Franklin Tea Company

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Recent Tasting Notes

83

Good stuff! Hard to describe…but this tastes like minerals and earth. Sounds like an odd taste – but it’s great if you are a true oolong lover. This is not a tea for beginners. You have to appreciate oolongs to like this one. Franklin Tea is a great tea shop.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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66
drank Feather Tip by Franklin Tea Company
2887 tasting notes

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66
drank Feather Tip by Franklin Tea Company
2887 tasting notes

Nice big leaves; nice sweet taste; first adjective that registered in the brain when I tasted it was “cereal!” (Cereal is a noun, I know…but I wasn’t awake enough to add ly to make it ceareally.)

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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83

Bolder than other oolongs I’ve tried. Slightly astringent, but I may have used too much leaf. There are some definite caramel notes in this tea. Prepared with stevia.

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68

I see this name in similar configurations under other tea companies, so I wonder if it’s a house branding of a variety available elsewhere.

All the same, it does have a Creamsicle vibe; sweet orange rather than tart blends nicely with the rooibos. Makes a nice afternoon break.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 6 min, 0 sec

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70

This is my first real experience with oolong. I know I have had this type of tea before in different Chinese restaurants and bought it bagged. But this is the first experience where I know I am having it!
I received an ample sample of this tea from wombatgirl. It’s pretty bold, caramel and fall in a cup. One of my favorite Chinese restaurants in Chicago wouldn’t tell me the brand of tea they used. Looks like I don’t need them.

The 2nd infusion is very very weak. I don’t think this tea in multiple infusions, which is a shame. Still, a nice dark brew.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 4 min, 0 sec

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74

When I first tried this tea, I wasn’t particularly impressed with it. But I’ve been drinking it iced over the last week. Yum. The orange flavoring goes wonderfully with the cold tea. I’m out of my sample… Boo…

TeaEqualsBliss

“like” to the better tea experience but “boo” to being out! :P

Rabs

I second TeaEqualsBliss!

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68

The first of my “limerick” teas :o) Quite a mystery, in that the Franklin Tea site doesn’t give me much to go on … but I could have sworn I was tasting some citrus. Orange? Mango? Very light, very enigmatic, very nice.

wombatgirl

I think you should write a limerick about each tea… ;)

gmathis

That’s be a stretch, especially if I have to rhyme “orange,” but I’m never one to run from a literary challenge:

The Franklin Tea Company sells
Green tea that’s as good at it smells.
It’s possible I missed it,
But it think it’s got citrus,
But nothing on their website tells.

wombatgirl

You, m’dear, rock! :)

AmazonV

woah, Shakespeare notes and limerick notes! head explodes

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72

When brewed to reccomendations – this was a little weak. However when brewed a little stronger, it’s quite nice. And, this just is LOVELY as an iced tea. It does brew up very lightly – the color is just a light, light green.

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71

First time I tried this, I thought it was a bit weak and flavorless. So I tried it again with a little more leaf in the brew, and added splenda and sugar. It’s lovely now. The chocolate is delicate, but blends well with the mint and the tea adds lovely background support.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

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75

Finishing this up from my stash today…randomly picked one and ended up with this. I still kind of like this…check out my previous review…

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75

This tasted much better than I remembered it…therefore, I will up the rating…good cold too!

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75

I can totally smell the Pumpkin seed comparison.

Just about done with the infusion…
receive this in a swap…I have some boxes going on today and more next week – sorry for the delay, girls!

Okay…so…
Green tea taste, yes…with a masculine type taste at the end…
I can taste a seed-like taste, I guess…sunflower or pumpkin-esque.

It’s not very memorable and not one of those teas I would be jumping out of my shoes to try again but I must give it an “E” for effort.

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36

Not bad but not great. The first time I tried this, I was using way too much leaf, and it was so vegetal and astringent that I could barely finish the cup. Today, I actually followed directions, and it was much lighter, and much less like drinking a glass of seaweed puree. i don’t have a good way to check the water temp here at work, so I’ve been winging it – I have noticed that the hotter the water I’ve used, the stronger both in flavor and in astringency.

I think this would work for you if you like strong, simple green teas.

Preparation
170 °F / 76 °C 2 min, 45 sec
Cofftea

Pumpkin seed seaweed?

wombatgirl

I really don’t know where the name comes from.

