Cuppa Crew Tea Company

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Recent Tasting Notes

73

I finally thought to check out the company website again while drinking this. I’m sad to say that it looks like they’ve shut the doors and are no longer in business. It makes me a little sad since i was certainly a fan of their tim finnegan’s wake up tea and was considering purchasing more. ah well. Cheers to you cuppa crew! hopefully you’re doing some great somewhere else!

Terri HarpLady

King Cake is a big thing in St. Louis, all the bakers sell them around Mardigras. I’m sure it’s the same in New Orleans.

Kaylee

Oh heck yeah. It’s everywhere down there and it is amazing. Meanwhile, try finding King Cake in New York. It actually took quite a bit of research, phone calls, and trekking. SO worth it, though!

Terri HarpLady

I grew up in San Diego, & I never knew anything about Mardigras until I moved to St. Louis, LOL.

Kaylee

That must have been a fun surprise!

Terri HarpLady

By the time I moved here, I had quit drinking, eating sugar, etc, and I’m not catholic, so I mostly avoid it, LOL.

Kaylee

Yeah, if you can’t enjoy the booze, food, OR religious aspect, there’s not all that much fun to be had.

Terri HarpLady

LOL, Yeah, I’m not a fan of watching people get wasted :)
But, to each their own!

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73

this is pretty interesting. It’s not exactly cake in the way that say della terra’s upside down cake is, but there’s still a cake like feel to this. The base isn’t too astringent and the combination of the cinnamon and vanilla together makes for a neat blend. It’s not quite a dessert like tea but it is a sweet tasty tea.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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91

Really like this. It is somewhere between an Assam and a Chinese black but not really like either. Doesn’t make me think oolong at all. Just yum for my first cup of the day.

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91

I am finishing my tea drinking today with this one. It is a really nice cup. This version is my first experience with this type oolong. It is highly oxidized – almost to the point of being a black tea. It is not smoky or heavily roasted tasting. At first it reminded me of Darjeeling but the more I think about it, this is kind of like the Nepal black Nicole gave me. Probably if I had them side by side I wouldn’t think so but I can’t compare it to anything else. No bitterness, astringency, or bite. Smooth and fruity. Yum.

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91

I was just scrolling through my tasting notes – what an eclectic stash. From super cheap to more than a lot of people make an hour and I like most of it, including this one.

Starting my day with this using yesterday’s leaf. I think I steeped it correctly this time. The description says this tastes pastry. I am not sure what that means. It is almost malty but not, almost cocoa, but not. It’s not really yeasty. It does kind of taste like the crust of bread – kind of. Maybe bread dipped in Darjeeling, without the Muscatel. Wow, I’m at a loss. One thing I can tell you is the problem with this tea – it keeps disappearing out of my cup.

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91

I won this from Cuppa Crew – yeah me! I am not ready to review this yet because I don’t think I steeped it correctly. Even so this is very different than any oolong I have had before. It reminds me of Darjeeling. It is almost a black tea with no smoke or roasted notes. Dry it smells of hay and bark. I can kind of agree to peach notes because I read it. I am not sure I would come up with that description on my own. I am getting light and fruity with wood notes. Well apparently I am reviewing this. This is not a bold black flavor. it is smooth Darjeeling with no astringency or bite. Two thumbs up!

Sil

YAY! congrats on winning!

ashmanra

Is this the same as a Bai Hao, or Oriental Beauty? I know that’s what Harney’s Fanciest Formosa Oolong is.

K S

Ashmanra – I have never had an Oriental Beauty, but by the description it sounds pretty similar. This is from Taiwan but nothing like the highly floral Fong Mong teas and zero roasted notes.

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75

had this again today in an effort to also drink some of my older teas. Today it was overly bitter and not so tasty. Ah well…sipdown!

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75

Backlog from yesterday! I really enjoyed this one though i’m not sure what i was expecting. The strawberry taste is really nice and the “champagne” part of this tea is really delicious. I think in my head this was a strawberry cream so it was a little disconnected drinking it but once i was able to remind my brain that this was champagne! it was quite delicious. I’m really glad that i have a larger pouch of this one. Chalk one up to Cuppa tea for a great first impression!

Terri HarpLady

Needs more cowbell!

