Upton Tea Imports

I received a sample of this from Upton with instructions for brewing it as an iced tea. I did it the “traditional” way, brewing it hot and then mixing the hot brew with a roughly equal amount of cold water and serving it over ice. I used 4 teaspoons of dry leaf, brewed it in 16 ounces of boiling water and then strained it into a thermos and added a teaspoon of stevia to sweeten it. Then I poured it into a pitcher holding two and a half cups of cold water.

This Ceylon is a solid choice for an iced tea — not minty or flowery or super-special in any way, just a good iced tea with plenty of body and some astringency. I realized while drinking my first glass that I neglected to add a squeeze of fresh lemon! I will remedy that situation for Glass No. 2.

Sipdown no. 51 of the year 2014. Ahhh, this is making me miss Rabs, the person who kindly sent me some of this.

I don’t have a lot to add to my previous note, except to say that there is some nuttiness in the flavor, particularly in the aftertaste, and that it reminds me a little of water chestnuts more than of true nuts.

One day a while back when I was whining about how every time I was moved to order a first flush darjeeling I’d been met with “OUT OF STOCK” (which really is almost as disheartening sometimes as “GAME OVER”), Rabs very kindly offered me a taste of this, the full name of which, according to her darling Old Typewriter fonted label is “Namring Upper Estate 1st Fl Darjeeling FTGFOP1 (TD88).” I’ve been waiting for the right time to give it a taste, and, unfortunately, I’ve discovered that as with having children, there is no right time. I must just come to grips with the fact that there’s never going to be a quiet day when I’m rested yet perky with a relaxing expanse of time in which to savor this.

So instead, I’m going to have it now, after a day that included a flat tire coming back from a work related event and an afternoon (when I should have been doing more work) at the doctor’s office trying to get number 1 son in to be checked for strep throat (again) before the weekend, along with an unhealthy degree of anxiety over the fact that I haven’t done my weight workout yet today which makes a full week of no weights. I hate doing the weights, so I feel particularly guilty about it, as though any discipline I once may have had has flown the coop.

However, I have been granted a furlough of a few hours by the BF who has said he’ll amuse the kids (which I think means sleeping while they play with the Wii) so I can work out. And yet, as you can see, I’m not yet working out. I’m gonna have some tea, dammit.

How green this looks! I’ve read that darjeelings aren’t fully oxidized, but seriously, this looks very very green. Like a green tea. Or maybe white? It’s green in color but it has that silver/grey tip thing that white teas sometimes have. In any case the color is not at all what I’ve seen in other darjeelings. The leaves are for the most part fairly large and curly. They have that sharp smell I associate with darjeelings and that I’m guessing is “muscatel” since I don’t know what muscatel smells like. One day I’ll have to find out.

The tea’s liquor is a deep yellow, sort of the color of liquified butter. Its aroma isn’t strong, but I pick up a nut current as well as a very dilute essence of the sharper smell of the dry leaves.

The mouth feel is pretty amazing on this. It’s soft. Really soft. It reminds me of how I used to feel after visiting some place with hard water and then returning to New York, and washing my hair. And feeling like I couldn’t get the conditioner out no matter how long I was under the shower. Then realizing that it was out, it was just the softness of the water that made it feel like it was still full of conditioner. Brooklyn water was even more that way than Manhattan water. This tea feels like Brooklyn water.

To me the flavor isn’t really rich. It’s delicate. Mild and smooth; no sharp edges to this one. It’s the second darjeeling I’ve had recently that seemed closely related to an oolong, in that it seems toasty and buttery like an oolong. I do get the muscatel notes, or at least what I think they are from the fact that they taste like the smell (see above). And I am getting a really nice finish with a sweet aftertaste. It’s kind of like a darker version of one of the better green oolongs, if that makes sense.

Anyway, I’m quite enjoying it. Thanks much, again, Rabs!

For some reason the leaf in my sample has some sort of yellowish tint instead of being jade in color… kinda sad looking. I usually brew this type of oolongs at 200F and this one is sensitive to high temperature, turning into grassy brew. Only after reducing the temp to 190 I was able to get it right.

The flavor is surprisingly mild. It has creamy, almost milky notes and is very sweet, with slightly woody, toasty background. The aroma is fleeting, I had to keep my nose close to the cup to actually smell something, which was floral and sweet.

