Upton Tea Imports

Still relatively light, smooth, and creamy, a with slight sweetness, when brewed a little stronger, but with a bit more tangy bergamot flavor. Almost no dryness or harshness. The profile is great with light vanilla pastries!

This is surely an EG I’d like to revisit on my Earl Grey quests. Thank you again for it, KiwiDelight!

Tea of the morning here, 2/4 of Upton’s assam sampler.

I don’t have a lot of experience with CTC’s aside from knowing they are produced in a different way than orthodox teas so here’s a short primer for the curious: http://t-buds.com/orthodox-vs-ctc-teas-body-vs-flavor/

I steeped this for 3 minutes but might try it for 2 next time. It is definitely a strong assam, bold and malty with a bit of a winey aftertaste and some bitterness too. Definitely a lot better with milk and sugar and very eye opening. Meh, maybe I’m a tea snob but I much prefer the traditional assam leaf.

I have read this is primarily what they use to make chai with in India but traditionally chai is made with a lot of milk.

Funny, I didn’t get any astringency from this cup, even with a 4.5 minute brew time with near boiling water. Instead, like El Monstro, I found this to be a fruity yunnan with medium body, a nice change from the very rich yunnans I’ve been drinking lately.

SIPDOWN! i recall nothing about this tea, except that i’m not not in love with it. at least i had the chance to try it and with upton’s samples it was cheap and there was lots to it!

Thank you very much for this morning cup of Earl Grey, KiwiDelight!

And what a great cup it was! The bergamot flavor was the primary component, but not overwhelming at all; it was very pleasant, and mildly sweet. I’ve had much bolder, harsher Earl Greys than this, so I’m quite surprised this wasn’t more assertive given the description. It’s actually particularly soft and creamy… so, so smooth. Whatever Upton is doing here, it would be amazing as an EGCreme.

The first and second steep taste very similar, although the second steep has less of that creamy texture, and the bergamot flavor is darker.

(It’s only predictable that my first-ever tea from an exchange is an Earl Grey. Haha. An EG for all milestones…)

Iced tea time again! Although my head’s still pretty messed up, I can kind of taste things again. I can’t tell that it’s somewhat hot outside. Feels so good to me because inside, I’m cold and it’s 74 in here…hahaha.

It’s been awhile since I’ve had this one though it feels like I went through at least 1 1/2 oz of it last year. This is definitely going to be my staple iced tea though. I have 3 pitchers and I’m ready to make iced tea out of them all summer long.

I’ve had my Takeya pitcher since last year and I realize it’s quite difficult to make sure all the tea actually infuses. When I took the infuser tube thing out, the tea up top was bone dry. Anyone have a preferred method for preventing that? I was thinking of just dunking it in the water I put in the pitcher before attaching it to the lid. I really wish I had one like the one DavidsTea is selling where the filter goes down much further into the pitcher :(

Anyway! This is like my ideal straight black iced tea blend. And it’s so cheap! Not even $6 for 125g. It does get a bit plain, I really should just try sweetening it a tad. But honestly I don’t know if I can taste things still, I kind of gave up and have only eaten bread today. Still tastes like Darjeeling and Ceylon to me though so that’s good.

Mostly it’s just thirst quenching, you know. Just refreshing. If the sound of cars didn’t make my head spin, I’d sit on the patio with the pitcher and enjoy being warm.

This is nice tea, but nothing special. It definitely does not live up to the delightful Upton Mao Feng Imperial though seems similar to their Jade Pekoe. It has a mild honeyed flavor, but not much smoke or deeper flavor. The leaves seem to be broken into small pieces, which I didn’t expect. I don’t catch any spice or fruit really. It is just a plain jane non-offensive tea that I probably wouldn’t have even pegged as Keemun had it not been listed on the package as that. It is not bitter, astringent or mineraly which speaks well, but probably best looked at as a bargain tea.

Upton excels at unflavored black tea and black tea blends. Not so much, based on my experience, with flavored teas. The cherry in this one is a Coke-syrupy cherry. Drinkable if you’re light on leaf and steep time. Still haven’t iced it down, but I think that’s when this one would be best.

What about you? Is there a flavored Upton tea that’s actually tasty?

Another sample from Upton Tea Imports. There aren’t too many decaf teas I like but I figured I would try this one out. It definitely smells and tastes like vanilla, but the flavor is a bit thin and wine-y. I think the decaf process removes a lot of flavor from the tea, which is too bad. I added some soymilk to this and it was okay. Will probably finish off the sample I have with some sugar but won’t buy a large size.

I prefer the Vanilla Comoro from Harney and Sons for a vanilla decaf black tea.

