Capital Teas

Sipdown. Not extraordinary, but I did warm to this one several cups again. A decent flavored black.

I do get a bit of biscotti, but mostly this tastes like almond extract. It’s well-balanced with the rest of the tea, so it’s not bad, but it’s not exciting either. The Almond Pistachio Cookie tea is definitely superior to this one, but they both have the same underwhelming base.

Reviewing my Capital Teas order as a whole, I would say it’s been mildly good. Nothing was bad, but nothing was amazing. The real bone I would pick with them is price. Their quality is (at best) on par with Harney and Sons, but they are twice as expensive as H&S. What’s up with that? I got this order on sale, so I don’t feel cheated, but I really don’t see myself paying full price for this tea.

The Figgy Pudding arrived and it is better than ever :) So rich! So cherry! I don’t expect this bag is going to last me very long :/ I hope my other tea orders come soon so I can start up the rotation instead of wiping out certain flavors in a couple of weeks.

Sipdown. This was a very nice tea to have around. Not like a show-stopper tea, but a very comfortable, cozy tea to sip on. I really enjoyed how earthy the cherry was — so many cherry flavorings have that kind of almond bite to them, but this was mellow. Over all, Capital Teas seemed overpriced to me, so I don’t see myself becoming a big time customer, but if they are having a sale I will probably snap this up.

Not sure how the tea came by this name, because as others have noted, it mostly tastes like cherry. It’s almost an earthy kind of cherry. This one strikes a very nice balance with the base, and I can see why it’s one of Capital Teas most popular offerings.

Another sipdown. Sorry to see this one go. The base really needs to be punched up but I like the cookie flavor. I’m pretty sure this is one of those Metropolitan teas, so at least it’s available from several places.

Capital Teas was having a fantastic sale, so I decided to take the plunge and try a few. They have some very chic packaging, so that was a fun surprise when I opened the box.

I really adore Lupicia’s Cookie tea, but it was sort of hard on my stomach (it’s meant to be drunk with milk, but I hate milk) so I’ve been looking around for a substitute. The good news is this definitely smells and tastes like cookies. But while Lupicia’s was punchy strong, this is quite mild, especially the base. It’s really too mild to get excited about, but it’s still overall a pleasant tea. If I could find a tea that landed smack dab between this tea and Lupicia’s, I would be a happy camper.

Last day of this tea, as this steeping is finally the sipdown. While my feelings about this tea did slightly improve since my first review of it, the tea still isn’t near to being one of my favorites and I won’t be purchasing more for my cupboard. Overall, a good enough tea for most mornings, but nothing outstanding. :/

This was a good tea but not as high quality as I expected. The leaves are very dry out of the bag. Has a woody flavor, with a honey aftertaste. There’s even a very slight butter taste to it. Tastes a bit tired — not very exciting.

Looking on the Capital Teas website, I don’t even see this as being offered online anymore. I bought this yesterday at 40% off in one of their stores, so maybe that is why it was on sale — this is the leftover product from an old shipment. That would explain why it seems tired and dry.

Overall, I’ve had better Assam teas.

The leaves seem young as some still have trichromes on some of the buds. The color is a nice bright gold. The flavor is floral and sweet . On the second steep the floral flavor intensifies while the honey like sweetness plays a bit of catch up. The color grows a bit more copper. The third steep the floral and honey notes reach a balance . Over all this tea is very good.

I will agree somewhat with a previous user on the taste of this tea – someone described the taste as “spicy bubblegum” – it tastes like bubblegum (and not in a good way) but is not that spicy. Let me explain my reference for what I think is spicy – I grow my own fresh thai, cayenne, habanero, anaheim and jalapeno peppers at home in my garden. I am a big fan of spicy things in general. I had high hopes for this tea, but after trying it I looked more closely at the ingredients ( green tea, green & roasted maté, South African rooibos, rosebuds, blossoms (safflower, marigold, peony, and cornflower), ginseng root, chili peppers, carrot flakes, mango and pineapple cubes (mango, pineapple, sugar), mango and pineapple flakes, dried orange and tangerine pieces, dried strawberry, almond and other flavoring ) and was truly saddened to see that although it had so many wonderful -sounding ingredients none of them really shone through. Was also miffed that it did not specifically state what kind of chiles were in the tea – chiles have varying levels of spice depending on the variety. Steeped with boiling water for 8-10 minutes.

This is one of my go-to black teas at work. It is decent for the price

I adore this tea. The fig isn’t overpowering, the cherry taste is lovely and natural. My favorite tea from Capital.

This is another selection that my better half brought back to me from her trip to the nation’s capital. I have a feeling the name of the tea company is no coincidence.

When I opened the container, expecting a bergamot and/or cream aroma to flood out, I got something completely different, yet familiar. Flowers again! There were little blue flowers spread throughout the container of short black leaves. The Capital Teas website says they are cornflower petals. I assume it was the smell of those petals that totally defeated any competition from bergamot or cream.

I followed Capital’s brewing instructions and steeped the leaves (and petals) for five minutes at 195 degrees. There wasn’t much brewed aroma of any kind. The color was amber.

The first sip provided a mild flowery taste and not much else. After that, I could taste the Ceylon tea AND the flowers. I don’t know why, but I have detected a slight twang of astringency in almost every Ceylon tea I’ve tried, and this one was no exception. The astringency wasn’t overpowering but it was noticeable. I also really had to shake down my palate to find the bergamot in this blend.

All in all, I would say this tea is okay. It’s not exciting. The flavor is medium-strength. And, if you bought this product because you experienced a severe bergamot and Earl Grey craving, you might be disappointed.

