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As a longtime fan of Lapsang Souchong, I know that people either love it or hate it. For those who’ve never had it before and are interested in trying it, Twinings provides a budget-friendly Lapsang that showcases its essential flavours — the distinctive smoky scent and the earthy taste (like a single-malt whiskey). A suitable introduction to this unique tea.
It’s organic, it’s peppermint, it’s organic peppermint tea. There’s not much else to say about it. Useful for the evenings when even the slightest hint of caffeine would leave you staring at the ceiling all night.
Black tea and rose petals create a refined and undeniably floral-scented tea. Be careful not to over-steep it — the rose petals don’t take well to extended immersion in water, and the tea can start to smell like a corked wine if the leaves are left in an infuser for too long. Seasonal, and therefore not always available through the RoT catalogue, but worth trying when it’s in stock.
A fine if relatively unremarkable green tea, suitable for the daily cup at work or in the evening. Good value for the price.
The jasmine scent is a little overwhelming at first, but it brews a serviceable cup of green tea.
A fine oolong with an appropriately nutty flavour. Deceptively strong, however — unless you have a cast-iron stomach, drink it with a snack or a meal.
Very strong jasmine taste and an unexpected kick of caffeine to boot. This is the tea that gets me through the workday (usually in the bagged form), as it can be surprisingly forgiving if you forget about it and leave the bag to soak in the cup for a few hours — just add more hot water to dilute it and it’s fine.
The leaves look a bit like coarsely ground coffee, and as such they can hold up to scalding water and long steeping without leaving a bitter aftertaste. A superb alternative to standard breakfast teas.
The delicate scent and taste of the rose petals enhance, rather than mask, the taste of the tea itself. Can be saved for special occasions, but easy enough to drink on a daily basis.
Not as assertive as some types of Lapsang Souchong — tastes better when allowed to cool to an easily drinkable temperature. May be a good introduction for those who are not accustomed to drinking the smokier Lapsangs out there.
Very light for a darjeeling, with only the barest hints of the muscatel flavour. A bit pricey for the taste, in my opinion, but then again I prefer a much stronger darjeeling.
The popped and roasted rice that Teavana blends into its genmaicha make it an amusing sight before you add water, though as genmaicha goes it does seem as if the blending helps to conceal two less-strong teas into one slightly stronger one. Tasty nonetheless.
Very unique, as the company’s description suggests. Has a fresh, almost grassy flavour, which makes it a fine accompaniment to Thai or Vietnamese food. Also good when consumed on its own, especially for those who want to avoid drinking a stronger green tea too close to bedtime.
Solid pu’er tea with a flat and earthy taste. It tends to taste better served cold and long-steeped — not a bad tea to brew and then forget about for a few hours!
An interesting tea-and-flavouring blend, with dried lavender flowers incorporated into a straightforward sencha. The scent of lavender is very strong, which some may find disconcerting, but it steeps into a smooth and soothing green tea. A nice change from the more common jasmine-based flavourings.
One of the best bagged teas I’ve ever had the pleasure to drink — which may have to do with the fact that the tea leaves used are not the dust or fannings commonly found in most bags. You can easily cut open the tea sachet and steep the leaves in a standard infuser. Highly recommended!
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Academic. Historian. Writer. Fan. Tea drinker. Bibliophile (though that’s putting it mildly), amongst other things. But as to what those other things are, I’m afraid you’ll just have to find out for yourself.