I wanted to try a West Java tea so I got a sample of this with my last order.

Wow, to me this tea is nothing like the description that Upton gives it. Sweetness? Delicate flavor? Where?? I got a dark orange cup that was extremely tannic to the point where I could not drink it plain. I am not fond of overly tannic astringent teas so I had to dump some soymilk in here, as well as sugar in order to make it palatable. I plan to finish the cup I have but the rest of this sample is going in the dustbin, bleah. I hope my stomach does not revolt.

Cup of the late morning. I’m trying to finish off last year’s darjeeling samples before I start digging into the new ones I got from Upton (may not be possible).

After steeping I pulled the brew basket out of the cup and am amazed at how green the leaves still are. I really think ff darjeelings are in a class of their own.

It’s been a while since I tried this last. The light yellowish cup is very aromatic and reminds me a lot of flowers. I still don’t get evergreen from this but there’s a slight nuttiness and a lovely fruit essence in my opinion. This is sure a tasty cup of tea! See previous notes for last year’s impressions if interested…

Another tea from this morning. A tasty cup though likely not a re-order. I do like the chocolate notes, though they’re nowhere near as present as laoshan black. they blend nicely with the malty tones in the tea. over all not a bad cup

1/4 of the Upton tea Assam sampler I got yesterday in the mail. Because I really need MORE tea, right?

Anyway I love drinking assams in the morning which is why I went for this sampler. Normally I would put soymilk and sugar in an assam right away but I wanted to at least try a sip of this plain first.

I like it plain which is a good sign, it’s very smooth, malty and has a touch of chocolate. I only steeped mine for 3 minutes and I noticed a lot of the other tasters went for 4 minutes, still I like it at 3. It’s good with a splash of soymilk and at this point doesn’t need sugar in my opinion, although you could certainly add some.

There is a slight tobacco or something in the finish although nothing bothersome. I am enjoying it, a good basic assam.

Another of my morning teas that i’ve been too busy to log. It appears that this is the second time i’ve done that so this may jsut be one of those teas that is a good average every day tea that doesn’t sneak up on you but isn’t bad either. I’ve got more of this in my sample – have i mentioned lately how crazy awesome upton samples are in terms of size and value?!?!? so i’ll try one more time at least. Mostly i recall this being a little malty, but not overly so and not bitter or anything. so yay!

For a anniversary gift, My mother gifted me with some lovely Moroccan Tea Glasses.
They are turquoise and gold and just plain gorgeous.
So, thought I, how can I possibly use these glasses for anything else without first using them as they were originally intended…for tea! (translation: Yah! an excuse to buy tea!)
So, I ordered this from Upton. A proper big tin of it too.
We are real glad I did too.
Because it is over in my gypsy wagon (a camper where we have been living and will be living most of this summer) and after a long morning in a hot field (yes, its hot here already, reaching above 90 degrees) this tea cold-brewed has absolutely hit the spot.
I have also enjoyed it hot.
Hubby even loves this tea, he will be out in the field, and stare up at the sun and say “can’t wait to get back to the camper and have a large, cold glass of that minty tea”
I might have to place another order of it soon, we are flying through the big tin much faster than I expected.
I miss you all! Since living over in a camper most of the time without wifi or anything, I can not write to you all.
But, I am thinking of you each time I have a cuppa.
I bought a little kettle and tea cups from a thrift store and I have a little tea chest over there in the camper.
My hubby makes fun of me.
He says that most people might bring some tea bags, but no, I have teapots and a tea chest of loose tea.
I tell him just because we are living in a camper does not give me the excuse for missing out on a proper cuppa.

Bumping up the rating on this one a little as it was nearly as bitter as the first time i had it. pretty sure i just over steeped it the first time. A decent assam but given all the others i have, I don’t think i’ll restock this once its finished. Not a bad tea but nothing special that warrants a permanent spot in the cupboard.

Backlogging a few cups from last week and this morning! See other notes!

Backlogging several cups and sipdown!

i don’t know. i drank 2 cups of this today trying to get to know this tea. but it just wouldn’t open up to me. i’ll try again in a few days. some teas just aren’t quick to trust.

Back from a weekend of too much beer and too much food at the cabin. Detoxing with salads and pu-erh today! :)

The dry leaves of this tea are nicely green, showing low oxidation. They’re quite heavily broken considering the supposed “FTGFOP1” rating. They smell quite good – plenty of floral notes.

They produce a golden liquor right in between what I’d expect of green and black. The color is probably comparable to a medium oolong.

