Kent and Sussex Tea and Coffee Company

I am having such a hard time focusing today, still stuck in giddy, giggly ‘just married’ mode, but since Ben had to go back to work, it is only fair that I do the same. It is great though, well except that my giddiness has taken my already limited attention span and made it even smaller, it is a small price to pay! I will say one thing, my luck with cracking Magic packs kinda sucks. As a belated birthday present to myself I used a bit of the money received to buy six packs of Eldritch Moon (my current favorite set) from Amazon at a really good price. Now I don’t think they were repacked, but man, the draws were awful, I only got one card I really have any use for (Cryptbreaker) and nothing but junk rares. For the most part though, my luck for pulling pricey rares is pretty awful, having only twice pulled ones worth more than $5, one was Grim Flayer which I traded for a lot of store credit at Card Kingdom which in turn paid for all the singles I needed for both my Zombie deck and my Control deck. Maybe I will use my new pile to make a deck in some other color than Black…maybe Black White or Black Blue! Can you tell I like playing Black?

Since I have no attention span, I am going to focus on a relaxing tea that doesn’t require many steepings to describe, a nice herbal blend! Lullaby Tea by The Kent & Sussex Tea & Coffe Co, a blend of Apple Pieces, Linden Flowers, Lemon Balm, Lavender, Rose petals, Sweet Blackberry Leaves, Orange Blossoms, and Mallow Blossoms. Three things caught my eye when I saw this blend, there is no mint, chamomile, or hibiscus…all things that I am frankly quite sick of in herbal blends, and of course things that I am only moderately tolerant of taste-wise. I love herbal blends, not for any health reasons, but because herbs, flowers, and random plants are a great way to expand the taste palate and often taste really fascinating. When I was a kid I would rummage around in the garden selecting edible plants to blend into odd concoctions to drink, just because I wanted to explore more random tastes, since smell and taste are my favorite ways to interact with the world. The aroma is very much so a flower garden, notes of roses, lavender, orange blossom, pollen, hay, and a blend of herbaceous lemony goodness as the base, being an undertone to all the other notes. The herbaceous note gives a slightly savory quality which keeps the flowers from being too strong and cloying, it is well balanced, which is hard with such strong flowers as rose and lavender.

Into a steeping basket the blend goes, the aroma of the steeped herbs is flowery with notes of lavender and roses, but also peppery, citrusy, and herbaceous adding a green and savory quality. It is not at all too flowery, which is nice, the lavender is mild and not soapy, which is good. I love lavender but it can get too strong at times. The liquid is sweet and green, notes of lavender, roses, and orange blossoms with pollen, honey, and a peppery herbaceous finish. It is like flower nectar and leaves, like an entire plant!

The taste is lovely, exactly what I want from an herbal blend! Notes of gentle flowers, primarily roses and lavender with a hint of orange blossoms, sweet honey and pollen, a general wildflower taste, and a touch of ghostly mallow blossoms. After this initial burst of flowers is a midtaste of green blackberry leaves and a peppery and lemony herbal note that is unmistakably the linden flowers and lemon balm I am tasting. The lavender comes back in the finish and lingers into the aftertaste, and it, of course, sticks around quite a while since lavender is like that. The mouthfeel was surprisingly thick and almost viscous, which I found soothing since it is one of my favorite ways for a hot drink to feel. This could very easily become a favorite herbal blend, combining some of my favorite flowers and plants!

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-kent-sussex-tea-coffee-co-lullaby.html

A slight almond aroma, mingled with strong spicy notes, invites a very Christmassy feel. The flavour is a mild black tea, robust notes of spices and a gentle undernote of orange. Unfortunately, the almond doesn’t transfer from smell to taste, making it very similar to many other spiced Christmas teas. Overall, still an nice warming cup.

For more: www.TastetheTea.co.uk

Aroma:
Despite the fact I knew the smell was obviously artificial, I just wanted to live in it. I wanted to eat the entire contents. I wanted to satisfy my watering mouth, and trust me, it watered A LOT!

Flavour:
Strawberry is the predominant note, but is laid back in comparison to the aroma, enabling it to mingle with the buttery toasted flavours of genmaicha. There is a slight synthetic taste but this is easily disguised and ignored.

Learning Points:
Traditionally, Genmaicha was served hot and used as a meal replacement for the poor or those who were fasting, so it’s fair to assume that this blend was developed with hot brews in mind.

Final Thoughts:
It’s safe to say my preference lay with the hot version of this tea, the toasted rice combining perfectly to create a cosy blend that’s well suited to ice cold, sunny winter days. Overall, a fun, fruity and very British twist on the traditional Genmaicha tea.

