am finally sling-free so typing isn’t so difficult for me. Rejoice! Things are still a it uncomfortable so I will (attempt to) be brief.

This is a rather interesting take on caramel tea. It’s not really very sweet though it is obviously caramel. There are only two chunks of actual caramel in my entire bag of tea, neither which I have put in while steeping, so that could influence the “not sweet” bit, but I tend to think that the intention is to keep this tea interesting with caramel and tannic tea notes as the balance of the two is mentioned several time in the description. Also, they suggest the tea be steeped for five minutes, which really does lead to a lot of tannic sharpness.

I prefer this at four minutes where the sweet and tannic seem more evenly balanced. Of all the caramel teas I’ve tried, it’s not really my favorite. (Kusmi’s Caramel or Le Palais de Thes’ Toffee are currently battling for that honor.) Yet, while I don’t love this tea, I respect it. It always manages to keep my attention as I sip on it. I find it similar to Lupica’s English Caramel, which is on the bittersweet side of things, but I found English Caramel a bit too bitter/tannic to be enjoyable. This, however, seems to strike a perfect balance (at four minutes, that it).

But I’m not so much into caramel for the balance or for the bitter. I’m in it for the sweet. So I tend to prefer this when it has cooled greatly, bringing out more caramel and relegating the tannic playfulness to the aftertaste. Still, a well done tea, especially for those that prefer their richer dessert teas to be balanced by some punch.

My right arm is in a sling right now (thanks, bursitis!) so this will be short (I hope). Ginger is the most noticeable thing here, both in scent and flavor. There is a bit of lemongrass in there, too, but I can’t pick out any orange or licorice. The ginger (and probably turmeric) make this a fairly heavy and dark. It’s different for most herbals I encounter. Kind of like drinking my spice cabinet. But in a good way.

I love citrus, particularly those in the sweet orange category, though I have a fondness for all citrus types. Thus I simply had to try this tea out. Seven types of citrus! Whee!

The smell of bergamot is the strongest scent in the dry leaf, but there is a note of lighter sweetness too – the sweet orange, I believe. Post-steeping, it’s a heady mix of citrus. Nothing distinctly stands out; instead it is a sweet, fragrant, dark, silky, exotic scent that smells slightly different on each sniff. Sweetness here, tangy there, a dash of spice. It all kind of swirls together and I’m finding it rather sensual and dizzying. Or maybe the dizziness is coming from the constant sniffing.

The taste doesn’t seem as sparkly as the smell, but it’s nice. I get bergamot on the front end, a flash of bitter orange on the back, a nice clean aftertaste with a bit of… lime peel? and a general citrus flavor (slightly sweet) throughout. It becomes a little sweeter and more floral (from the bergamot, I suspect, though perhaps the grapefruit) as it cools, but it still doesn’t sparkle as much as the scent.

I think the strength of the bergamot in this makes me think Earl Grey-thoughts and I was personally hoping for a bit more sweet orange out of it. But looking at it from an EG perspective, I quite like it.

Those of you that know me know I don’t like red rooibos. Green rooibos is cool, but red tastes like rotting wood to me. Which really doesn’t explain why I keep buying it.

This is another tea I picked up from my grocery store. I knew it was rooibos and I probably wouldn’t like but it just smells so good! The dry not-leaf smells like orange sherbet or dreamsicle ice cream. That scent is one of my most favorite smells in life so I couldn’t resist buying a little.

I didn’t anticipate liking the taste, especially as post-steeping this still has that lovely dreamsicle smell, but it is coupled with the sadly stronger wet wood smell that is rooibos. But surprise, surprise! The taste is 90% dreamsicle. Yay! Slurping brings out a bit more orange fruit flavor which is nice and juicy. The rooibos comes in at the very end of the sip; a bit sour, a bit rotted wood. It’s not really all that pleasant but, after the first sip, it’s not really all that present either.

