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Shangri-la is defined as a remote, beautiful, imaginary place. So one would assume that when using this name for a tea they are suggesting it is a beautiful tea, with beautiful flavor. Utopian tea. This unique tea, while classified as a black tea is more akin to a Darjeeling. Though all Darjeelings are currently classified under black processing they are actually processed slightly different and that is what leads to their uniqueness. The difference is in two parts of the processing stage: The wither stage, which is longer than black, and the oxidation stage, in which the leave will not be allowed to fully oxidize like black tea does. If one was trying to determine what type of tea this was simply by looking at the leaves they may find it tough going as Darjeeling leaves are greener in color then black leaves. This tea in particular has gorgeous rolled leaves of slight greens, browns, and whites. The aroma is simply, shangri-la. Pleasant and beautiful. The flavor is equivalent. Clean and refreshing with floral and slight vegetal notes. One of the main reasons this tea will probably not be considered a Darjeeling, at least for now, is because it is not grown in Darjeeling. Only a tea grown in Darjeeling can be called one.

Jasmine in green tea is as well known as milk in coffee. And yet despite how many companies sell it not all poses the quality that Rakkasan does. Upon opening your bag you will find beautiful tea leaves; dark green. The scent of jasmine will consume your sense of smell. Enjoy it now because the smell fades as it is brewed. For the best jasmine flavor try it first at 2 minutes. Seems to me that after 4 minutes the jasmine flavor is somewhat diminished by the tannins. If you are a fan of honey in your tea this is a good one for it as it brings out more of the jasmine.

I’ve seen some good reviews for this tea so I had my hopes up but honestly I am not enjoying this tea at all. Maybe I just added the wrong amount of ingredients in my cup but the taste I am getting is not buttery or any hint of maple syrup. Maybe a bit citrusy with a weird tropical splash of coconut.

With a name like MASCULIN I’m sure no one knew quite what to expect with this one. To be honest I really thought it was going to be a Lapsang Souchong. Either way I don’t like this one or the later mentioned tea. But I’m going to drink it all because we could all use a bit more vitality in our lives. If tea were a man this would be him. Mix him with Lapsang Souchong and you’d get a real outdoors gentleman. For once the rooibos isn’t the star of the show. Generally, rooibos takes over whatever is put in the tea bag with it. Even the ginseng is somewhat undertoned by this woody flavor. I’m assuming it must be the maca.

This has been in the avoid pile for awhile. The only time I eat grapefruit is when I’m sick and even then I somewhat loathe it. A citrus bomb of bitterness. Currently drinking this cold because I was eating it with Cajun shrimp and it’s hot out. If you like the taste of grapefruit you will enjoy this. As you open the bag the grapefruit aroma immediately hits your nose. The grapefruit flavor is spot on. No artificialness here. Green is the perfect base for it. If you don’t enjoy green tea don’t worry, you can barely taste it.

This tea is very reminiscent of Lupicia’s Calvados Brandy black tea without the brandy notes. If you are a fan of apple flavors definitely give this one a try. Apple is present in the aroma, flavor and a bit of the after taste.

Brew briskly, taste briskly, love briskly. Actually, I don’t really love it. Don’t hate it but I find it to be somewhat bland. Briskly bland. It is a CTC blend so it’s not wonder that there is a loss of flavor. For those who don’t know CTC means cut-tear-curl (or crush-tear-curl) as apart of processing the majority of many commercial tea leaves . Anyway, I can see this is a good tea for those who like to add milk. In fact, I’ll add some right now to see what happens. Ok Milk has been added. Still has that weird citrusy after taste and mouth feel. However, it does help cut down on the briskness and adds a touch of honey flavor to it.

This went from fruity to slightly bitter in thirty seconds so watch your steeping time and sip often. I could see being tasty in a real sangria or an iced tea. Good muscetal notes along with some hints of citrus which extends into the after taste. Not the most silky mouth feel because of the citrus but all the flavors work together fairly well despite that.

Ah Tikuanyin, you most mysterious temptress. Sometimes you toast lightly with the most interesting slightly woodsy notes and other times you are more like your green brethren with grassy flavors abundant. But this time darling you seem to be somewhere in the middle. A bit of wood, a bit of earth, a tad of hay,