Gryphon Tea Company

A disappointment !
After opening the plastic bag and taking out the “silk” tea-bag, I was already a bit reluctant, as the chamomile and other herbs looks grinded, while I was expecting full leaves and flowers.
The herbal tea color, once steeped, is a nice bright yellow. The smell is rather pleasant. The taste is rather pleasant, though the chamomile is rather short-lasting and the verbena takes rapidly over. I could not taste the marigold (though I never managed to identify its taste, as I’ve always had some in blends). The lavender may be responsible for some of the remaining after-taste, but I’m not so sure about it either.
Though a quite pleasant brew, I did not feel it was really special and I have better memories of drinks made only with entire chamomile flowers.
The second steep came out very light and with little flavor. At least with the Gryphon teas I’ve tried until now, I could manage up to 5 steeps, which were still interesting, though feeling weaker at the end, which makes them much better value for money.
Totally overpriced and not worth it.

I was really curious to try this one out, as I used to drink quite a lot of Earl Grey years ago from average quality stock usually, had never tried any finer, nor any with lavender.
The tea color was rather lighter than I expected, golden honey. The smell is quite refreshing with both citrus and lavender coming up. And it’s definitely real lavender, like one directly picked from the garden, not the artificial one from most air fresheners.
Drinking it is also extremely pleasant : the black tea has a lighter taste than what I expected, the tastes from lavender and bergamot mix very well with each other; neither of them is too strong, nor overwhelming. The taste lasts very long in the mouth after drinking.
And after a few cups, I find myself wanting more. My feeling is that it’s a very delicate Earl Grey, like a very fine china cup, while the previous I used to drink were more like Ikea basic mugs : something that does the job, is nice enough to look at and practical to use but nothing to cry out about.
I may try to compare it later with MF Earl Grey Provence…

The bag almost looks empty, with a few small jasmine pearls. However during steeping, the pearls unravel nicely within the “silk” bag.
The color is a light yellow, though stronger yellow than TenFu’s Jasmine Pearls.
The jasmine tea is very sweet and without any bitterness (at least with 3 to 3 mn 30 steeping time). However I found the jasmine tea overshadowed, both at smelling and at tasting by the rose flavor.
The tea really smells like an oversized rose bouquet or a rose pot-pourri made with fresh petals. Very nice, but to my opinion too strong. When drinking, I did not really manage to identify the delicate jasmine taste hidden under the rose.
It’s supposed to be perfect for pairing with fish and white meat. I could personally never drink this tea with a meal, excluding dessert time.
It’s not subtle or delicate and designed to please rose-flavor addicts.
If I could compare it with a woman portrait, this tea would be a middle-age socialite with platinum perfect hair, perfect clothes but trying to hide her wrinkles by too much foundation and wearing too much perfume.

A new favourite!!

This Chamomile blend is too intense for brewing per cup. I think Gryphon’s Teas are better enjoyed by per pot.

Very pleasant white tea with a subtle and refined taste. The lemongrass is very light, almost indistinguinshable. When drinking it, the first taste is decidedly different from that remaining in the mouth afterwards; the first one is really flowery and tangy, while the aftertaste is much stronger and reminds me a bit of cinnamon (not advertised as such by Gryphon, but my personal perception).
Though really nice, I do not like it as much as the Nymph of the Nile from the same brand which had something more original and striking.
Were it available loose, I might purchase it.

I drank this tea in a hotel at breakfast. It’s more an afternoon than a breakfast tea, in my opinion.
However I really liked it and when I asked for further information about it, I got 3 tea-bags of this Nymph of the Nile and 2 of the White Gingerlily of the same brand to bring home. In less than one week, I finished the Nymph of the Nile…
The color is a golden yellow. The roses give out a nice fragrance and most probably contribute to the sweet mellow taste. The basil leaves small pieces give a refreshing and slightly herbal taste.
Even when forgotten a few minutes more in the teapot, the tea does not turn very bitter.
I would definitely buy it, were it not always conditioned in mousseline bags and will probably try again drinking both white peony teas and teas from Gryphon, which make very high quality perfumed teas.

