June's Flame

I made a batch of this on a hot day and tried it both iced and hot. I much preferred it iced with no sweetener. I tried different steeping times and it had much more punch and flavor with a much longer than prescribed steeping time — toward 5 minutes or more. The predominant flavor for me is orange with other herbs and the tea taking a back seat. Its very lovely and fresh tasting. I also noticed you could do quite a few steeps.

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.

The smell of the brewed leaves and brewed liquor is lovely with a nice fig-like tobacco smell with hints of vanilla and cinnamon. The taste is extremely smooth and nuanced. Not quite as complex as the smell from the actual leaves, but still nice. There is no astringency at all and it almost seems like a less smokey Keemun or a mild Assam. I think I could drink this every morning . . . its quite excellent and tastes lovely with a breakfast pastry.

So this is the first black blend that I’ve tried from Upton. I like Vanilla and enjoy Assam, so though this would be just right. I like it, but in the end it was just okay for me. The leaves are dark and medium sized with small bits of vanilla. The smell is a lovely mix of chocolate and vanilla with the hint of Assam spiciness. I think this might be a good afternoon tea on a cool day. When I drink the beverage with milk and sugar, I really don’t like it; it makes the vanilla too sweet and loses some of the tea flavor. Drank it bare on a second steep. The vanilla though nice and mild seems a bitter superficial and the tea a bit astringent. Its nice, but didn’t quite live up to the expectations of a deep bourbon-like vanilla and good Assam.

This is a lovely black brew with twisty little dark leaves. When I smell the brewed leaves a hint of spiced orange and apricot come through. I think this is very comparable to a golden monkey or similar Fujian black tea though this is from Anhui. Its not as deep as my favorite Keemun or as complex as my favorite Darjeeling, but still quite tasty. There is a whiff of smokiness that is worked with the sweet honey notes and a bit of astringency at the front of the notes.

This is definitely a lovely Keemun. I don’t like it quite as much as the Mao Feng Imperial as I don’t find it quite as bold in flavor and taste, but its nice nonetheless. It is a slightly more tender and malty Keemun with a whiff of high quality Darjeeling mouth feel. The smell of the dried leaves is robust and aged with a hint of deep red wine. Brewed it is very smooth with a nutty caramel smell and a bit of cocoa and spice on tasting.

This is an interesting Darjeeling. I gently brewed three minutes and it seemed a bit mild for me. I will try brewing a bit longer and cooler next time. It doesn’t seem as complex as other 2nd Flush Darjeelings I’ve had, which disappointed me a little bit; however, its still a tasty middle of the road Darjeeling. I think I prefer a recent Thurbo estate more than this. This tea is sort of a tea equivalent of a Sauvignon Blanc; smooth and mild with touches of crispness and floral notes. There is a bit of vanilla and tropical fruit on the nose and a terribly smooth mouth feel with no astringency.

This one was surprisingly just above average for me. A smooth and tasty cup to be sure, but I’ve had better Yunnan and Fujian teas than this one. The leaves are huge with quite a few golden tips. It has a nice dose of cacao and maltiness in the flavor with a lingering bit of honey on the palate. It is definitely quite smooth and I’ve enjoyed drinking it, but nothing makes it really stand out for me from any other high quality Chinese black tea. I would say the most exceptional thing about this leaf is that it stands up to quite a few brewings. I was still getting a lovely mild tea flavor even on a fourth brew.

This is my first experience with a Kenyan tea. I like it, but it didn’t knock my socks off. It tastes very much like a standard bagged blend to me. Very similar to some Ceylons I’ve had. At first I didn’t notice the astringency, but it seems to build a bit as you drink it. I get hints of apple as described and a bit of vanilla, but not as flavor forward as I’d like. The leaves brew up a red color and a chestnut colored cup. I used a bit less than the 1+ tsp suggested and it tasted just about right. Its nice enough. The brewed leaves have a wonderful caramel smell, but it doesn’t quite make it into the cup.

I think I figured out the key with this one. It tastes noticeably better with lemon and honey and I think it would be quite good iced. The honey really milds up the astringency quite a bit.

This is a really lovely mint tea. You simultaneously get the refreshing mint with the smoky earthy green tea. Its extremely smooth and great hot or cool. I think it would be perfect on a hot summer day. I drank it when I wasn’t feeling too hot and the hint of mint was perfect for an upset tummy. I tsp of turbinado sugar is perfect with this cup. I tried to do a second brewing with the leaves and it turned a bit bitter without as much tea heft . . . I just caught the mint.

The smell of the dried leaves is rich like tobacco and leather with a hint of musk, just lovely! This smell should be bottled as a men’s cologne. The directions say 1+ tsp and I like my tea a bit stronger, so I put in just about 1 and a half. When I brewed it, it tasted a bit strong so I added a tsp of sugar and it was perfect. If I was drinking it bare, I might use more like 1 tsp and 1 1/2 if adding sugar or milk. The taste is a wonderful mixture of vanilla and cocoa with the faintest hint of astringency in the middle of the tongue. There are very nice toasty and earthy notes with a hint of currant and brandy. I am drinking it with my breakfast of blueberry bagel and it goes perfectly. This is my first experience with a pure Keemun and I really am enjoying this cup.

Upping my rating a bit! It tastes wonderful brewed stronger or weaker and you still get all the notes and different flavors. I don’t know how I made it this long in my life without ever having had a good Keemun. Just lovely!