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80

So, the bottom of my IngenuiTea decided it wanted to float up in the middle of brewing this tea. so I tried to push it down with a spoon, and that somehow got the release mechanism stuck, so that when I wanted to stop filling my cup, it wouldn’t stop draining when I picked it up.

However, through all of this – the tea stayed yummy. This is a nice, clean, fresh tea and very enjoyable to drink. It’s a shame this set of leaves will end up getting ditched as I go through and try to fix my pot.

Jillian

Yay for the power of good tea! XD

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80

Thank goodness for caffiene today. And thank goodness for oolong teas on days where nothing else goes right.

LENA

look at you…liking oolongs and whatnot. :) lol

wombatgirl

yeah, yeah… blush

That silk formosa one you swapped me I think was the thing that converted me. I loved it. I need to try that cream one again next time I’m down there, to see what I think of it this time.

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80

So, I need to learn to NOT drink anything with caffiene after about 5pm. I thought about that last night as I watched the hours roll by. Sigh.

But I couldn’t stop drinking the oolong I had yesterday. (http://steepster.com/teas/red-blossom-tea-company/3148-silk-oolong-formosa) The sleeplessness was almost worth it. :) And then today, I decided to try another oolong.

I got this one while in Nashville. (One of the ones on sale for being in the wrong color bag. ) I’m liking it a lot. The leaf before steeping smells green – not necessarily like green tea, but like the color green. (Wierd, I know). As you steep it, the leaves are smelling progressively spicier. The tea brewed smells warm, and the flavor is just nice. No random tones, except a hint of floral. But overall, it’s just nice. :) I appear to be turning into an oolong fan. :)

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 3 min, 45 sec

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66
drank Noel by Franklin Tea Company
2887 tasting notes

A holdover from last year that’s held up pretty nicely. I don’t see it on Franklin Tea Company’s roster this season, but there’s a Hot Cinnamon Spice that I’m guessing is highly similar—cinnamon of the red hot variety, sweet clove and orange rind. I’m tasting all of those here.

Makes a very genteel cup, so I poured into a very delicate and dainty pedestal cup—gold trim and everything—that I hauled home from my parents’ attic Thanksgiving afternoon.

Seems that Grandma, still from an era when ladies had “club” at their house once a month or so and entertained with froofy cakes and servingware, fixed me up with a “flower of the month” set. (Currently drinking from September—Aster.) As a skinny, squirrely tomboy third grader, I had no use for foofy stuff in my room, so up to the attic they went and were forgotten until recently.

I’m still a tomboy—I know Grandma would cluck her tongue at me right now, dressed like a refugee from the DAV thrift store after raking leaves, sipping from her carefully chosen china cups with handles so lacy you can barely thread a pinky through them—but it makes me smile all the same that she might have had a premonition I would need something lovely from which to drink my tea.

JacquelineM

I LOVE those cup of the month teacups – I think they are so sweet and beautiful. But a set from Grandma – priceless. I’m so glad you saved them and SO glad you are at a time where you want to use them :) :) :) I think it would be so nice to have a different cup to use each month, think about the flower associated, think about what you were doing years ago on that month… so many nice ways are associated with flower of the month cups I think!!!

I have my aunt’s china – I love to use it and think of her. People that come over always tease me about getting out the cups and silver and this and that – they don’t understand that it’s not about impressing anyone but about sharing something from my family who isn’t here anymore, and honoring special times of the NOW :) It’s telling them that I’m glad they are here with me too.

gmathis

I am seriously digitally challenged and rarely upload photos - but found an online sample of the set at http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/antique-norleans-japan-china-demitasse-tea-cup.

JacquelineM

My heart is about to burst!

gmathis

Yep, set of 12 with one duplication (forgot to take inventory to see which month is missing).

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66
drank Noel by Franklin Tea Company
2887 tasting notes

I think this is a private label variety from another producer. Imagine liquid cinnamon red hots with a little orange zest thrown in, maybe a little clove. (Remember sticking cloves in oranges to make Christmastime room smell-goodies?) Between this and my Cinnabon scented candle, the house smells like I can actually cook!

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58

Backlogging. 7 days ago. Monday afternoon.

The February Backlog: From the 1st to today.