Sadly, I think the flavoring of this might not be my friend as I seem to have developed a bit of a headache after finishing my first cup. That is sad because this is a rooibos that is quite delicious. If drinking it didn’t hurt, I’d definitely do it more.

I like trying odd teas like this. I’m not expecting too much, but I did enjoy Kusmi’s seaweed tea blend so I figured I probably wouldn’t hate this.

I love how this tea smells! Like really good nori sheets – the kind that has a bit of soy sauce or additional flavoring to make it just a little darker, a little richer. Such a great smell. LOVE.

The taste is very much seaweed, too, just like the smell. Unlike Kusmi’s Algotea which has a green tea base, this has an oolong base and I think it makes it smoother. The Kusmi has a tendency towards mineral-esque astringency at the end, but this is almost silky. Based on the smell and liquor color, I assume it is a dark oolong but honestly the taste of the seaweed is dominant.

In the second steep (1min), the oolong base pokes out a bit more. The smell is a bit more smoky and peachy with the nori smell taking a slight step back. The taste, however, very similar to the first steep though with the nori perhaps being a bit more balanced by the oolong.

This is a funky but awesome little tea. It’s definitely not for everyone. If you wouldn’t consider nori as a legitimate snack food, I’d probably pass this one. But for me? I love it!

First point of advice for this tea: DON’T LISTEN TO THE COMPANY’S STEEPING SUGGESTION! I had a momentary flash of insanity and steeped the first cup of this for 3 minutes, per the suggestions on the bag. How could I have been so silly? I mean, look at these lovely leaves (See? http://flic.kr/p/cSiS9C Lovely! Well, okay, a little luster-less but I still find them pretty – long and twisted in a way that reminds me of roll your own cigarettes). So if you want to take these pretty things and turn them into a big one-note cup of acidity and harshness that is basically an attempt to be coffee instead of tea, then sure, go ahead, steep for 3 minutes (or more). But that wasn’t what I was looking for with this. Cutting down the time drastically for the second steep didn’t give me what I wanted either, so I decided to give this another go with fresh leaves.

This time I went for one minute. The overall result was much better but still not quite what I was hoping for. Let me explain: the dry leaf smells so lovely. Like when I visited the brew store with the husband and got to smell (and sample) all of the lovely malted grains used for home beer making. Sweet, musty, grainy and just delicious! So I had this marvelous smell – and I wanted it to come across in the taste. It definitely doesn’t at three minutes – it’s harsh and almost burnt tasting and way too tannic.

At one minute, the taste more matches with the smell but it isn’t quite as light as the smell lead me to believe it would be. It’s definitely more of a stout Yunnan, but it has nice notes of sweet malt and a dab of honey. It’s enjoyable but for the fanciness of the leaf and of the price, I was expecting for something a bit softer.

Instead, this reminds me a lot of Adagio’s Yunnan Noir. Don’t get me wrong, I like Yunnan Noir. It’s kind of my go-to tea when I want something stout and energizing without needing to add milk or sugar. So I like this. But $19.50 for 3.5oz or $12 for 4oz. Well, I’m sure you can guess which tea will (continue to) be my go to stout Yunnan.

(I can pretty much guarantee that I’ll be sniffing the leaves a lot on this one, though.)

So many new teas to try! I love getting in tea orders! Except, this isn’t from a tea order. In fact, I really didn’t mean to have this one today. Or ever, really. Because this is a tea I picked up at the grocery store for the husband. He tends to prefer stout things that can be sugared and milked for his morning commute and since I don’t go for that much anymore, I get some less fancy, more additive-appropriate teas at the store for most of his morning cups. This one is a new brand our grocery store just started carrying and I always like to try new things. Or, in this case, make the husband try new things. (Well, that and the brand name made me giggle.) But while I was making this for the husband this morning, it smelled so yummy, I decided to scrap my previous plans (of LPdT’s Yunnan d’Or) and try this one out.