I can’t say I’ve enjoyed this tea but definitely can imagine someone who would because all in all it is interesting, unusually tasting oolong.

This is only tea that I have had from Vietnam. This is also the only tea that I’ve drank that comes off exactly as advertised. The tea has beautiful leaves and steeps up amber in color. The tea has a refreshing clean taste with a slightly sweet finish. This is not a heavy or breakfast tea. I really enjoyed this tea and it is one I may reorder.

I didn’t steep this for the full 8 minutes as suggested by Upton because it’s been my experience with teas containing hibiscus that they become way too thick and syrupy (not to mention TART) when left to brew that long.

I really like the way this tisane smells. Strong with cinnamon but I can also smell the fruity notes from the plum too.

This is not a terrible tisane – The cinnamon is the strongest element in the blend, but there is a nice enough fruity flavor to it too. The hibiscus is a bit tart, and I think I’d have liked it better if there was less hibiscus in this blend, but it isn’t too sour, just a little bit more tart than I would like. A little agave nectar helps to curb that – but it would be nice not to have to add it for that purpose.

Not the worst tasting tisane I’ve ever tried, but certainly not the best either. I’m glad I tried the sample of this, but it’s not one of which I’ll purchase a full-sized package.

D&D&Tea, day 1, roll 3: 13

“So,” Rabs said, holding out a new scroll and quill for Cait to take, “ready for the last one for today? Then you’ll probably need to rest up a bit.”

“Sure!” Cait said gamely. “Bring it on!”

Rabs held cupped hands up to the innkeeper, who was still watching them with amusement. “Care to pick again, m’lady?”

She tapped her fingers together for luck and poked downward. “There!”

“Ah!” said Rabs, and Cait braced herself. “Shall we see if thirteen proves lucky?”

“I’m ready!” Cait said, but her words were drowned out by the clatter of a six-legged carriage stomping down the street. Another one rumbled behind it, and a faster two-legged machine raced between them and was away before Cait could blink. All around her, people swarmed in and out of tiny shops carrying tiny parcels; the smell of spices, shocking after the bright floral notes from the jungle, suddenly washed away as if they had never been. A scarf flew by in the rising wind, then a bonnet, then most of a penny dreadful, and the shoppers around Cait fled before the cold cutting air.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cait_tea/4689410824/in/set-72157624121434691/

The sky darkened — no, the sky filled with a flock of birds, cawing in strange grating voices to each other. One swooped down at Cait, who dodged it. Three more followed, and Cait paid for a strike which knocked one from the air with a slice across her shoulder. The bird hit the cobblestones with a metallic crunch, and Cait stared as it burst apart and spilled wires and cogs into the street. More birds were wheeling about, and Cait raised her club and set her jaw.

“Over here, lassie!” someone yelled, and Cait sprinted for the open door. The inside was dark and warm, and as the door slammed shut behind her she could hear birds strike it with tinkling crashes. With a rasp, a lantern on a table flickered into light. “Now then,” said her rescuer, “why were you standing out there like a fool?”

“I didn’t know what they were,” Cait said. “I still don’t.”

Her rescuer, a big woman with her shirtsleeves rolled up and three different hammers stuck through loops in her belt, didn’t look impressed by this ignorance. “And what are you doing running around in robes? Are you some kind of cultist, then?” Cait clutched at her steaming-teapot taliman and drew breath to explain that she was a cleric, but the woman suddenly barked out a laugh. “Ah, one of those tea-worshippers! You lot are okay. Go on downstairs, then.”

Cait followed her gesture left, seeing a dark doorway that might lead to steps, and turned back only to find the room empty again. She opened her mouth, closed it, and took the lantern. Through the doorway and down the stairs, down, down, and down. The walls sometimes seemed to vibrate softly with the hum of some machinery, hopefully something that was keeping them safe from those mechanical birds. Finally she reached a low, dark cellar that seemed to stretch out endlessly into the earth. Along the near wall were hearths with chimneys drawing upward, and in each hearth was a cauldron.

“All that steam has to come from something, doesn’t it?” said a voice, and Cait jumped, seeing the same woman suddenly beside her again. Although, at a second glance, she might be carrying different hammers. “Here,” she said, holding out a hand for Cait’s mug and scooping liquid from the first cauldron into it. “I think you’ll find this one suits.”