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The second time I had this tea, and it’s just as good. This time I could taste the osmanthus, which was very floral and sweet like honey. You know what, after a cup of this, I really wanted to give somebody a kiss with the fragrance that lingered in my mouth :P

Lovely tea to take in the afternoon. No sugar pls :) Pair it with a piece of coffee cake.

It has a subtle rose and jasmine fragrance that makes the tea delicate and mellow. Golden yellow in colour. Perfect for ladies ;)

Remove tea bag after steeping 3-4 mins as the tea turns slightly acidic if left steeping.

I have been obsessed with anything Moroccan lately! I am browsing accommodation in Marrakesh and drinking this tea at the same time. ;D The tea is actually different from traditional Moroccan mint tea because it contains lemongrass and is not sugared, but being not exactly Moroccan doesn’t stop me from loving it! I absolutely enjoy the lemongrass + mint combination; it makes the tea doubly refreshing and soothing! This is my ideal night time tea as it cleanses my palate, helps me relax and gets me ready for bed. :)

I had really high expectation in this tea because the name was so delicious! Knowing that it was included in Gryphon Tea’s “Treasures” box (a sample of 10 differents) and it was only available at a shop at Dempsey Hill, I decided to visit the shop when I was in Singapore. Dempsey Hill isn’t a place that you can conveniently get to without a car (especially when the stops for the free shuttle bus are not signposted and can be a problem to tourists!), but after trying this tea I think it’s worth every effort!! ;D

The tea was as wonderful as its description had promised. The liquor had a beautiful light green colour that was characteristic of sencha, and the seductive caramel-y aroma filled the cup as the tea brewed. It looked so palatable that I took a sip right after 3 minutes! It was soft and smooth, at the same time sweet and creamy. :) It tasted very similar to T2’s milky oolong – refreshingly delicate, only sweeter. I liked it so much that I had re-steeped the tea bag several times, and I was surprised that the lovely flavour and creaminess was still there after my fourth steep. My only complaint would be the complete absence of osmanthus flavour in this tea, despite a fair amount of the flowers in the tea bag.

I would recommend a longer brewing time (~8 minutes) for this tea because it is rather mild. Very soft and lemony… I can’t quite taste the ginger though. Perhaps because I am drinking this tea in the morning, I hope it could be more zesty and stimulating, but as an evening tea it will be perfect.

This chamomile tea does have a unique taste – a lemony and flowery undercurrent which likely comes from lemon verbena. But I am not so happy with the long, bitter aftertaste that lingers in my mouth. As the tea cools, the bitterness becomes more and more intense! Now my whole cup (instead of only the aftertaste) has turned bitter 0_0

I have never got this from other chamomile blends and I am not sure what is responsible for this. Anyone who has similar experience?

Geez this is probably the strongest black tea I’ve ever tasted! It smelled like coffee when it was brewing. I would recommend a shorter brewing time than 4-5 minutes suggested by Gryphon, because the tea itself is very flavourful and the tea bag contains quite a lot of tea leaves. A bit of milk and sugar would also be a good idea unless you are feeling really drowsy!

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It is nice and makes you think of lemongrass. Add honey! And if you like this, you can also try its cousin, the Nymph of the Nile, also by Gryphon.

It’s gorgeous with a touch of honey! I much prefer it to its cousin, the other white tea that Gryphon has created in the Christmas pack.

Love the strong whiffs of floral scent, very soothing to the senses. Good for relieving cramps too. Best chamomile combination ever.

Milder than expected. However, very refreshing. Good for the bloated tummy :)

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This is, without a doubt, the best Earl Grey I’ve ever had. Nothing else even comes close. Not being able to purchase this in the USA is a tragedy.

This is quite the perfect tea. It keeps me awake though, so I try not to drink it too late in the day unless I need to stay up.

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