Rare Tea Company

So my advent catch-up has been interrupted by sickness (again). It’s not all that common for me to get sick, so twice in as many months is very rare. My husband had an in-person work event the week before last, and we had some of his colleagues stay with us for a couple of days. I also went to one lunch so I could see some of his other colleagues (and friends) that didn’t stay here. Naturally, this was enough to get me sick – apparently something is going around. I’m on the tail end of it now (hopefully – I thought the same a few days ago and then a sore throat popped up again). Just lingering mucus and gunk at this point.

Anyway, my point was, sorry I haven’t been around! I’ve been drinking exclusively herbal infusions, mostly self-blended, so no sipdowns to speak of. Tulsi has been one of my favorites the past few days, especially with a few dried lemon wedges and a generous spoonful of honey. Delicious and soothing on my throat! Have also been enjoying various mixes of peppermint and spearmint, and chamomile with or without mint or lavender at night. All with honey, of course! Hopefully soon I can resume what’s left of my tea advents… :|

December Sipdown Challenge Prompt – a single origin tea

A new tea that I got for Christmas – AliasHali said she decided to pick a surprise tea based on what she thought I might like. She knows me well! Thank you!

I don’t think I have had a Ceylon with this much rich flavor since A Southern Season closed and I could no longer get our beloved Ceylon Extra Fancy which had HUGE leaves.

These leaves are not huge, but they are exactly what the name says – lovely rolled leaves, twisted and wiry dry, expanding nicely steeped. I liked it so well I had it twice today.

The mouthfeel is incredibly rich and rounded. The first aroma was a bright orange scent but this quickly became a rich, thick, honey aroma. It is so full-bodied. I have a feeling this is going to go fast that it will be on my birthday wishlist.

Sipdown

Another tea that went into the homemade advent for a sipdown! This is a lovely Earl Grey and it is on my Christmas wishlist, so it might be back on shelf soon. The bergamot is strong but natural, not a face punch. This is one you can get hooked on for breakfast and find yourself drinking it day after day.

December 10 Sipdown Challenge Prompt – Human Right’s Day: drink a fair trade or ethically sourced tea

Sipdown

This is on my Christmas list so hopefully it will be back on shelf soon! I had forgotten the steeping instructions (boiling water for up to 90 seconds) and went with boiling water for 45 seconds. I made two small pots today by combining three steeps together and the tra had excellent color and flavor. It neither looked washed out nor tasted weak.

This is just a great all around breakfast tea to keep on hand and it is good any time, not just for breakfast.

This is a great breakfast tea and I can make three steeps to combine in the time that most teas make one steep. It is awesome for those days when I forget to start my tea and the food is ready to serve and I don’t want to wait eight to ten minutes for my tea to steep twice.

Malty, cherry wood, and doesn’t even need milk. Well done. I hope it will be back on shelf soon as I put it on my Christmas wishlist!

September 5 Sipdown Challenge Prompt – a tea that gives

Sipdown

There are so many teas that could fill this prompt, but I sure do love the way Rare Tea listened to their growers and set up a charity that would give them what they desire – a better life for their children, and how they make sure that at least 50% of their scholarship money goes to females. Primary school education is largely covered in many areas but there isn’t a lot above that. They fund education through university level, even announcing a young woman in their program who earned her Master’s Degree!

Harney And Sons also contributes to many charities, some of them receiving a straight 1% of general sales profits and other charities having their own representative tea that benefits them specifically. Really any Harney tea also would qualify for this prompt.

This Afternoon Blend is quick to make. Lower temp and shorter steep time means I get to my cookies or cake faster. I do a resteep and combine. The result tastes a bit like Fortnum & Mason’s Afternoon Blend, which has both high and low grown Sri Lankan tea in it. This tea comes from Chiyabari in Nepal and Satemwa Estate in Malawi.

It is a nice little pick me up, milder than Lost Malawi which I love love love for breakfast. It does not require milk and sugar but if you make it with hotter water and a longer steep they say it can handle it and becomes more chocolate-y.

