stitchywitch

Hmm… I wanted to like this, but I didn’t think it tasted like chocolate at all. All I got was rooibos (a strong, grassy rooibos) and a sharp, almost sour chemical taste (the cream perhaps?) I get the same note from another ESP emporium tea, so there appears to to be a note that does not agree with me. It could, in fact, be the coconut, but I’m not certain. I could not finish my cup, which is rare for me. I’m glad I didn’t pay full price – this one goes to my husband, who probably won’t notice the things I didn’t like!

I love coffee. I don’t drink it as much as I used to, but sometimes nothing will beat the rich and bitter taste. I was intrigued by this tea’s description, although I was a little afraid of the “freeze dried yogurt granules” promised in the description. They are not evident in my bag, but I do see large pieces of what appear to be coffee beans. I gave it the recommended 5 minutes and ended up with strong black tea with faint coffee overtones. Honestly it’s not bad, but to tell you the truth I’d rather just have the real thing.

Interesting… unlike most coconut teas you can taste the coconut. The chocolate is also strong, and the combination of the two makes a faintly soapy aftertaste – not unpleasant, just unusual! I will have to try this again before rating – it’s not exactly what I expected, and I’m not sure if I like it yet!

Ok… no more trying new teas in a travel mug. I swear to you, even the least offensive travel mug I own gives a faint plastic taste to tea. I gave this one a second chance with the same parameters – 1 tsp of tea per 6 oz of water, 3 minute steep at boiling. Only this time I made it in one of my favorite mugs. The result? So much better! It has a nice depth and soothing maltiness (a good thing in my book.) It’s not a complicated tea, but it is strong, and that’s all I ask of a morning tea! Recommended, especially at the attractive price point.

No notes yet.

I was worried when I saw the lavender – I don’t always get along with that particular herb, though I love floral teas. I needn’t have worried – it was perfectly civilized in this blend! The flowers give the tea a natural sweetness. Lovely – very nice for an afternoon tea, not too light, but strong enough to take a drop of milk

A very nice yunnan, mild and with only a hint of smokiness. The leaves are dark, with a few golden tips. The smell is straight up hay, which had me worried – Yunnans have been tough for me so far, as I don’t like the grassy note they sometimes have. This one brewed up nice and dark in 5 minutes. The taste is sweet and slightly of cocoa, with a tiny bit of smoke. No hay or grass detected, thank goodness! This is a solid tea, but not my favorite – I’d like a little more depth to the flavor. Still, a nice afternoon cup!

No notes yet.

I must be ambivalent about this tea, as I’m now finishing my sample without logging my cups! I love chocolate and coconut together, but this tea isn’t strongly flavored enough for me. I am typically a little underwhelmed by Harney’s chocolate I think. I’m glad I’m not in love, as it doesn’t come in small amounts! On the other hand, I mixed the last teaspoon with 1 bag of Republic of Tea’s chocolate coco and got exactly the flavor I wanted – and the RoT coconut is not very coconutty on its own – interesting! Still, I won’t be buying this. My search for the perfect chocolate/coconut flavor continues!

I was sick when I last tried this tea, so I was curious to see if my tasting.note held. The answer is yes – I still get a strong candied violet note! I really love this tea – its perfect for the spring weather today! Even at 6 minutes it doesn’t get bitter!

First cup of the day – last cup of my sample! I still really like this. It’s slightly smokey without tasting too organic (ie grass, dirt etc) which is my preference. Don’t be afraid of the smoke – this one is really very light, and suitable for someone new to smoke teas. It’s on my list for a possible larger size, but I’m not ready to commit – it’s lovely, but really a but light for me.

My first lapsang! I’ve been steeling myself for it all week, trying other smokey blends until I felt ready to try this one. The dry leaves smell like jerky – yup, I definitely get jerky. I like smoked things, so I persevered. I steeped 4 minutes and then added my usual aount of cream/sugar before trying (not brave enough to try this without!) It smells intensely smokey, but the actual taste is a little more mild. I get black pepper and a little sweetness – it’s very nice! I tried a second steeping of the leaves, but I wasn’t very impressed with the results. I’m excited to try more smokey teas!

Hmm… a bit earth and a tad smokey. I’d prefer more smoke and less earth. It tastes a bit like hay smells, if that makes sense. Not my favorite keemun, but I finished the cup.