This is a very nice tea and fruit blend. I bought it on a whim on vacation last Fall because I was feeling sick and needed to rest with a cup of hot tea. The only ingredients listed on the container is sencha and hibiscus. You can simultaneously taste the sweetness of the hibiscus and the earthy green of the tea. Neither flavor overwhelms or is bitter. The tea brews up a lovely pink color and tastes equally nice with more or less brewing. I really like brewing up a whole pot of this on a cold winter day and curling up with a book. There are good sized sencha leaves and bits of hibiscus. I liked this so much that I wanted to buy another container when I found that they don’t sell this blend anymore.

So the taste of this one surprised me a little bit. I have the teavana golden monkey that I adore and this one is a bit different. I won’t compare except to note that the Upton golden monkey’s leaves are much smaller but with a similar golden tipped look. When I smell this one, I get caramel and sweetness and as I drink it I find there is an explosion of dried fruit with hints of pear and fig on the palate, though less fruity than I’d imagined. Next there is a bit of tannic astringency rounded in the front of the tongue and on the roof of the mouth, but offset with an interesting earthiness. I really am fond of the taste of this complex cup and I find there might be a taste I’m missing, but in general I am intrigued with the different mouth feel of this one.

Oh wow! This might be my new favorite tea. I gave it a sip bare and decided that a bit of cream and turbinado sugar might nicely enhance it. It was such a complex but smooth cup. On first sip I caught hints of cocoa and spice which led to vanilla lingering on the palate. Entirely smooth with no acidity or bitterness. I gave it a second brew and I noticed I didn’t enjoy as much as the first. The second tastes more like a Ceylon. It is much lighter and smoother than the typical assam I’ve had, but I think it would be enjoyable anytime of day.

I drank a whole pot of this tea and just had nothing in particular to say about it. It seemed less complex and fruit forward than I’ve had with other Darjeelings. It seemed almost like a cross between an oolong and a darjeeling. Definitely more oolong or green in nature. Perhaps that’s the first flush, but I’m not sure. It was very light bodied with a touch of yeasty toast and burnt almond and rounded with a bit of astringency, but no fruit that I detected. The leaves are fairly green and the liquor brews up a golden orange color. I found nothing offensive about it, but I didn’t love it as much as the last darjeeling I had. The first brewing felt a bit mild and the second brewing definitely too light and weak. A second pot with more brewing time revealed nothing new and I’m still pretty unimpressed with this one.

I have a box of this at work and its the perfect morning tea with a little cream and sugar on a cold morning. I love that you can taste the tea and all of the spices and that none of the flavors overwhelm. It has spice, warmth and depth and really just so lovely.

This is another one of my favorite herbal teas. I believe this was the first cup of herbal tea I ever had. I remember my aunt brewing it and it just tasted perfect. A warm mix of tart, sweet and herbal flavors. I always think fresh raspberries when I drink this tea. I don’t drink this every day, but when I want to be reminded of good memories or am feeling under the weather, its just perfect.

I don’t love this tea. Its just too sour, too punchy and too overwhelmed by the sour pink passionfruit. To get it drinkable I have to only brew for a few minutes or add iced to lemonade or water and that seems to tone it down. I also find the licorice flavor to be somewhat unpleasant.

This was the first green tea I ever tried. I make it every time I roll my own sushi. It goes perfect with Japanese cuisine. A perfectly nice unassuming green tea. Very plain, vegetal and drinkable. Perfect for cleaning out the palate.

I really do enjoy a good Jasmine and this one is pretty good for a bagged tea. The jasmine scent is light and its a lovely, refreshing green tea besides. I would love a bit more dense tea flavor, but for what it is, its not too bad.

This tea is the devil. Literally it is the most awful tea I’ve ever had in my whole life. I am willing to try any tea once. From herbal, white and green to oolong and black . . . I’ve found tea in each category I like. I took one sip and almost spit it out. The peach and mango flavor is awful and artificial and what small amount of tea flavor shines through is bitter and mineral and terrible. I was intrigued with the smell, though strong and the pyramid bags, but lets be honest, it was on sale at the grocery store. Made that one cup and then had to give it away.

This is a very complex, interesting tea. The leaves are wiry little tendrils that are almost blue-green grey in color. The mouth feel is different than any other Chinese Black or Fujian tea I’ve had before. Its lightly astringent on the edges of the tongue and similar in body to an oolong, but lighter than most Fujian blacks I’ve tried. Its very complex in smell as well and has almost a campfire element with a sweet smokiness on first taste. As the flavor develops in your mouth, you get hints of dried fruit and more deep spices like cardamon, bay and coriander with highlights of bright citrus like lime. I can’t tell if the lingering hint on my tongue is peppery or minty, but definitely an interesting tiny bit of menthol. A very surprising steep and definitely interesting in that you can discern all sort of layers of different flavors hitting different parts of your tongue.

The second time I drank it, I noticed that the scent of the cup and leaves are very much like yeasty, earthy buttered toast. Every time I drink this one, I like it more. It really grows on you. The first time I almost thought it had too many flavors/sensations going on, but I’m really appreciating it now.

Got this tea for my tea cabinet at work and while I don’t dislike it, I don’t love it either. To me it translates a bit weak and citrusy. I would like a bit more punchy bergamot and while I expected it to be weaker than an Earl Grey, I guess I expected it to have a bit more nuance. Its tasty for an afternoon cup or when you’re feeling under the weather, just nothing special.

This is a bagged tea from a grocery store superchain. If you expect perfection or fine estate assam, you’re probably not going to get it here. However, for a strong, tasty punchy breakfast blend that is easy and fast. This is it. I bought it for my tea cupboard at work and it comes in extremely useful every day at 3:00 pm when I’m lagging. I like it with cream and sugar. Its a bit bitter and punchy and while not my favorite tea, it definitely does the job.