Mark T. Wendell

I think this is my favorite blend of black tea: malty, sweet, smooth, and absolutely delicious. I bet this would pair exceptionally with some sort of pastry.

Tasted very similar to Peet’s Ti-Kwan-Yin. I think I prefer this, though that might just be because it came in a fancy box in the mail. Nevertheless, definitely a delicious and calming cup, one of my favorites.

Runa but repackaged for MTW. Going into this one I thought I knew what it was going to taste like – the stereotypical Guayusa lima bean/pea taste but this was rather good. Nothing too overpowering, but, calming, and nice.

Rich, sweet, smooth yet floral, a bit juicy! Great! The aroma alone is memorable! Still trying to think of what the smell reminds me of!

Important. Wendell says steep for 4-5 minutes. DONT. Do 3 minutes. Thank me later. Worlds better with the shorter brew.

Nice. Nutty. Green. Simple. Smooth.

SO MUCH BODY. SO smooth. For such a long brew time, you’d think you would get a really strong, bitter cup. But I got a super nice smooth brew with a nice, sweet, light smoky tang on the sides of the mouth. Brilliant.

For me this was a much stronger tea than the description would suggest, but it’s grown on me. A nice wakeup in the morning.

I think MTW’s Earl Grey is one of the best Earl Grey’s I’ve had and their Decaf version holds true to the original. Flavour is similar, with a good bergamot floral/citrus smell and flavor. I have noticed that the Decaf version brews a little lighter and slower than the regular version…I add a little extra tea to the tea ball to compensate (or I’d have to be even MORE patient).

Thank you to TeaEqualsBliss for sending me a bit of this tea.

Nice! Very hefty Yunnan – strong and peppery, but with a smoky tone to it too. Earthy. Very rugged.

I like this a lot.

Awesome! I’m so excited that Mark T. Wendell has added yellow tea to their ever-expanding collection of tea. And this yellow tea is fabulous!

Thank you to TeaEqualsBliss for sending me some of this tea. YUM!

This Vanilla tea totally makes up for the tea fail I had a bit ago. This tastes so rich and smooth and creamy that at first taste I didn’t immediately recognize the black tea base as Ceylon… I thought that maybe it might be something a bit heftier… maybe a blend with Assam. I don’t taste maltiness from the Assam, but the black tea base is pretty substantial and supports the powerful essence of vanilla. There’s no mistaking that there is vanilla in this blend. It’s POWERFUL … and really yummy.

Very grassy; we tried this at work and it’s the one people refer to as the lawn clippings. Tried it brewed at 160F and at 180F, but finally to had to accept the fact that I just don’t like this tea.

Thank you to TeaEqualsBliss for sending me this Darjeeling – it’s awesome!

My first impression after the first sip or two was “fruity” – it has a beautiful grape-y flavor to it, and as I continue to sip, I also notice an apple like flavor develop. By the time I’ve reached mid-cup, I taste spice notes.

There is less astringency to this Darjeeling than I’ve come to expect from a Darjeeling, instead, I find the finish here to be remarkably smooth and pleasantly sweet. This is a fantastic Darjeeling.

I almost forgot I had this one but am sure glad I found it yesterday! Backlogging! See previous notes…

Yes! It’s grand!

Awww yeah…see previous notes :)

This is really amazing! The leaves look like a cross between (what you would expect or assume from a) Gunpowder Green and a cloudy black. It’s a green-grey-er type black leaf. It has mellow black tea aromas and flavors and brews-up a lighter to light-medium brown. The flavor is incredibly juicy and extremely pleasant. It’s mouth watering and has hints of sweet-floral and natural fruity notes mixed in. This is delightful!

One of the better tasting black teas that is UNflavored but on the naturally lighter and mellower side of black tea offerings. Niiice! And YES…that’s NICE with 3 iii’s!

A reflection of a withering peak in a calm lake

It’s extremely important that the flavor and quality is completely dependent on how many infusions it has gone through.
First infusion: 4 minutes at 212 degrees:
Extremely dark, purple-brown opaque liquor. Smells of wood and fish. When drunk, produces a very dry texture, almost like drinking sawdust. Very earthy, reminds me of camping in the woods. Warming.
Second Infusion: 4:20 at 212 degrees:
Much lighter in color. Much smoother. Still wooden, but a bit of peppery flavor peeks through.
3rd infusion: 5:00 at 212 degrees: Much paler than last brew; golden. Very smooth. Full-bodied, notes of sweet wood and black pepper. Very satisfying.
The third brew is very satisfying. Tons of earthy character in this tea.

OK, I was initially disappointed that MTW did not have the Pattabong Clonal Queen this year, being a creature of habit, but I bought a tin of the Singbulli Estate believing that MTW knew what they were doing. I was not wrong. I have been enjoying this tea on many afternoons. Like most First flush Darjeeling’s it has that wonderful combination that puts it somewhere between a green tea and a black tea. They recommend a 4 minute steep, I do five because I like a little more flavor and it can take it without becoming bitter. I let my tea water stand for 3 minutes after boiling to not scald the fine leaves. MTW scores again!

Nice! This is crisp and fresh tasting. The fruit flavors are light… quite subtle in fact, but I like that the tea is prominent here. The fruit is sweet with a tartness that starts out very subdued but then presents itself more in the aftertaste.

Going to make some of this tonight for iced tea tomorrow! Looking forward to that!