Kittenna

Sample? :D

Sil

of course Kittenna – toss it on the list. i’ve got enough for all of you guys to try

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86

I really like this tea! I won a free sample of it from Cuppa Crew Tea, and I was very excited to try it! I got this tea a few days before Mardi Gras, and I definitely drank it all day! It is really good! It definitely has the sweet vanilla and cinnamon that you would expect from a king cake! The base did not get bitter on me. I really like this tea and will be reordering it when I run out! Nothing like a little King Cake to put you in a good mood!

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92

Special thanks to Azzrian for this one! It’s tasty! It’s strawberry but more than just strawberry it’s like the strawberry AND the stems! Gotta love that little bit of greenery, eh!? Then there is a bit of bubbly texture to it too! Very nice! I can’t help bu think of Christopher Walken’s character on SNL with his Sham-pan-gnuh…lol…

Nicely done!

Terri HarpLady

LOL, as soon as I saw the title of the tea, I wanted to say, “Christopher Walken would be proud”, or come up with some quote from “The Continental”. Instead, I’ll just say, “More Cowbell”

Ozli

I went Zapp Brannigan/Futurama. XD

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92

Azzrian thanks for this one! I really enjoyed it! I had about 3 cups worth.

It was Irishy-creamy-floral-semi-brash but in a good way, and an all around lovely cuppa!

Hardy yet Malty end sip! My favorite part, I think!

Azzrian

Glad you liked it!

Indigobloom

Irish cream tea?!?

Zephyr

Love the use of the word irishy :-)

MsWhatsit

I’d get it for the name alone :)

Cuppa Crew

Thanks for the kind words!

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71

Thanks Azzrian for this one!

This is quite different than I expected! I don’t know if I would call it..CAKE..but it’s fairly tasty for a flavored tea. The black tea base is a bit on the bitter side but not overly-so. The Vanilla cream is subtle. the cinnamon throws a curveball into this overall flavor.

It’s not bad…it’s just different. And totally different from what I was expecting.

Alphakitty

Interesting, I was kind of thinking of picking this blend up.

Denise @ Nature's Tea Leaf

Ah, so this is a take on a Mardi Gras king cake. Great idea.

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100

Unbelievably delicious!
I am buying more NAOW!!!!
Full review on the 7th but here are the snippits:

Cuppa crew may not have the largest list of teas yet, as they are still building their site and tea collection, however what I have tried form them thus far have all been stellar!

I love a really well done strawberry tea. Before this cup, I had two stash staples of strawberry tea. Now I have three! I also love a really good champagne inspired tea. I always have one or two of those in my stash as well. Usually I run into champagne and strawberry blends featuring white tea, but this one is with a lovely Darjeeling black base. First of all, Darjeeling, YES PLEASE! Second of all, who said I can’t have champagne in the morning? Well, Cuppa Crew understands my needs! A wonderful black base of really fine Darjeeling, with a creamy soft strawberry flavor and that sparkling like essence of champagne. I am in heaven!

It is sweet all on its own and does not need any added sugar, or creamer, or anything. All I have to do now is roll out of bed, stick some tea in my strainer, add boiling water, and I am good to go. However I could see this tea making you want to stay in bed just a little longer, dreaming of laying on rose petals with a handsome man or pretty lady next to you. Its a romantic flavored tea and PERFECT for Valentine’s day which is fast approaching!

Right now, Cuppa Crew has a sale going on as well and you better believe I am grabbing some more of this up RIGHT NOW!

Sil

awesome! glad to hear they have great tasting tea :)

Sil

ouch..just looked at the shipping charges for both canada and the us :(

Em

That’s what I thought too, Sil.

Azzrian

6.00 for usa what was canada?

Sil

it was 18$ to ship 3 teas within the us… canada was even more..

Em

I looked at 2 teas and for both it was $12 to ship.

Azzrian

I would email them that seems really high.

Azzrian

Yeah your right – hummmm He may want to reconsider those costs! I wonder if it is a site problem as they are new.

Cuppa Crew

Good heavens, that’s plain ridiculous! I’ll take a look at the shipping estimates immediately.

Thanks!

Sil

YAY! I just posted in your sale thread on this one since a few of us were talking in poor azzrian’s review thread lol

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91

This is a powerful cup of tea! If you’re not awake when you brew this tea you will be by the time you’re halfway through the first cup. You can really taste the Irish bit.

Also very strong tea, I got 3 cups out of one teaspoon of leaves and it’s only just starting to weaken.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 30 sec

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72

Well I’m still somewhat new to tea but I have been drinking various Irish Breakfast teas for over a year now, always with milk and sugar. I had also started experimenting with adding Irish Cream and Irish whiskey into my tea. This taste very similar and very good. I can pick up some creamy grape/wine type notes but I have had a thing for Irish whiskey and the notes of it in this tea smacks me in the nose and my taste buds. Just wondering when I can start buying this by the pound? Slainte!