For more on Strawberry Genmaicha: https://tastethetea.co.uk/2016/09/23/strawberry-genmaicha/

For full tasting notes see: http://www.tastethetea.co.uk/2016/03/24/pu-erh-vintage/

The smells surrounding this tea are heavy with earth. When brewed, this becomes reminiscent of a wet, warm day, emitting a humid exotic scent. Close your eyes, breathe deep and it’s easy to image yourself away in a rain forest.
This is one of those great teas that holds flavour through multiple steeps, the second and third brews releasing the deepest flavours. I found the more I drank, the more I appreciated the quality of the heavy bodied, earthy tone.

Ive Just been drinking this after the 2014 Thurbo, which has some really serious flavour & decent thick aroma, it didnt really stand a chance.

This doesnt have the same body, its lighter and thinner, more flowing. Deeper muscatel aroma (for a FF) but also woody and not as fruity, syrupy or floral tasting as I like.

Reminded me of Roobois a bit, end result was me trying to push the flavour, which is a recipe for disaster. When the astringency comes out the sweetness is still delicate, so there is no counterbalance & the sour just took over a bit too much.

Possibly nice if brewed for a delicate cup before bringing out something with punch.

I’m so excited about the 2016 spring flush its a bit silly. I cant wait to get some decent grade fresh Darjeeling.

I’m still learning about Darjeeling grade, leaf size, and other factors that make a good cup.

This Thurbo, to me, is nice. It has a sour peach fruitiness mixed with a green leaf & lemon freshness. It works really well, once you get the brewing right, as with most FF DJ. I hit it with 70-80c and just under 3 mins, 2.75g western stylee, 12oz glass.

A touch astringency, not any bad amount to shout about. Definitely not going to throw this out of bed, and Thurbo estate is on my radar for this upcoming flush.

I liked this one, nice if you want a bright cup of something citrus-y

You ever had a tea that you weren’t sure how to review? Yeah, this one. Most of you know I am addicted to Earl Grey. It’s way beyond passion. And not just any old EG. I want Viking Earl Grey. When I’m done with the cup I want to see the path the barbarian cup has cleared.

Jasmine, I have learned to love much more recently. As long as it is scented and not flavored, I am open minded.

This tea smells like a bergamot bomb when you open the package, but once brewed it becomes a gentle lamb of a cup. The bergamot is the lightest background note. I am not sure how that is even possible. The jasmine is slightly easier to detect and is quite natural.

What the cup really is about is the blending of Chinese black in the form of possibly a Keemun from the light smokiness, or a Yunnan based on the smoothness, and the controlled bite of an Indian tea, accompanied by a pleasant Chinese green that is especially present in the aftertaste. To this add a soft kiss of citrus and an equally gentle touch floral that emerge during the sip and you have this tea.

Non tea stuff – Went to see dad last night. It was the first time since his knee replacement that he looked and acted like himself. He was sitting in a chair, smiling and joking. He was also bragging on the 10 steps he took earlier in the day. The nurses say the doctor has been in his room but he never bothered waking dad to talk to him. We still don’t know what is causing the leg blisters. Still taking it one day at a time but cautiously optimistic that he is over the worst.

I received an unexpected shipment from Kent & Sussex, so Thanks! In the box was this one and an Earl Grey. Normally I would always rip open the EG first, but even through the packaging this one smells so good. It is the kind of good that you would pour into a bowl and set out on the counter. Mostly orange scented but with cardamom, cinnamon, and apple. I used a healthy scoop and steeped for 4 minutes. I recall having this before and liking the taste but thought it a little light, so more leaf and longer steep. Nicely sweet on its own but takes sweetening well. The taste is orange, clove, cinnamon and cardamom, followed by just a touch from pink peppercorn. The black tea base is present but stays in the background. It does add a little dryness but no bitterness or bite. The only problem with this tea is I picked up my mug and it was empty.

A new to me company even if they have been around for years. Their website (tea-and-coffee.com) has some 700! different blends. This one smells so calming. I could set this out in a dish and just enjoy the aroma… or I could drink it.

The taste is more subtle than the scent suggested. Based on the ingredients, I was a little concerned it would be a big chai like smack to the senses. Nope. Just like the aroma, this is mainly a pleasant orange tasting tea with the spices filling out the flavor rather than trying to steal the stage.

The flavor kind of goes orange, cinnamon and clove, cardamom, then drifts into the slightest heat from the pink peppercorn. So subtle but a nice touch. It has a sweet lingering aftertaste.

I added sweetener and though it wasn’t needed, it took sweetening in stride. This is a pleasantly cozy cup.

A crisp, light black tea with a sweet and clean taste. The blend of both creates a delicate yet robust tea with malty undertones.