I had enough for another cup of this, and though I was not overly enamored of my first attempt at pu-erh, I decided it was worth it to try it again.
And I’m glad I did! I used a bit less leaf, and steeped it less aggressively, and this time a creamier cup came out, with notes of the toffee, as promised!
I still don’t think I’m going to be leaping into the world of pu-erh, but I might mosey in.
Just goes to show that, if you can, always give tea a second chance.
Sipdown!

My goal to taste all the teas (currently in my cupboard) is mostly an exciting challenge! Look at this tea! Didn’t it sound good when you got it? Why havn’t you tried it yet? Get crackin!
And then there are the teas that I have trepidation.
Poor pu-erh, a teas that I live in apprehension over. Its probably not pu-ehr’s fault, I’ve hardly had any of it. But I cant move past the idea that this is a tea that is Not For Me.
No good reason there.
Super Starling! sent me this, as we share a love of all things sweet, but though caramel and toffee sound delightful, I’m wavering at the pu-erh.
But I’m being brave, so I brewed it.
I don’t taste a single note of caramel or toffee, alas. Just te pu-erh, which remains not my favorite. Oh well.

My thoughtful and caring wife brought this tea back for me after her business trip to Washington, D.C. It was even NICER of her to do it when you consider how much she HATES the smell and taste of smoky teas.

Personally, I LOVE smoky teas- when they are produced correctly. They shouldn’t be overpowering to the point that you feel like you fell into a campfire. And, they shouldn’t be so weak that you feel like you need to rub two sticks together to create your own campfire effect.

This tea came in a black metal tin similar to the containers that package Harney & Sons teas. Whether that was done on purpose or not, it did give me the impression that I was about to partake in some classy tea.

When I removed the lid for the first time, a wonderful and potent smoky aroma filled the room (much to my wife’s nausea). To me, the smell was blissful. It was like the inside of a smokehouse where rows and rows of fine pork hang as they wait to become barbecue.

I followed the container’s brewing instructions for black tea and steeped the black leaves for three minutes at 195 degrees. Both the time and temperature seemed a little light-weight to me but I always give the manufacturer the benefit of the doubt…on the first steeping.

The steeped aroma was also delightful, conjuring memories of the great campfires I sat around while a Boy Scout. At the other extreme, my wife had to leave the room at this point, her nausea too much for her to endure. The brewed hue was dark like maple syrup.

From the first sip to the bottom of two cups, this tea was just a joy to drink. The smokiness in the flavor was at the perfect pitch. Powerful and booming, but extremely pleasant. In spite of the mighty presence of the smoky taste, it was also smooth with no astringency to be found.

My wife clearly showed me that this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea (sorry, I couldn’t help myself). However, if you find smoky teas as delicious as I do, you will love this one. I HIGHLY recommend it!

I feel as if I am going to be the dissenting voice on this tea- its not for me.
I am strongly reminded of Harney & Sons Carribe, which is also a blend with tropical fruits in it, and also does not light my fire.
I do not care for tropical fruits, and I care even less for them in tea. Also black and white blends tend to make me, well, a little queasy. I’m afraid this one did.
But I’m not going to rate this poorly. Just like Carribe, I don’t think this is a bad tea, I just think its a bad tea for me.
Thank you for Super Starling! for letting me try, but this one will not be staying with me.
Sipdown!

I’ve tried this tea western style and so far haven’t much enjoyed it so I thought trying it gong fu style might give me the chance to experiment some and see if I can find a way to get more flavor out of it. Today’s experiment rating: meh.

I stepped for 5, 10, 5, and 5 seconds. The first steeping was a bit thin but still somewhat bitter. The second was more tannic and bitter. The 3rd and 4th were a bit lighter but still fairly bitter. None were undrinkable but any other flavors in the tea were mostly masked by the bitterness.

I’m wondering if I might have been sold old tea that has been sitting around for a long time or if it’s just been so long since I’ve had Darjeeling that I’ve thought I liked it better than it seems I do.

Either way, I’ll continue my experiments trying to find a combination of water temperature, amount of tea and steep time that works for me. I’m thinking that the next one I’ll cut the amount of tea down and see what happens.

Thank you Super Sterling! You are the best. Also, you gave me this tea.

This is an interesting tea. I enjoy it. I really like the slightly tangy mango flavor that comes with it. Without it, this tea would be very generic as the black tea base underneath it feels of a generic quality. A slightly tannic feel. But when you add the mango, it gives it that pizzaz it needed.

Much like our President, I will miss this tea when it is done.

Sample from Liquid Proust. Thank you!

This is quite tasty. It’s exactly what I would expect from something called “Strawberry Oolong.” The base is a smooth green oolong and the strawberry flavoring is light but clear. The flavors complement each other very well, and the tea tastes well balanced and interesting.

The scent and flavor of grapefruit dominates this tea in a good way. The hibiscus is certainly present and somewhat masks the flavor of the other ingredients. It is devilish tart and delicious. It reminds me of days spent surfing in warm water near citrus groves in far away places like Florida and Japan.

If you’re looking for sweet, this is not the tea to reach for. Grapefruit fun? Yes, that’s what you’ll find here.

A nice bright and refreshing fruit tea that works well hot or iced. The hibiscus is front and present which makes it taste like a Celestial Seasonings Tea on steroids, but it doesn’t distract as much from the fruit flavors as it might. Berries and apples dominate the flavor at the start of the sip with pineapple and a slight citrus twang at the end.

It’s a great tea for a warm summer morning, a nice little treat on the way to work to get you back into the week after a long summer weekend.

While there is certainly nothing wrong with this tea, I prefer a little more citrus in my herbal teas. Your mileage, as always, may vary.