Afternoon Tea

My review of this will not be that great because I’m stuffy and sleepy and doing my best to ignore the fact that there is still white stuff all over the ground outside. Thankfully not the 10 inches from yesterday, but still.

This is a very nice tea. I can taste the Darjeeling but it is mellowed out by the Assam so it isn’t full on Darjeeling with the sometimes sharp edges. The Assam doesn’t taste overly powerful (perhaps due to the short steep time) which makes this a solid but not overpowering tea, very nice for relaxing. Not very cardboard-y or bake-y or very bright, this is a nice, down to earth tea that is definitely good for afternoon. It’s not stout or aggressive enough to be a good morning tea but I’m not holding that against it since it isn’t supposed to be.

The tea doesn’t overly wow me just because it is nice, gentle and mellow. But it’s got a very pretty taste that makes it very easy and nice to drink. I don’t necessarily find afternoon type teas all that memorable but this one might be the exception. I think it I were a big fan of afternoon teas, this one would need a place in my pantry.
^4.7g/12oz

Tea of the afternoon here; an appropriate name for the afternoon. :)

This teabag was a free sample from Lupicia. Interesting, I don’t know that I’ve ever had an assam/darjeeling blend. The cup after steeping is a light reddish brown. The aroma is definitely reminiscent of an assam, quite malty and chocolate.

After tasting, I can see how the darjeeling tempers the assam and lends a fruity, almost floral note. I like how smooth this is and practically devoid of astrigency. This is quite pleasant to sip on plain, which is always nice. Doesn’t really need milk in my opinion, but you could always add some if you wanted.

I have enjoyed this but I doubt it’s something I would bother to keep on hand on a regular basis. In character, it reminds me a bit of Kusmi’s Russian morning tea, which is also very mild.

I would be the one to get sinusitis in a year of bad flu. Hah. I should have realized it weeks ago probably. So lots more tea it is.

I knew I was going to like this, Assam and Darjeeling blends are quite possibly even better than an Assam or Darjeeling by itself. So I made an entire teapot full.

As it’s sat in there though it’s lost some of the super sweetness it had at first, but that’s okay.

While it’s nothing REALLY special, it’s nice. The strongest thing I can taste past the maltiness coming from the Assam is honey. And it is tasty. Also very helpful for getting out the nasty taste of nasal spray (did they really think putting fake sweeteners in there helps? BLEH).

Honestly if I didn’t want a kick, I don’t think this is really afternoonish. I’d drink it more in the morning. But I also prefer a more rounded blend of black teas. Speaking of which I am still SUPER tempted by that Rue La La Harney deal because I would spend it entirely on black tea blends.

Thank you so much to RICKY for sending me this sample. I have to agree with the other assessments here. I think that this is a really reliable, traditional type of tea that you could offer to anyone without causing dismay.
While there is nothing utterly distinctive about it, the merit comes from a good strong smooth taste with nicely balanced flavors.

I should always have a tea like this around to serve when eating a really strongly flavored food or to serve people who don’t like green tea or flavored tea.

I probably have used more tea leaves than I should! This has brewed up to be a full-bodied, slightly bittersweet and astringent cup. The kind of tea that will carry milk really well. Love the intense aroma :)

This is a pretty basic and nice Assam/Darjeeling mix. A nice black tea, and that is pretty much all I can say about it. It is smooth and nonbitter.

This is hard for me to describe, but it’s a winner!

It reminds me of Twining’s English Breakfast or Lupicia’s Ceylon Uva, but it has a different taste. I definitely like it! It’s more light-bodied than the aforementioned, which makes it a nice alternative to English Breakfast (which can be heavy and almost “in your face” to me).

This is a very pleasant, easy going tea. It’s a winner for tea parties and for when I’m an old lady. This is one to remember.

I don’t even have to add milk or sugar! And that’s the best complement I could possibly give a black tea.

I’ve gotten a bit behind due to work and such, so I’m playing catch up with some reviewing today. This is a good standard tea. It reminds me some of the Prince Wales blend from Twinnings. It is a blend of several different kinds of teas, so the leaves are pretty non-homogeneous. The tea steeps up to a nice dark brown. To me, this tsates like a classic tea, and I enjoy it with a dash of soy creamer and sweetener.

This is the kind of tea I might order along with other teas to get free shipping. I like it, but if it wasn’t in the cabinet, I wouldn’t miss it. I’ll probably use it up pretty quickly, since it’s something you can reach for when you’re not in the mood for flavored teas, and I seem a little bit overwhelmed by the flavored black teas I have in the cabinet right now. I like them, but not everyday.

This is a decent, basic black tea. It’s light and smooth; there’s no bitterness and not too much astringency. I can taste both the Assam and the Darjeeling, although the Darjeeling seems more prominent. There’s a fairly strong honey note, too. I wouldn’t buy this – I got my current supply in a 2013 Lupicia Happy Bag – since there are less expensive options that serve the same purpose (some Twinings blends come to mind). But it’s quite pleasant.

Another freebie from Lupicia.

This was a teabag, so I had no idea what kind of tea is was, other than “black,” but when I tasted it, I immediately knew there had to be some Darjeeling involved. Glad to see this vindicated!

This tea has an almost sweet aftertaste, kind of like honey. It’s bold and would go great with milk. I’d drink this for breakfast.

This is a nice, lighter black tea blend. I really like the taste and I can imagine it would be good with milk as the description says.