The flavor is ultimately somewhat disappointing. There is little body, and there are not adequate floral notes to compensate for this issue. The aromatics in general are quite muted and unimpressive. On the plus side, there are no defective tastes, but if someone were to serve me this tea and tell me that it’s a decaf, I would believe that person. Keep in mind this is somewhat old 2012 crop Darjeeling, so it is probably slightly stale.

sometimes I regret my favorite hockey team being my favorite hockey team. I had an AWESOOOOOME time w/some people originally from Montreal last night (I’ve been told I can just tell people I am from there too so I don’t have to answer why I’m a fan of them ever again ahahaha) but it was kind of overshadowed by a terrible hit that pretty much busted the face of one of my favorite players b/c of a bad pass by another of my favorite players and all I see everywhere is the blame on the guy who passed and IT’S MAKING ME SO MAD.

But I have gotten two people’s phone numbers in a week! FRIENDS.

I figured I’d come home last night and drink tea, I have no idea why I didn’t have any earlier in the day…but anyway coming home last night turned into 1:30 in the morning. And poor Sebastian was so sleepy I did not want to keep him up.

So finally this morning I could have my tea! Especially because it’s suddenly really windy and cold (ok it’s 62 but that’s way cooler than it’s been). I got this from JoonSusanna awhile back and I really wanted to try it as close to how Frisian tea is made as I could. I didn’t have the right kind of sugar but I used demerara sugar and then coconut milk creamer.

I am pretty sure I did not make the tea strong enough, I probably should have checked on that because that would have helped. Just maybe a teaspoon max more would have helped. Still. I didn’t completely overpower the tea.

It is good, still could get malty notes, I think that sugar made it really kind of caramel-y. Definitely a hearty tea that’s a good choice for waking up. Actually I still don’t want to be awake.

Igor Stravinsky’s “Les Noces”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yi-5mugSiX4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiazdmmZF_8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-ni8XUOqdM

“Nijinska’s Les noces is considered to have feminist elements. Les noces deserts the upbeat nature of a typical wedding, and instead brings to life the restrictive nature of a woman’s duty to marry. The dark and somber set provides the backdrop to the simple costuming and rigid movements. The individuality of the dancer is stripped away in Nijinska’s choreography, therefore displaying actors on a predetermined path, as marriage was regarded as the way to maintain and grow the community. The choreography exudes symbolism as, huddled together, the women repeatedly strike the floor with their pointe shoes with rigid intensity, as if to tell the tale of their struggle and ultimate reverence. The Russian peasant culture and the dutifulness it evokes in its people is represented in Nijinska’s piece.”

i was a dance major for half of my college life. i also was a dance major in high school. basically i danced every day of my life from when i was very young until i was 21. (yes i’m counting all those dance routines to Prince songs i made up when i was 7.)

i know Les Noces is not for everyone, first of all it’s full of the typical Stravinsky dissonance and also choc-full of operatic singing in russian, second of all… it’s weird.
but there are parts in the second act that will ALWAYS make me wanna bound around the room and dance wildly when i hear it.

this tea is dark and no frills and a little dour. but just a little.
point is. i can see it sitting and steaming on the lid of stravinsky’s piano.
and i can see the Russian peasant girls brewing it before their wedding.

More Upton thunderdomin’. This morning it was TA38 Mangalam Estate Assam GBOP Clonal SPL vs. TA48 Doomni Estate Assam GFBOP.

Both brewed up that deep red characteristic of Assam. Both smell malty and a bit dark chocolate-y. An early whiff of bitterness, also usual.

Compared to the Mangalam assam this is smoother and less bitter, but still a bit bitter without any milk. Sweeter. Also has a subtle pleasant muskiness the other one doesn’t. Needs only a dab of milk; too much overwhelms it. It’s a gentler assam for sure, but I kind of like it…it reminds me of some of the elements I love from darjeelings. I’ve really got to find some way to stop being sexist in these reviews when it comes to categorizing flavors, but it feels like a more “feminine” take on what I tend to think of as a masculine kind of tea.

This is tricky, because it’s still assam-y in that it’s what you reach for in the morning when you just want to wake up and aren’t concentrating too hard on subtle nuance and perfume. And in that regard, as a wake-you-up tea, the Mangalam is much better, and takes much better to morning accoutrements like milk. This one’s softer and more conducive to contemplation and as such feels like an afternoon tea—but with too much of a jolt for that time of day, and always with the fact darjeelings (and Nepali blacks, and smoke-floral blends…) already do the job looming. So I kind of feel for this tea—it doesn’t have a place to go, a time of day to call home, where it belongs better than any other options. Yet it’s a perfectly fine tea. Aw, a misfit tea.