Romanoff

This stuff smells fab, I must say. Auggy shared it with me, and I only have to read the description to understand why. This stuff sounds right up my alley!

It reminds me strongly of the orange flavoured pu-erh from Nothing But Tea which I lurve. I must stock up on that again soon! It’s all orangy and slightly rough around the edges, although disappointingly not smoky. It’s supposed to be lightly smoked this stuff in the base.

Well, I think ‘lightly’ is the keyword here. Either that or it’s a tea which comes with a naturally occurring degree of smoky notes. It’s Chinese, so that option isn’t really all that unlikely. I find that a whiff of something smoky is not uncommon in Chinese blacks. I just… I could have wished for it to come out more in the aroma.

That aside, though, as I mentioned initally, it does smell fab. (Charm the Cat appears to find it unbelievably stinky, though. She just made that face like she trying to protect her nose by pulling it into her own skull)

Now, the flavour, however, that’s where all the action is.

Based on the aroma alone, I would have thought it was going to be something quite orange-y but as it turns out the orange is mere adding the highlights on a deliciously smoky black. It’s not quite LS strength smoke, but it’s along those lines, and definitely more smoky than anything that would turn up naturally. Still, once again the keyword is lightly smoked.

At first I get the orange. Lots of orange, but not any sort of fresh orange, really. It’s more something that gives me associations to dried orange slices used as decoration. Those look great and if one were to bite one, I imagine it would taste like this. So orange on a slightly rough and dark body. Then the smoky notes come in on the swallow and the aftertaste.

I should really like to know what the base for this is. I have a suspicion that it might be delish on it’s own as well as in this blend. (And I have a few suspicions of the Anhui sort as I’m getting the impression of something grainy in there. Perhaps blended with a different region to give it a little more darkness and depth)

Also, this base with a red berry flavour. That has the potential to be epic!

Smoky and blood orange? Sign me up! Though the dry leaf smells fully blood orange – I can’t find any smoke. But it’s a really good and true-to-life blood orange smell so I really can’t find it within myself to care one bit that there is no smoke. The blood orange smell is lovely. LOVELY, I say!

The smell of the tea post-steeping isn’t as just-peeled-a-blood-orange delicious. There’s a tannin-ish prickle of maybe-smoke and a hint of orange peel tang and sweetness. Not as intoxicating as sniffing straight from the tin. I find that I want to be a bit disappointed with that, but I’m going to reserve judgement.

The taste is more similar to the smell of the liquid instead of the dry leaf. Brisk is the first word that comes to mind – brisk but with a definite true-citrus-fruit flavor that gives it a little tangy sweetness. I happen to love that orange peel/zest/oil type of orange flavor so I like this but this also has an almost floral edge, especially when very hot. As it cools it’s more juicy orange with a bit of peel, which I think is lovely and much preferred over the almost-floral. And added bonus, slurping brings out a more orange-juice-ish flavor.

When I hear “smoky”, I tend to think of things like Bohea or Lapsang Souchong. I love my is-this-tea-or-a-smoked-ham? smoky teas. So I don’t really think this one is smoky at all. There’s a bit of that smoky prickle at the end of the sip but that’s all I get unless I slurp madly and then I get faint notes of campfire. But just faint.

All in all, though, I have to say that this is a very well done tea. Part of me wants stronger orange and smoke, something to match the strength of the orange smell in the dry leaf, but I think that would make this an entirely different type of tea. As it is, this tea is delightfully mellow and relaxing and rather elegant. I feel fancy just sipping on it. So while I love the strong orange smell of the dry leaf, I kind of love the more subtle and balanced taste of the actual tea. I have a feeling this is going to be one I reach for over and over. Though probably more in the afternoon than first thing in the morning.

Thank you to Melanie for this delightful Sample!
I really enjoy Russian Tea and this is a good one. Sometimes Russian tea can be floral and very sweet and sometimes quite smoky. There are different times Russian tea is served traditionally. Either sitting on the Samovar waiting for a pour all day..a hot pot to ward off the cold in Winter… and then another option for dessert is a floral tea often served with chocolates or a TB. of Jam in the cup to eat along with sipping. So delicious. I steeped and was ready to pour. What to do? This is a slightly smoky and creamy tea with just enough tannin to be perky. There is Blood Orange peel in the mix which did not seem to be there at all in the flavor. I wanted caffeine to ward off a migraine so black tea in the morning was a good call. Then I went further…I added some sugar in a small trial pour and liked it with the creaminess…ah…nice. OK I gave up completely and went to the Frig and got my Bonne Maman Cherry Preserves ( I’m telling the brand because it’s available almost anywhere but Sour Cherry is more traditional) and added a big tablespoon in a full cup of tea. Oh boy this is elegantly! Try it if you have the nerve, I Dare you! GOOD! The smoke still cuts through the Jam and the flavor is not too cherry nor too sweet. Just enough! (Strawberry Jam is ok too) Trying this you can participate in the tradition of another culture and enjoy this sweet dessert tea treat.. only 50 calories! So, this tea with or without adding anything is quite nice.
I would keep this on hand as a basic in my cupboard. My steep time was 4 minutes and I was able to get a good second steep.

Morning tea on my way to work this morning. This tea is SUCH a delight! The smell of the blood orange is amazing in both the dry leaf and when brewed. As others have noted, I did not get that much of the smokey note. This is a great tea with balanced flavors. I really enjoyed this cup. If you do not like citrus flavors then you will not like this at all – otherwise give it a try!

This one is Really good to me i’ll have to try and get some myself, thanks Melanie for sending me this one i like it alot!

Smoky, dark, regal. The dry leaf is all about the orange. But brewed it’s all ancient fireplace. If you love serious, intense smoky teas, this one probably isn’t enough. But for someone who only dabbles occasionally in smoky teas, this is just right.

Smells wonderful dry, and I like that the citrus is of the rich, dessert-y type, not the bracing astringent fruit sort—more like one of those chocolate oranges you smash open than morning marmalade. Like others, I only smell sweet orange when it’s dry, no smoke, and when brewed the smoke emerges and the orange recedes a bit (still definitely there though!). It is not as sweet as you might imagine, which I also appreciate; if I want it sweeter at times I can do that myself.