I did cut this out of the bag and brew it loose (just in case the bag was corn-based) and the leaves were pretty long and leaf-like for a bagged tea. Only 1.9g, though, so I used a small cup. But this smells really unusual for a bagged black tea. Most smell like plain, slightly muddy tea. Or, at best Assam. This? Smells sweet and cuddly and fruity, like a really nice Chinese black. Actually, it smells like Fujian. And how unusual is it to find that in the grocery store?

The taste is a wee bit thin feeling (even with a 3min steeping) but what is there is really nice. Super smooth, a little fruity-tart, a bit of earthiness hiding underneath the cheerful hay-ish sweetness and cuddly notes of slight malt. It’s nicely complex with no astringency and it’s a very easy drinker. It doesn’t feel quite hefty enough to stand up to additives, which is fine for me but I’ll have to keep that in mind next time I make it for the husband. There’s a nice caffeine buzz to it, though, which does make it morning-appropriate.

I’m pretty sure this is a Fujian tea, but it has a little something that makes me feel I haven’t quite pegged it. I don’t know if it is the slight thinness that does it or the stronger note of fruit-sourness that I tend to get more in Keemuns or the just the fact that it’s a lower quality Fujian than I’m used to so it doesn’t 100% mesh with my prior experience. Regardless, this is a surprising grocery store acquisition. I wouldn’t go out of my way to order this or anything, but it’s nice to know that, if I am ever in a tea deficit, I can grab something this tasty at my local store.

My first real tea in three days! (Because I accidentally poisoned myself with something and have been dealing with a super-sensitive stomach that couldn’t handle more than ginger ale and white tea.) This might not be the best return-to-tea choice but I’m sharing with the husband and he’s a big EG fan, so I felt we needed to give this one a shot.

The dry leaf smells a bit perfume-y and spicy. Perhaps like a spicy perfume? It’s rather strong. I must fight the urge to sneeze. But, as I’m learning, ATR tea post-steeping tends to be much mellower and more balanced than the smell of the dry leaf.

The liquor smells quite a bit like Romanoff – elegantly orange, but stronger. As for the taste… For being steeped for five minutes, this is remarkably smooth. It is a bit overwhelming in the Earl department, though. Earl Grey flavoring runs such a range, from spicy bergamot to perfumed bergamot. I tend to like the former – peel and pith type tastes – more, but this seems to be in the later category. It’s a bit like eating flowers at times.

The tea base, though, is quite lovely. Not the star of the show, by any means, and I kind of wish it was. It’s nice – smooth, a bit earthy, soft, with a full mouthfeel… but dressed in many layers of bergamot perfumed flowers. I think it deserves a tad more than to be tarted up like an Earl Grey floozy. A hint more screen time would be nice.

Some sips aren’t as perfumed and the tea just tastes sweet with a tiny squidge of spicy. I like those sips. And I seem to be coming into more of them as the tea cools. Or maybe my tastebuds have been coated so that they don’t recognize the perfume anymore, just the other flavors? These sips almost feel silky and that’s fun.

I’m a bit torn on this one. I think it’s well done in a way – easy to drink straight (no additives) and there’s no harshness to it. But it’s a bit too floral for my tastes and so seems to be a bit out of balance, at least in comparison to the other ATR teas I’ve had so far. If the EG were taken down a notch or the tea-base ratcheted up two notches, this could make me much happier.

That being said, the husband (who is this house’s EG fan) gave this 4/5 stars and said the bergamot was nicely balanced. So perhaps if you are like the husband and find most Earl Greys don’t deliver on the Earl or require milk and/or sugar to smooth them out, this one might be up your alley. Lots of Earl, no sugar required!

Smoky and blood orange? Sign me up! Though the dry leaf smells fully blood orange – I can’t find any smoke. But it’s a really good and true-to-life blood orange smell so I really can’t find it within myself to care one bit that there is no smoke. The blood orange smell is lovely. LOVELY, I say!