“Thank you,” Cait said, but the woman was already gone again. With a sigh, Cait bent her head over the mug and breathed deeply. This was pure essence of tea, wonderful to smell, and Cait was sure its steam could power any number of marvels. The first sip was thick without being heavy; it felt round and full on her tongue. Cait set the lantern down and wandered with her mug, letting the soft earthiness of the tea meld with the warmth and darkness of her surroundings and the arcane hum of the machinery. Each sip lingered, warm and comforting, and the last cooling drop was as good as the first had been.

When her mug was empty, Cait drew out the scroll and quill and let the runes flow: the crosshatched earth, the glowing embers, the soft curves for subtle sweetness like honey combined with the strong posts that could support so much. Then, peacefully, she snapped the quill.

“You look satisfied,” Rabs said from her seat by the fire.

“I am,” Cait said, and she made a bow to the wizard. “Thank you very much for this adventure.”

D&D&Tea, day 1, roll 2: 7

Cait sat down in the proffered chair with a heavy thump. “Ow,” she muttered. “You didn’t say anything about there being undead guarding the magic for your scrolls.”

The hood of Rabs’ cloak tipped in a way reminiscent of a secretive wizard hiding an eyeroll. “Why did you think I needed an adventurer?” she asked, and pushed a new scroll and quill across the table to Cait.

The innkeeper came by with a mug of cider, set it down by the wizard’s elbow, and gave Cait a sympathetic look. “Are they all so dangerous?” she asked. “I mean, this is why I have these adventurers pay for the whole week up front, but this seems a little harsh.”

Rabs snorted. “Here,” she said, and held up her cupped hands for the innkeeper’s inspection. “You pick the next one, then.” The innkeeper poked dubiously through something that Cait couldn’t see. “That one?”

“No, no,” said the innkeeper. “How about there?”

“Hmm, the seventh facet,” Rabs said. “Very well!”

Cait blinked as the air thickened around her. Then, with emphatic care, she stood up from the chair and drew her club. This one appeared to be a jungle filled with the heady fragrance of flowers in bloom.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cait_tea/4688402121/in/set-72157624121434691/

“This is lovely,” Cait said, and braced herself.

Nothing attacked.

“Hmm,” Cait said, and stopped to just breathe in the flowers for a few moments. Revitalized, she chose a direction and began picking her way through the tangled vines. A beautiful line of blue flowers ran past her feet like a stream, and she crouched down to admire them. Above her head, jaws snapped shut and something growled angrily.

Cait didn’t shriek this time (any slight squeaking noise was surely your imagination). She whirled around and drove her club hard into the throat of the —

Well. She whirled around and struck, glancing the very tip of her club off of a heavy vine that writhed away. Beside her face, a pugnacious purple-mottled jaw dropped open again to reveal a row of vegetative yet extremely vicious teeth. Cait rolled to the side and struck at the vine again, this time barely bruising the thick greenery. However, it bought her time to reach into her bag, pull out a bag of salt, and dump it into the maw of the cleric-eating plant. With one last writhe, the plant wilted to the ground. Behind it, Cait could see that the stream of blue-flowering plants appeared to be pouring from another cauldron. Eagerly she approached this one and scooped up a mug. Then, remembering the previous tea, she pulled out a different bag and shook a small twist’s worth of sugar into the mug.

Holding it up, she took a deep breath. Yes, the floral richness of the blue flowers was wafting from the steam of the tea as well. A cautious sip broke open a lovely sweetness and Cait smiled, sipping peacefully as the warmth of the tea washed through her. As it cooled, though, the sweetness began to turn cloying. Heaviness dragged at her limbs, and she shook it off and paced, returning to the tea only to find it cooler and sweeter than before.

As she turned again, a sharp scent broke through the air and Cait turned, about to welcome the change when she recognized the blood orange from the earlier tea, a last remnant perhaps of her spell to detect the undead as the carnivorous vine rose up again, swaying before her on its weakened stalk. The jaws seemed to part with foul laughter and then, even as Cait reached for her traveling mug of holy water, it turned and slithered away.