Few people would consider this a suitable breakfast tea and it never intended to be one, but I do sometimes have it for breakfast as I don’t need a caffeine kick. It is lovely and smooth for afternoon drinking, though.

I had the distinct pleasure of trying this tea at Brown’s Hotel in London. A girlfriend and I went for afternoon tea and had a lovely black tea for our sandwich course, but for dessert I chose this almond blossom infusion on a whim and I was absolutely floored. It’s gentle and beautiful and has the most incredible aftertaste of decadent globe artichoke. I fell instantly in love and I’m only mildly saddened by its price tag and exclusivity. Hard to believe I can’t find a single other retailer who carries it, but I’ll have to splurge and get myself some for a special occasion, because what a treat this tea is!

Sipdown

Just logging the sipdown. Had it cold steeped in their Rare Tea flask mostly but the last two pots were hot. It is smooth and agreeable.

August Sipdown Challenge Prompt – a summer refresher

I am finally remembering to cold steep this!

Lunch today was an Asian-ish style soup. I picked baby eggplant and baby green beans and chives and herbs in the garden and added some frozen corn and fresh diced carrot. All was cooked in chicken broth and ramen style noodles were added. Normally I would have matcha with that sort of thing but I had a fresh, ice-cold steeper full of this and it was perfect with it.

The texture is quite different than when drinking it hot, of course. It is rather creamy hot. But cold, It has lighter body and since the steeper is glass (it is the one sold by Rare Tea Company) it is blissfully cold. After picking the veggies and then cooking and then EATING a hot soup on a hot day, the tea was especially refreshing. Its nutty flavor was excellent to pair with food. It had steeped for two days and was not at all bitter, so I would call it very forgiving.

June 22 Sipdown Challenge Prompt – World Rainforest Day: drink a green tea

I bought this to do cold infusions, and have done so once. It was last summer around mid-July so I don’t remember it. I decided to try it as a hot tea tonight but will be trying cold infusion again soon.

As a hot tea, this has a thick mouthfeel. The body is really nice, almost creamy. The company describes it as syrupy but I don’t find it sweet.

The flavor is a nice solid grain like oats and it is also a bit nutty, I would go with mild walnut flavor.

Ever find yourself throwing a halfhearted tea bag into your out-the-door tumbler because you don’t have time to make good tea? This morning I did, thanks to ashmanra and this really, really nice breakfast tea.

The steeping instructions are right up my alley: boiling water, 45 seconds for a good cuppa; 90 seconds (and I quote) for “profound.” I went straight for profound. Beautiful fruit and cherry wood veneer. The proprietor recommends milk, and I’ll give that a go later, but it was so, so nice on its own!

My mum-in-law gave this to me for Christmas, and I apologize to you tea because I have been on a Japanese tea kick for the past year. Good news is I haven’t opened it yet

Dry aroma: Hmmm, I’m not sensing the usual notes. Perhaps it’s the packaging? I know it’s not because of where it is stored. I’m taking it out of the bag and adding a desiccant pack in to see if it reveals something better tomorrow.
Dry Appearance: Tightly rolled into balls. Mix of dark and light greens.

Quickly rinse with boiling water. Then 10 second infusion.
Flavor: Mineral. Wet rocks. Granite. Floral. Vibrant greens and tropical floral notes.
I can definitely tell my palate for oolongs has lessened with my insatiable appetite for Japanese greens. But I do love oolongs, so I want to get it back.
Wet Leaf aroma: A bit vegetal with hints of butter and slightly sweetened water.
It’s good but just not as good as I was hoping. Will try again tomorrow after the bag aroma has dissipated.

Sipdown

Ashman finished the whole tin in about two weeks. He really likes Darjeeling and I thought this would be pretty similar, and indeed it shares enough similarities for him to like it very much. It is the less cut version of Broken Cloud, which is intended for cold steeping. Both are very good.