The smell of the tea post-steeping isn’t as just-peeled-a-blood-orange delicious. There’s a tannin-ish prickle of maybe-smoke and a hint of orange peel tang and sweetness. Not as intoxicating as sniffing straight from the tin. I find that I want to be a bit disappointed with that, but I’m going to reserve judgement.

The taste is more similar to the smell of the liquid instead of the dry leaf. Brisk is the first word that comes to mind – brisk but with a definite true-citrus-fruit flavor that gives it a little tangy sweetness. I happen to love that orange peel/zest/oil type of orange flavor so I like this but this also has an almost floral edge, especially when very hot. As it cools it’s more juicy orange with a bit of peel, which I think is lovely and much preferred over the almost-floral. And added bonus, slurping brings out a more orange-juice-ish flavor.

When I hear “smoky”, I tend to think of things like Bohea or Lapsang Souchong. I love my is-this-tea-or-a-smoked-ham? smoky teas. So I don’t really think this one is smoky at all. There’s a bit of that smoky prickle at the end of the sip but that’s all I get unless I slurp madly and then I get faint notes of campfire. But just faint.

All in all, though, I have to say that this is a very well done tea. Part of me wants stronger orange and smoke, something to match the strength of the orange smell in the dry leaf, but I think that would make this an entirely different type of tea. As it is, this tea is delightfully mellow and relaxing and rather elegant. I feel fancy just sipping on it. So while I love the strong orange smell of the dry leaf, I kind of love the more subtle and balanced taste of the actual tea. I have a feeling this is going to be one I reach for over and over. Though probably more in the afternoon than first thing in the morning.

So I’m sitting here with a second steep of this tea sitting about two feet away on the table next to me and I have to say: THIS SMELLS SO FANTASTIC! The scent keeps wafting towards me and it smells like a bakery has opened up in our kitchen.

When I first started drinking tea, I loved anything flavored. Flavored teas meshed especially well with my habit of taking a sugared-and-milked tumbler of tea on my morning commute, too. But since getting more into tea and having no more morning commute, I’ve become super-picky about my teas, especially the flavored ones. So it is with my picky hat on that I say: THIS TEA IS DELICIOUS.

It smells like one of those little square flaky pastries, the ones with the cutting across the top and a light icing drizzled over them? I have no idea what they are called but that’s what this tea smells like. Yum. Even the second steep, while smelling more bread-y, smells like fresh sweet pastry.

The taste isn’t as sweet as the smell but it definitely has a lovely almond-paste-ish flavor and some notes of faint, light bready in the first steep. The second steep is leaning more towards a nutty-ish cinnamon & sugar toast but is equally desserty and delicious.

For a flavored tea, this has a nice, full flavor. It’s not a single note tea. Nope, there’s almond and light cinnamon and bread-y and the flavors kind of tumble over each other, making this taste really nuanced and interesting, especially for a flavored tea.

So yeah, even holding this to my extra-critical-of-flavored-teas standard, I must give this a very enthusiastic thumbs up.

This reminds me of the Japanese black teas I’ve tried – it’s got a sour taste to it with a strong woody note. But it doesn’t sparkle like the Japanese black teas did. Instead, it’s kind of muddy, like typical Chinese tea characteristics are trying to poke through but are dulled by the tart-plum taste. It balances out a bit as it cools, feeling more underripe sour fruity dessert-ish but it still just misses the boat for me.

It does shine a little more when brewed in larger volume. It has less sour/tacky notes (though they are still there at the end of the sip, just a tad) and more warm, fuzzy Yunnan-ish notes. It’s still not a tea I’m going to adore, but a 12oz cup is much tastier than an 8oz cup. That requires that I give the tea a little bump in ratings, but it’s still not all that shiny for me.

More backlogging! Whee!