Grimly, Cait lifted her mug of tea and drank the cold liquid down. She pulled the scroll out of her bag and, lifting its quill, bordered it with arrows of urgency and sweetened it only with licks of flame through the middle. Then she stopped, looked down at the bubbling blue flowers, and threw rune-petals of joy and delight out from the middle to meet those ominous borders and give them meaning. With one last smile for the blossoms, she snapped the quill and reformed at the inn.

“That was nice,” she said to Rabs and the innkeeper. “Thank you! But you know, you’re going to have to do something about all of those chairs I keep losing.”

Drank it black – steeped for 4 minutes – no sugar. Pleasant slight astringency, almost smoky flavour but far from being as pronounced as my usual favourite – Russian Caravan (or Lapsang! ) Straw colour. A refreshing drink.

I started my Valentine’s Day with this today and it was a great addition to the celebrations at school. Nicely smoky and smooth citrus – the grapefruit was really noticeable today.

This tea is helping me stay sane after a long day with 6 year olds. So far, so good but I think I will require more tea just to be on the safe side.

This tea is perfect with a hearty dinner. I prefer serving it hot with cane sugar and half and half. Perfectly smooth, smokey, and tangy. This tea is doing a great job holding me over as I wait for my orders from Harney and Sons and Premium Steap.

Having the last infusion of this from earlier this morning. I am going to miss this. Nice, smoky citrus black tea.

Goodness, the Steepster Universe has been conspiring against my goal of hoarding my most beloved teas. I was trying to save this until the end of my summer course, but everyone has been doing the smoky thing lately…and I wanted in on the fun! I’ll be able to enjoy one more infusion and then I’ll be officially out. I will really need to get another smoky tea and this one again in the future! Yum!

Slightly smoked citrus = happy dance!

It has been a couple days since I have had this, mainly because I’m running really low but also because I have so many other great teas right now. This tea is something else. Earl Grey was one of the first teas that I really, really loved but I have had such a hard time finding the Earl Grey that was made for me. I either find them too light on the bergamot, too much like perfume, or just generally gross due to the inferior tea base sometimes used.

But this tea, my fellow Steepsterites, is my perfect Earl Grey. It has not been often in my tea experience that I’ve come across a tea that I think about so often that it is almost borderline obsessive. That is what this tea does to me. The only other tea that ever came close was the Red Dragon by Adagio that Erin so generously send my way in my early
Steepster days. That tea, however, could not earn the elusive rating of 100 because it was a blend of Earl Grey, Irish Breakfast, and Ceylon. I was afraid that any of the aforementioned teas would not be as amazing separate from the group.

To this day, I have yet to find a tea that will receive the rating of 100. I’ve thought all along that I would only give such high honors to one tea per category/type of tea, which still leaves room for lots of teas rated 100. I am definitely sure now, that this tea has earned its slot as the first 100 rated tea from me and my 100% Perfect Earl Grey.

To quote Rabs – TG.

2nd infusion is just as good as the first. To me that is a testament to the quality of this blend. In my experience, black tea tends to be weaker but still drinkable on the second infusion. Especially if the first infusion is around 5 minutes as with this tea. The citrus notes are somewhat muted and more harmonious with the smoke aspect but I really like it. In fact, I’m not sure which infusion I prefer. Oh, and I also completely lost track of time and really oversteeped it but it didn’t turn bitter. Very forgiving.

I really like this tea and have been drinking it for several days now. I was a bit afraid of trying this because it is a Russian Earl Grey and I’ve not come across any smoky teas – so I’m not sure I’d like it. Fortunately, the smoky aspect is very light and complements the bergamot flavoring nicely. The smoke isn’t center stage, but rather just gives a slight warmth/tingling at the back of your throat. I also like that they added grapefruit to this blend which provides a kick of extra citrus but without the “drinking perfume” issue that can happen with Earl Grey. This one is getting high marks for sure and going on my shopping list. I love Earl Grey and this is perhaps the “perfect Earl” that I have been dreaming of.

I know this isn’t a breakfast tea but it looks like coffee and the taste is very earthy and mellow. It has no bitterness or astringency at all and is very easy to drink. I like the fact that its easy to measure, just one birds nest in 8 oz of water and 6 minutes later you have it. Its also cheap as you can steep it 4-5 times and the taste doesn’t waver much. I like it.