I don’t remember why I decided to drink this or what I was going while drinking, though it prolly involved some studying at some point. I remember the tea being more fruity less green tea at first.

2nd steep: 3 mins 30 secs
3rd steep: 4 mins

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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58

Backlogging.

I always forget that I actually like this tea and it’s not just so-so. I inhaled the first two cups with immediate resteepings. The third steep was watery but drinkable.

So in other Franklin Tea Company news, my mom gave me samples of two of the other teas she brought there when I was at her house last. I haven’t had either of them yet, but I went to look them up in Steepster to see what people had said and neither had been logged yet. So I went to the Franklin Tea Co website and neither were listed. I did notice a Hot Cinnamon tea so I googled the names of the two teas and sure enough they were Harney teas too. I’m pretty sure this is one too, but I cannot figure out which one.

1st steep: 3 min.
2nd steep: 3 min 30 sec.
3rd steep: 5 min.

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C

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58

Backlogging. Wednesday afternoon, the same day as the previous tealog.

I made this cup of tea to go with a meal or right after a meal, I forget. I’ve been oddly wanting tea as my beverage with food and thinking about what tea might go well with the food. Or thinking about what I’m planning to eat and then thinking a certain tea would be good with that. But I digress. Another tea failure occurred because of the user. Yes, I know. Two tea failures two days in a row on two green teas no less. The first steep was quite good and I totally meant to drink more. But I forgot about the leaves or remembered briefly intending to go back and never did. This one is not quite as much a loss as yesterday’s because I have quite a bit of this tea and while good, I do not like it as much as Jasmine Green.

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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58

I was looking for a non-black/oolong tea this evening and with my nifty new tea thermometer, I decided to give this one a try again. Upon smelling the leaves again, I noticed a strong orange-pineapple-coconut scent with no green tea scent and an odd non-sugar sweetener like scent. Tea has a pineapple-apple taste with not much green tea. Better brewed at this temperature correctly but still nothing great. 2nd steep included the husband’s leaves as well so I still only steeped it for 3 min.

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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58

Today I tried a tea my mom brought back for me from her vacation in Nashville, TN. My dad and her decided to take a long weekend and see the area, for no reason other than that they’d never been before. This is the first tea I’ve logged on Steepster that I haven’t had before.

Generic sencha taste, not strong. Non-descript tropical flavor, no one fruit stands out. Decent, not good, not bad.

Large pottery moose head mug. 1 tsp. Gently steaming water. 3 minutes.

Jillian

Almost sounds like the best part is the mug. ;)

gmathis

A friend in the Nashville area treats me to teas from Franklin Tea … they have an orange rooibos (can’t remember exact variety) that tastes just like Creamsicles.

LENA

Ok, this is sad. I work in Franklin, TN and I’ve never heard of or been to Franklin Tea. Hope your family had a good time! I’ll be making a visit to Franklin Tea soon!

I ♥ NewYorkCiTEA

There was a second brewing. Gently steaming water. 4 minutes. Taste about the same as the first.

I had a cup of peach ginger black from Franklin TEA at my mom’s and it was pretty good. So I would try it, Lena. They have a website too.

Khürt Williams

As someone from the Caribbean who lived there until I was 18, I have to say, I never ever saw a tea plantation or heard of any regionally produced teas. This may be pure marketing by Franklin.

I ♥ NewYorkCiTEA

Khurt ~ I think they are meaning Caribbean-flavored (tropical) sencha.

Khürt Williams

Chrine,
I hope “Caribbean-flavored” means something to you. Means nothing to me. Not sure what a Carribean flavour would be. We’re talking about a place in the with a mixture of Asian, African and European cultures. Kind of like saying “American flavoured”.

I ♥ NewYorkCiTEA

Khurt ~ The tea is a sencha flavored with orange, mango, passion fruit, and kiwi. If you click on the name of a tea in a Tasting Note, it will take you to a page with a brief description of the tea on it. I hope this is helpful to you.

Khürt Williams

chrine. Thanks for the tip.

I guess I was reacting to the “Caribbean” description. American companies have a penchant for “misleading” branding. Like, Hawaiian pizza (pineapple and jalapeno peppers) which no Hawaiian has ever eaten. Jalapeno pepper are not native to Hawaii. This tea has kiwi which is not native to the Caribbean. It’s a New Zealand fruit.

Anyway …

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