The smell is super interesting. Grassy but toasted, floral, honeyed woodsy and chocolaty. The wet leaves have notes of fresh rye bread and… raisins? The liquor smells toasted but green – somewhat like Zealong Aromatic.

Oh the flavor! It’s honeyed, roasted, floral, green, creamy. It has a fuzzy, creamy mouthfeel on the front and a clean, slightly crisp aftertaste. There’s all sorts of lovely flavors poking out and swirling about in this tea. Green, floral, creamy, woodsy, toasty, grain-y, honey, fruity…. it’s really delightful.

The second steep is a bit more on the roasted than green side of the street. It’s still got nice floral and honey notes, but stone fruit pops out more, as well as a gentle roasted note.

Third steep brings to mind a slightly more typical wuyi with darker flavors and an air of mystery.

Fourth steep brings to mind a milk oolong. No seriously, it does. Lightly caramel notes over a soft silkiness. I should have kept the leaves. Why did I get rid of them before trying this cup???

The smell of the dry leaf is interesting – I feel so close to placing it but just can’t. It’s a little sour (in a grape-ish way), a bit musty (in a hay-like way) and a bit sweet (in a honey-type way).

I’m giving this a go sans milk and sugar though, based on smell and just the general nature of breakfast teas, I suspect this might be best with some additives.

Okay, this is a bit weird. The front end of the sip has a very nice flavor – sort of honeyed malt with a dash of maybe peaches? – and it leads me to expect great things. But then it just sort of fizzles. The taste just tanks into this flat, thin, woody textured… thing. And the aftertaste leaves me feeling like I’ve just licked a used cardboard box.

The description of this tea says it is supposed to be “complex and uplifting”. I’m going to assume the uplift portion of the program is caffeine and just focus on the “complex” bit. If by complex you mean confusing, sure, I’ll go with that. But other that that flash of brilliant potential at the beginning, there’s nothing complex about this tea. The bulk of the taste feels… hollowed out. Like there are things happening around the edges but it fades out when it gets to the center, where it should be wowing me with yum.

And now I’m noticing, after each sip when the aftertaste hits, I keep making a face like I smell something bad. I don’t, in fact, smell something bad, but this tea leaves a bitter aftertaste. Not normal Assam bitter which I associate as a nutty bitter that is bitter, yes, but not entirely unpleasant. This bitter reminds me of when my trash smells a little funky and needs to be taken out even if the bag isn’t full.

I’m not quite half way through my cup and I wish I were done. Well, can’t hurt to add sugar and milk, so let’s see how it is then…. Better. The bitter end note and thin middle taste is gone but sadly so is the flash of pretty at the front. Instead, I’m tasting a fairly unimpressive but pretty drinkable tea. In fact, it gives me flashes of having tea with my English host family oh-so-many years ago. I can practically picture their living room and hear the mom’s voice apologizing for her bad language.

For bringing up happy memories, I will not hate this tea. In fact, I made have a tiny soft spot for it now, if only when it has been sugared and milked. (Uhm, not milked like a cow. You know what I mean.) But I will never again drink it straight. And I might only drink it doctored when I’m feeling sad or nostalgic. Therefore I give this tea a very strong ‘meh’.

I’m pretty sure this tea was one I got because something Angrboda said struck my happy button. I can’t remember exactly what it was, but I’m glad I gave this atypical-for-me tea a shot.

The dry leaf smells woodish and a bit of a mild/dark cinnamon. The tea, however, is mildly smoky, sweet, fruity and a bit floral. Lots of interesting stuff going on.

The taste is lovely. Sweet and smoky on the front end (in a cigar-ish way) and sweet and nectary on the back end (like honeysuckle). SO GOOD. There is still a bit of that wood note that is in darker oolongs that I just can’t love, but the other aspects are super tasty. Very deliciously drinkable and pretty, even.

I can’t say for sure if I will rebuy this just because I don’t normally find myself going for this type of tea, but this is a lovely example of type that I would be happy to drink again (and again).