I seem to have bought a lot of smokey teas lately. I find that I’m developing a taste for them ! This tea, however, was just ok. It’s neither smokey nor bold, but rather a polite afternoon tea that gives the impression that someone is smoking a pipe… it another building. That’s ok – in fact, it’s a perfectly nice tea, it just doesn’t excite me the way I was hoping. I have more smokey teas to try – maybe it’s time to break out the lapsang?

No notes yet.

Really nice! I love roses and I love chocolate, so this is a nice combo. The roses taste sweet in this blend. The taste is very floral – I get more rose than chocolate, but the chocolate is there, keeping the rose from tasting of perfume. At 5 minutes the taste is perfect. I am slightly allergic to roses, so I get the sniffles when I drink this, but occasionally it is worth it!

This is a lighter assam. The taste is sweet and light, without the appearance of a lot of malt (even at 5 minutes!) I prefer a stronger assam in the morning, so I will keep this as an afternoon tea. The flavor has a delicacy which is lost on my sleepy tastebuds – for an assam it’s really almost light! Recommended.

I prefer for my morning tea to be strong. I have a few favorites, but many breakfast blends are what I would consider to be rather timid brews. Not this one! The flavor is strong and malty, with a hint of smoke that dissipates as the tea cools. Assam is my favorite tea, but I have not been in love with Yunnan. It’s lovely with the assam – I get the nice smoke and sweetness without the earthy taste that has made me uncertain about Yunnans. I was doubtful about the 5 minute steeping time recommended by Upton, but it was perfect. There is no bitterness, and I doubt the tea could have achieved this amount of flavor with a shorter steeping. This may make my cut for breakfast teas!

I love Irish breakfast, so I threw this sample into my last Upton order. I steeped for 3 minutes – I usually err on the short side with a CTC tea like this – they get bitter in a hurry! My opinion – eh, it’s just all right. Not a lot of nuance, but that’s ok in a breakfast tea (it’s all I can do to make tea without spilling water on myself in the morning!) It could be stronger. Based on the ratings here, I’m going to give it a try at 4 minutes.

I took the advice of my fellow Steepster-ites and changed the way I steep this. This time I lowered the temp and steeped much longer – about ten minutes. I’m also no longer ill, so I don’t suspect my tastebuds are off.

My conclusion? Well, it’s definitely better this way. I can taste the chocolate, and at 5 minutes I absolutely could not! Unfortunately, I still get raisin from this tea – really, really strong raisin. Maybe malt just tastes like raisins to me when the tea is hot? It definitely gets less strong as it cools off. My husband thinks it tastes like chocolate – he doesn’t get the raisin taste at all. I think it’s a personal issue with me and malt. On the other hand, I think I’ve finally figured out why I don’t like beer – that malt! I gave the rest to my husband – he loves it, so there you go!

I kept thinking about yesterday’s Keemun (my first) all night. I wasn’t sure I liked it, but I knew I wanted some more! So this morning I got out my sample of Hao Ya B. The dry leaves didn’t really smell like smoke to me – instead I got hay and dried fruits. Brewed for 4 minutes, the tea has a definite smokey aroma. I added milk and sugar and tried it. The verdict? Really good! This tea is smoother than yesterday’s keemun, but it still has that smokey aroma and flavor. The smoke is clean tasting – not as full of tar, perhaps? I love smoked foods, so it’s no surprise that I would like smoke as a note in teas! My husband hated this one (no surprise, as he doesn’t like strong flavors.) I will certainly try this one again.

I finally got around to buying a tin, so I have this tea in possession again! I love cinnamon teas, and usually drink one each evening (alternating between this, CS Bengal Spice, and chai.) I love how naturally sweet this is – no sugar needed, although occasionally I will add a single packet and treat it as dessert. Definitely no milk – it kills the spiciness for me. I like to give this tea to my friends – they can never believe it is unsweetened!

I’m new to teas with smoke, so I don’t think I can give this a proper rating yet. This tea is a bit peppery, and it has an aftertaste of smoke. I added milk and sugar, after determining that in no way am I capable of drinking this sort of tea black. It wasn’t bad though – I can see how you could get to like this kind of thing. I will keep trying!

Nice! The combo of chocolate and bergmot really is reminiscent of a chocolate orange. It’s a bit lighter in flavor than I hoped, so I will try a longer steeping next time. I think it helps to not think of this as an Earl, because the cocoa notes definitely transform it into something else entirely!!