Ilse Wouters Send Message

This is another teabag from Palais des Thés they offer in the Accor hotel chain, but I cannot find the tea on the PdT website. Based on the information given on the teabag, it might well be Darjeeling Grand Himalaya F.T.G.F.O.P.
Although you can rarely (when you are having the tea in the hotel, of course) respect the brewing instructions (T wise mainly), the teabag might not be taken at its best, but it sure comes in handy when you fancy a cuppa and you´re travelling.
I was surprised by the quality this Darjeeling in a teabag offers, and the presence of this tea (the same applies for the Earl Grey I had a while ago as well) in the hotels of the Accor chain is certainly “un plus”, as they say in France.

I must have picked up this teabag (nicely packed BTW) during my stay at one of the hotels of the Accor chain, as I know they provide them there (even if the tea is bulk only on Palais des Thés website). I had it the other day when visiting my father-in-law in the “village” (where he was born, and where he spends every Summer still), as that´s the easiest way to make myself a decent breakfast including a nice cuppa.
And indeed it is nice, although it stays quite discrete on the taste buds. I believe the teabag version of this Earl Grey – which seems much appreciated according to the reviews on PdT´s website – is an easy blend to please a maximum number of tea drinkers, but I tend to like my Earl Grey showing a bit more character ;-)

This is a darjeeling tea I received as a present from my sister-in-law. Although the pouch only mentions the tea garden of origin, I looked online and saw there they specify it´s an FTGFOP without mentioning year of #flush of harvest. By my own observation of colour, aroma´s and taste I guess it´s a 2nd flush, and not one of last harvest, I would say.
Viva Sara recommends steeping it at 90-95ºC for 2 minutes. I tried at recently boiled, and at 90ºC (I have a kettle for which the thermostat can be set 60-70-80-90-100ºC ), and the result is very similar; also a 2nd steep is still alright (I cannot taste or see a real degradation by doing so). Copper coloured, quite strong floral aroma´s and similar taste…a fine cuppa, but not exactly what I would describe as elegant (for 1st flush references of mine). My stomach reacts slightly as if it were a fermented tea (which I like, don´t get me wrong).

After two more or less unconvincing tea bags I made the good decision to open the sample I was sent with my last Kent&Sussex tea order.

Online at K&S it is described as follows :
“Blue Lady Tea is similar to Earl Grey but bigger, bolder and, arguably, better. This loose leaf tea is a Flavoured Black Tea blended with ingredients such as grapefruit, lemon, lime, orange, mallow flowers, rose petals and sunflower blossoms.
Such a combination is a match made in heaven. Every sip boasts delectable citrusy notes with floral undertones, a truly refreshing tearefreshing tearefreshing tea. We pack it fresh to order here at our Kent-based factory.”

Indeed it is similar to Earl Grey, indeed it is bolder…which makes it a fine tea to have hot on a hot day because of the citrusy boldness! However, I think I still prefer a (good) classical Earl Grey the rest of the year because the bergamot is usually more subtle, while the citrusy action is now mainly refreshing. Lemon tea lovers might think differently, of course ;-)

This is another teabag I picked up somewhere during a hotel stay, and I only try now.
Once in a while I like to drink a rooibos infusion, and I do enjoy its typical taste…which I cannot find in this drink! Easy and light enough, without hibiscus or rosehip overwhelming in taste (definitely a good point), but unfortunately without the boost of red fruit or the strength of rooibos.

When I´m in a hotel with a water kettle, I like to drink some tea before going to bed. I know it´s not always the best tea available, but it´s nice to have a cuppa to relax after a busy day. However, last time I was in UK (in other countries there is rarely a water kettle in the room), I was busy moving, and I just didn´t fancy having a cup of tea.
But I do fancy trying the tea later on, so I took the bags and tried them…now! Mmm, I think these tea bags might have come from another hotel stay in Spain, as the label is Spanish. Maybe from our stay in Toledo in May, when my brother came over? I think the hotel not only provided a water kettle, but also a nespresso machine, and whenever there is non instant coffee available in the room, I prefer to have a coffee.
This is certainly not the best pu erh tea I have had, but even lacking character this teabag makes a decent cup. I always associated Hornimans with herbal teas, but this sure makes a difference, a positive one as far as I am concerned.

As I have been travelling a lot recently, trying out teas wasn´t really on my list…but once home again, with these high temperatures, I needed to prepare my proper ice tea. I know I had ordered more of the blood orange tisane I used last year, but I don´t know where I have put it, so I decided to try this peach tisane instead.
I had a sip after steeping the tea hot, which was OK, but I really like it cold. Yes, the tisane includes hibiscus, rose hip and apple, which make up the bulk of a lot of all similarly tasting tisanes, but the peach comes through in a balanced way, making it really enjoyable to have over Summer.

This is the 2nd first flush darjeeling of my last order at Kent&Sussex. Oh boy, what a treat! More intense in taste, if you can say it this way for an elegant tea like a first flush darjeeling. Even the dry leaf looks very nice, green and more homogeneous in size, and it opens up nicely as well during the steeping process.
I tried to steep it a 2nd time, and then it definitely is worse, less forgiving as well concerning the bitterness, but it still is a good tea, although not as great as the first steep ;-) I guess I might try steeping it less at first, and then the 2nd steep is possibly better, but then again, the first one might not be so nice…loads of options here!

A bit of extra info from K&S :
Established in 1871, the Chamong Tea Estate takes its name from the local Lepcha people, who once called a vocal bird living nearby “Chamoo.” Tea covers 132 hectares (330 acres) of the garden, located at altitudes between 1,150 to 1,850 metres (3,770-6,070 feet) above sea level.

In my last tea order at Kent&Sussex I included two 2021 first flush darjeelings. This Balasun Tea Estate one is the first one to try.

From K&S website :
Darjeeling First Flush Balasun 2021 is a Loose Leaf Black Tea from the Darjeeling District of West Bengal, India.
The Balasun Tea Estate was founded in 1871, its name deriving from the river that flows at the bottom ridge of the garden. It lies at altitudes between 1,600 and 4,600 feet above sea level, near the town of Sonada.
An estimated 100,000kg of Organic Darjeeling Tea is produced from 181.38 hectares (448.2 acres) of Tea-growing land annually. This particular Tea was plucked and processed in late March.
The Balasun Tea Garden has an excellent reputation for producing full-bodied infusions with grassy undertones.

Fortunately, these grassy undertones are quite subtle, at least in mouth as they are definitely there in nose (of dry tea leaves). The tea is indeed full-bodied, but I have the impression it´s slightly less complex than other first flush darjeelings. I steep it twice for 4 minutes each, with a similarly good result every time. Also it seems a forgiving tea, as I once forgot about it (and so it steeped for maybe 8 minutes) and the brew hadn´t turned bitter.

I found some individually wrapped teabags of this tea in a drawer, so why not use them now I´m more or less confined to heating up the water for the tea in the microwave? ;-)
I admit I needed to google the brandname, as I thought the name of the tea was “Cafédirect Hand-picked Tea”, the teabag doesn´t mention the everyday bit as the box of the loose teabags obviously does.
A mix of African origin tea tends to be strong and malty, but this isn´t what I notice when having it; no, a refreshing, citrusy taste comes through… different, not exactly my cuppa though.
What I do value : the mother company is obviously more into coffee, and offer interesting single origin coffees, and I long to check out their podcast as well…