Preparation
Boiling 2 min, 30 sec

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95

A really nice surprising cup of yum!
My full review will post on http://sororiteasisters.com/ on Feb 2nd but for now here are some snippits:

Tim Finnegan’s Wake-Up from Cuppa Crew Tea Company tastes like a good merlot in my opinion. There is not a thing wrong with that! It’s no surprise it is after all an Irish inspired blend and since I have Irish blood in me I think I am politically clearned to say the Irish do love their alcohol although not necessarily wine. Okay now if I have not offended everyone I will continue. Alright so maybe my Irish blood is not thick enough for a stout whisky and perhaps this is spot on for Irish Whisky but to me I keep tasting that wine note, although I am far more partial to wine than whiskey. I hope my ancestors are not turning over in their graves.

The dry leaf is pretty with sprinkles of purple, and gold color from the calendula, and cornflower, and it has a lovely aroma. The steeped leaf expands to at least twice its size. I would not say it is a CTC but not entirely full leaf either. Beyond that description I really can’t say exactly what type of leaf this is, only that it tastes great! (note Cuppa Crew’s post cleared this up for me: “We use only orthodox tea leaves in both our standard Irish Breakfast and in Tim Finnegan’s Wake-Up, so the texture of the leaves is beautiful and consistent. We also like the somewhat mellower flavor of the full leaf versus a CTC blend.”

The folks at Cuppa Crew are awesome people with in my opinion a good sense of humor and good nature. I enjoy reading their web site and blog with the quirky sense of humor and antidotes.

Key notes in this cup are: Creamy, Wine like, Rich, Slightly Floral, Hardy, Robust, and Malty

Denise @ Nature's Tea Leaf

You had me at cup of yum…

Azzrian

Haha thanks that does sound sort of funny now that I think about it … the mind wanders and ponders ….. :)

Cattibrie

What a tea name. My husband is Tim Finigan. I will have to try and get some of this for him to try just based on that alone.

Azzrian

No way!!! How cool is that! Yes you absolutely need to get him some haha! Be sure you let the guys at Cuppa Crew know its for TIM FINNEGAN himself because they wrote a little note on the back of my package (what the tea came in) so it would be cool to have the note made out to your hubby! :)

Cattibrie

They don’t seem to ship to Canada :( I will email them later to see if I can. They frown on me shopping for tea at work for some reason.

Azzrian

Haha I bet they do frown upon that :) Yeah I would email then and see what can be arranged – you can always get someone here to send it to you if you have it sent to them – I have done that a lot for people.

Cuppa Crew

Thank you for the super kind words!

Cattibrie - shoot me an e-mail at johncuppacrew.com — we’ll work something out!

Azzrian

That is awesome of you to do for Cattibrie!
And your welcome! Great tea!

Claire

I have to confess, I do love whisky…

Azzrian

Oh you may really want to get some of this then. I have never had a tea quite like it!

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100

We selected an excellent TGFOP Assam and a lovely Ceylon for our Irish Breakfast blend, and we only used orthodox leaves – no CTC leaves or fannings here.

Irish Breakfast should be bold enough to wake you up, but doesn’t have to close your throat in the process. We crafted ours to offer that heartiness while keeping the astringency toned down just a bit. That said, a drop of cream and a sugar are just fine with this tea.

Hope you’ll enjoy!

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 30 sec

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100

Irish Breakfast was what got us into the tea business to begin with, so it’s only appropriate that our first custom in-house flavored blend is an Irish Breakfast with a twist.

We use only orthodox tea leaves in both our standard Irish Breakfast and in Tim Finnegan’s Wake-Up, so the texture of the leaves is beautiful and consistent. We also like the somewhat mellower flavor of the full leaf versus a CTC blend.

Tim Finnegan’s Wake-Up produces a bold, somewhat malty, and fairly astringent cuppa. The Irish Cream flavor, complete with just a bit of the familiar tingle at the back of the throat, is complimentary but not overwhelming.

We definitely recommend a drop of milk or cream and a sugar or two to really open up the flavors and temper the edge of this bad boy.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 30 sec
Cattibrie

Love the name of this tea. My husband is Tim Finigan. I need to get some of this for him to try. It sounds like a tea he would love.

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