Sipdown

I bought this intending to make it as the company intended – cold steeped tea. And I did make it that way at first but I realized the profile was similar to the Darjeeling Ashman loves so we tried it hot and he thought it was very good. In fact, he made it as his breakfast tea for the next week. Since the tin was nearly empty and since he was always making it as a hot tea, I purchased Indian Cloud for him, which is the same tea but cut for hot steeping instead of cut fine for cold.

I haven’t tried it yet but he will be trying it tomorrow and I might get a sip!

May Sipdown Prompt – a hearty tea

Sipdown

A lovely pot of tea for breakfasting outside under shelter as the rain pelted down. This CAN take milk and sugar but it definitely doesn’t need it for me.

It is a little malty and has a slight creaminess. Resteeps very well.

February 14 Sipdown Challenge Prompt – International Book Giving Day

Not a sipdown but a brand new tea! My daughter gave this to me for Valentine’s Day. And because flowers don’t mean a lot to her and she has plenty of candles, I followed the prompt and gave her books for Valentine’s! (Or for International Book Giving Day, however you want to look at it!)

I cut open the pouch and sniffed the dry leaves and was transported to that place I loved to visit where I can no longer go – A Southern Season in Chapel Hill, NC. This is TEA.

Though it is labeled an English breakfast style tea, the directions call for 185F for 1-2 minutes. I decided to be bold and go for two minutes.

It is delicious! I taste the Assam first I think, and then the Malawi black tea gives it another layer of interest. What surprised me was that it has a moderate creaminess to the body, something totally unexpected.

I thought I might need milk since I am sometimes an Assam wimp and I did go the full steep, but I didn’t. Either it is smoother than many non-golden tip Assam teas, or I am better-faster-stronger than I used to be and can enjoy more teas from India. The lower steep temp and time also help make it smoother, no doubt. I need to remember that next time I run into an Assam I can’t handle. By the end of the pot of tea, the last sips in my cup were becoming a bit more assertive but were welcome, nevertheless.

Edit to add: I resteeped the leaves about an hour later. Just as good as the first steep, and I may even have liked it better.

Calming in times of national peril. Fortifying when courage is required. So says the product description on the Rare Tea website. Considering family events of late, I’d brew this by the gallon on that guarantee alone :)

But fortunately, it has a lot going for it beyond the description. At just a two-minute steep (heresy!) it is strong, bready (dark pumpernickel), and slightly sweet. Those of you who prefer tea that doesn’t wear combat boots would want millk.

Isn’t it a wonderful thing when a kind friend who knows you’re knotted up like a bad macrame project sends a surprise to untangle you? One of those thoughtful gifts arrived today, and this herbal blend was in the box.

It’s beautiful—looks just like something the herb granny would’ve gathered in her basket just last week. Big mint leaves, fresh chamomile. And while the flavor profile is typical of a mint-and-cami tisane, the provenance of each ingredient is fair proof that they were selected thoughtfully and deliberately for medicinal purposes.

Until I read the tea description, I had never heard of Mexican Toronjil Rojo, but I’m catching a very mild anise hint with it, as advertised. We’ll test the relaxation efficacy at bedtime (when the brain turns on the moment my left ear hits the pillow), but there’s tulsi in this little leaf garden, which is one herb that actually works on me.

Thank you, friend! <3

Question: What should be considered a true Earl Grey? Black tea as base with bergamot oil only harvested in Calabria? What then of the bergamot harvested in other areas? Or ones made with other bases like rooibos. A ponder.

Originally, I bought this for my mother-in-law. But after realizing she still has tea I bought her from last year I decided to keep it at my house. I know that sounds bad but I also don’t want it to be wasted…. I would love to see them drinking more tea and getting off those awful diet sodas.
Dry Leaf Appearance: Broken, uniform leaf. Dark brown.
Dry Leaf Aroma: Lovely bergamot. Filling my every nostril. It is a mix of camphor and citrus.
Flavor: I’m at a lil loss for words. It is good but not quite what I was expecting. Or maybe it is my palate. I just don’t tend to fancy citrus and tea. There is something metallic about it. Not terribly noticeable but enough in the aftertaste that I don’t think I would purchase this again. Granted I tend towards pure tea. I may not the best one to review a flavored tea. The base is woody and slightly sweet.

