Ceylon OP1

Backlogging from yesterday.

A rather good ceylon. I thought I’d written a tasting note for this one before, but I can’t find one. Ahwell. It’s very much like Sinharaja — smells of berries in the dry leaf and on the steep, has a bit of the molasses malt thing going on that tends to remind me of an Assam. I suppose I prefer Ceylons that do.

Strangest thing, though…as I was steeping this, I kept smelling pepper. Black pepper, of the sort that comes in shakers. It wasn’t just a freak accident, either; I didn’t have to hunt for the smell…it kept hitting me as it wafted out of the steaming cup. Weird.

I had this with additives since I wasn’t willing to risk bitter ickiness on my drive to work. It stood up surprisingly well to the half & half and sugar, which I wasn’t anticipating. It was much sturdier and richer than the few Ceylons I’ve had previously. I wasn’t anticipating liking this – Ceylons tend to me a little thin and light-tasting for me – but now I want to give this a try straight because it could end up being really good.

In an attempt to understand black teas better I purchased a tin of Ceylon, Keemun, and Assam from Teas Etc when they were on Select. Inspired by __Morgana__’s side-by-side reviews I thought it’d be good for me to go through these teas today before delving deeper into the Shakespeare box since there are many good black teas in there.

I really don’t know if I’ll be able to write a decent note about these teas. This is my first and all I can say is that it’s a basic black with a slight sweetness. Its a bit more complex/deeper than Golden Moon’s French Breakfast, but would I have guessed that this is an award winner? Probably not. But I think I now know what Ceylon tastes like and that’s the main point of purchasing this. NE

I’ve had some Ceylon teas that I’ve really enjoyed in the past, particularly the first Ceylon I tried Ceylon Neeraja from Teavana. So that set the bar for most other Ceylon teas I’ve had.

I steeped this tea for two minutes and it seemed a bit too long. The tea came out a bit strong. Although I redeemed it by putting a teaspoon of milk in my cup. This tea takes milk very well. I love the smell. It has a sweet barky smell to it. I enjoy the malty taste but right now it’s just too strong. I have to make a new pot of this and either steep a smaller amount of tea or lower the time.

Good but not World Champion in my opinion. Pretty light and mellow but pleasant.

It’s not the most exciting description in the world, but this is just a GOOD black tea. It’s simple, but the flavors are distinct and enjoyable, and there’s a subtle sweetness that rounds out the experience nicely. There’s also just a hint of bitterness that grabs at the edges of your tongue, but it doesn’t linger long, and reminds you that the tea is there and doing its thing.

The leaves themselves actually don’t have a strong aroma, though the steeped tea has a simple smokey/woodsy smell that’s pleasant, though very light. As such, the taste is a bit of a surprise, since the aroma would have you believe that this is going to be a very mild tea, but it does pack a little punch.

All in all, a very enjoyable tea that should be on any black tea fan’s list.

Bolder than most and not for those who want dainty cup, this Ceylon seems to have spent time in the octagon with an Assam as a young and brilliant trainee. Strong enough to grapple with the best of them yet not overwhelming if steeped correctly, you will be dazzled by this graceful powerhouse.

If you know ANY person who takes their crappy supermarket tea black, do kindly direct them to this as their mind and poor, poor palette will be blown.

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Second steep is nice and mellow, sweeter.

Nothing remarkable