Townshend's Tea Company

I came across this tea in my stash last weekend… what a happy find! I love this tea. It is so soothing and deliciously floral. A beautiful tea experience.

Brewed this with hot milk and water, steeped a bit longer than the recommended time.

Another gift from my lovely Secret Santa LiberTEAS! Thanks again. You spoiled me. :)

Imagine you’ve gone skiing for the day. The air is crisp and cold, the snow falls all around you, and by the end of your skiing escapade, you feel like you’ve living in a snow globe, but are completely delighted by winter. You retire to your ski lodge, take off all your wet gear, and get ready to curl up on the sofa in your Irish wool sweater. But, before you do, you start a nice warm, roaring fire in the lodge’s old fireplace to warm yourself and get the feeling back in your cheeks.

This is what this tea tastes like. The smokeiness is lovely and rich, it isn’t stale and ‘ash’-like which is my problem with so many smoky teas. The spices and other flavours in the tea round it out to create a very unique flavour that warms your senses as well as your insides.

Hm, I really enjoyed this one, it’s a lot more subtle than I was expecting, however. Some peach and apricot teas can be almost cloying in the application of fruitiness, but this was perfect for a morning that began too early.

As with many teas, I added a bit of extra tea and time to the process, as I like a strong cup. Taken with a bit of Truvia and skim milk.

I’m beginning to think Townshend’s really can’t do wrong. I’d like to drink more Foxfire teas, but they’re clear across town and I am a lazy sipper.

I plucked up the courage to try this last night. It smells of forest fire and tastes surprisingly mellow, considering. I nearly set fire to my kitchen though. I was busy exclaiming over the burnt smokey smell of the tea, and didn’t noticed the burnt smokey smell from a pan which had burnt dry in the kitchen. Ruined pan, ruined dinner, good pot of tea. I won’t rate this yet as I haven’t drunk LS for ages and can’t compare it with anything. I added some to my breakfast tea this morning though. I think I’m going to really like this.

I went out shopping today looking for something smokey. I keep reading great reviews of smokey teas, and I’ve been enjoying Brioche, which has a slightly burnt flavour. I found a tin of Alberta Street Chai, and a tin of Lapsang Souchong, also by Townshend’s Tea Company.

I used to drink Lapsong Souchong as a child, but that was in England, and maybe we have a more domesticated version there, maybe smokey like an indoor log fire, cozy and safe. I definitely don’t remember it being like these teas!

This Lapsang Souchong is described as “having an aroma and flavor that brings to mind a campfire.” It really does smell of the American outdoors, and this isn’t RV camping, it’s hunters, woodsmen, maybe cowboys. I think this campfire turned into a raging forest fire though. I smell devastation! I haven’t dared taste it yet.

The Alberta Street Chai doesn’t taste like a traditional chai. It tastes like this Lapsang Souchong smells. A fire in the woodshed at the very least. I added some cream and it’s delicious! I’m about to make a second pot.

I may have to have a fireman on standby before I try the other.

This is quite tart and hibiscus like…I’m thankful for the licorice for knocking that level of Hibiscus down to size a little bit. I think this would be better iced – I am currently sipping hot, tho. Not my favorite but it could certainly be worse.

Holy teagasm! This is an amazing tea and bound to make any day feel better. Tastes like Earl Grey mixed with marshmallow and cream, in the best way possible. I used 1.5 tsp as per instructions and a splash of nonfat milk. Stellar.

This was really lovely. The strawberry and lemon are present, but subtle. If it weren’t caffeinated I could drink this all night long.

Had it with one Truvia and a dash of nonfat milk.

I bought this tea on a whim, not really expecting to love it and was very pleasantly surprised. It smells beautiful and is highly flavorful, although I think a 5-minute steep would have enhanced the flavors.

It literally forced a grin onto my face that hasn’t left yet this morning.

This is a really good Earl Grey. Not overly bergamot-y, no perfume-y aftertaste, just delicious bergamot flavor that is sweet yet tart with a hint of sharpness. Lovely!

The black tea base is strong and solid without getting in the way of the bergamot.

Delightful!

My favorite black tea by far. Big fan of lychee.

I gave this a try recently, and thought it was fantastic. A great oolong, a bit pricey, but worth it. It smells very green, and grassy, but also floral, like orchids. Really liked the smell; it’s probably one of my favorite teas now.

More pear than pom today but still lovely!

Finishing off the last that I have of this tea. I have quite enjoyed it, much more than I thought I would.

Delicious and rich. Yummy.

My to-go cuppa, and sadly, very likely my last caffeine of the day…

I’m not a big fan of green tea, usually I say it tastes like lawn clippings. This one was an accidental purchase, but turned out to be really lovely. It’s very mild and while the strawberry scent is intense, the flavor is mellow.

Second steep yields a Lapsang Souchong with not much spicy-sweetness at all, and the smokiness being watered-down (even with brewing an additional 2 minutes). It’s definitely a one-steeper. Not a bad thing, just means that I’ll be making an order with Townshend’s much sooner than I thought.

I admit to a certain…skiddishness when it comes to chais. Until recently (cough…Frank…cough), I really hadn’t tried any that, honestly, hadn’t made me want to wash my mouth out after the first sip. I also only recently fell in love with Lapsang Souchong. So when LiberTEAS logged this, and I read the description, I was immediately intrigued. She kindly sent me a sample (thank you so much).

It’s smoky, and sweet-spicy, and delicious. Along with the Lapsang Souchong, I can taste the mate, a hint of the rooibos, and the nutmeg and cloves. Vanilla is there, too, and smooths everything together without being really obvious about it. There’s no real heat to this chai (yay!).

Thank you so much, LiberTEAS, for sending me some of this to try. It’s wonderful, and I’m pretty sure this is my favorite chai blend (though I’ve still not tried yours, yet).

Having another cup of this before I send the rest off to TeaEqualsBliss.

I really like this blend a lot. It’s sweet, fruity and tart with a pleasant spicy note to it. Very nice.

OK… my last tasting note for the morning cuz I’m outta here! I made some of this to take with me on my way to my class.

A nice earl grey, not overwhelming in the bergamot department.

It’s really good.

Bye!!!

IT’S HERE! Today finally got here!

OMG I’m so excited.

And yes, I’m drinking another cup of this to celebrate!

Wanna see what I’m going to be doing? Check this out:

http://tinyurl.com/22v25so

Yes… again this morning!

Tomorrow is my class and I’m all excited about it, and drinking this tea in honor of my visit to Alberta Street to meet my favorite artist.

So, I brewed this one up slightly stronger than I did previously. Mostly just because I need to shake off the desire to go back to bed and curl up under the covers. The flavor is rich and delicious and it surprises me just how much I like this tea, given its ingredients.

I guess it just goes to show that just because I didn’t like one Lapsang Souchong, doesn’t mean I’ll dislike them all.

I’ll be on Alberta Street on Wednesday to attend an art class, so I felt that this tea was appropriate.

This is a good chai. Lots of rich flavor, and strong enough to withstand my brewing method and still be flavorful.

I like this a lot better than I thought I would after I bought it, and I decided to give it a few more points on the numeric scale.

Smooth and less astringent than most Earl Grey teas I’ve had. I think this brew would be enjoyed by any Earl Grey fan.

The leaves look rather pretty with the blue wisps strewn throughout making for an interesting visual. These leaves brew a nice copper liquor.

The aroma is lighter than I expected both dry and brewed. Hints of cream, vanilla and citrus spice are the highlights here.

The cream and bergamot come together for a palate pleasing brew.