When ashmanra sent me a little sample of Lost Malawi, I had to look twice at the note she enclosed: 1-2 minutes at 185? For a breakfast tea? “You’ve got to be kidding me,” said the little sloppy stewed tea cartoon angel on my shoulder, “Ignore that and give it four minutes like any self-respecting builder’s brew.”

“Halt and desist,” said the precise and gentle tea angel on my other shoulder. “Look at it. It’s CTC nearly ground to powder. It will be plenty strong as directed. Ashmanra knows what she’s doing. Do what she says.”

The gentle angel won this round (he doesn’t very often). But wowzers! That’s all this stuff needed. It’s deep, malty, fruity, and fragrant like good Christmas fruitcake. I need a candle that smells like this. There will be tea like this in Heaven.

Sharedown

My son has been cold steeping tea a lot lately so I offered to bring him a tea specifically created for that. There is only enough left for one carafe. Now I can move on and try broken Cloud Iced Tea. I have liked the first two I tried and I am pretty excited for that one!

December 2 Sipdown Prompt – World Pollution Prevention Day: drink an organic tea

I usually have this for lunch after overnight cold steeping, but it is chilly today so I poured it in a mug and heated it in the microwave. (Please be kind. Many of us do it. No shaming.)

This is a mild English breakfast style tea and neither hot nor cold does it need any milk or sugar for taming or enhancement. The flavors are light and playful. They suggest drinking like a glass of chilled wine, and I agree that it is a lovely way to take this tea.

I love this company and their sister charity! So many good teas doing so much good in the world – let’s have more of that!

Tea gift from my daughter – for World Kindness Day!

I decided to have this with breakfast but was so struck by it that I made more after breakfast. When I went to add it to the database, I saw that it is presently sold out. I can see why!

This would be a great puerh for someone who is wanting to try shu but is a little apprehensive. Because I was having it with food, the first impression was that I was drinking an unflavored black tea, but then the taste of rich, pure, wet garden soil blossomed. Earth.

Some pu has lots of barn notes, or camphor, or outright manure. Most smell like freshly plowed earth to me at some point on some level, and some have cedar notes like an old country church whose pews have been polished with Murphy’s Oil Soap. I have had puerh that smells sharp just like the leaves of our pecan tree when they crunch under you feet in late fall. Some smell like the dry dirt in the crawlspace under a house and I like that, too.

For breakfast I made three steeps in a row and combined them in one pot. That was when I had the sense of black tea with soft hints of fruit followed by rich earth experience. fruit? But which?

This is not the dry dirt under the house at all. This is rich, like when I water the house plants that are in the east window, or the richest, most desirable garden soil, but a little more subtle. I was kicking myself for not at least giving a little sip to the individual steeps and decided to make more after breakfast so I can really notice more without distraction and competition from food. (It was a tortilla egg bake today.)

This is silky with a hint of cream followed by rich earth. I have only done two steeps so far and they were a little different but I absolutely can not pinpoint one thing I am tasting in the second steep. It is intriguing and familiar. It reminds me of the vibe of Brown Sugar Cubes from white2tea without tasting like it. (BSC had a lot more high notes and mint with camphor.) This is definitely a tea of middle tones – a mezzo soprano if you will. Any Dame Cleo Laine fans here? Not as thick and rich as her voice but definitely a mezzo.

Third steep is on and I am finishing steep two cold. Lots of high notes cool. Quickly warmed it and…found the elusive note. Blackberry – specifically the flavor of Mûre Sauvage from Dammann Freres, so much so that I had to think quickly whether it could be contamination of this pot, but it can’t be, so natural blackberry notes, it is.

Third steep – piping hot, I get the aroma of soil on the roots of a huge pile of weeds you have pulled, aroma of soil and plant and root. I find that the flavors of puerh blossom most for me after it has cooled for a few minutes. After letting it rest I get a rich earth taste that lingers well. No mushroom really. Maybe some sharper fallen leaf coming through now.

This is lovely and I would 100% buy it again.