Tea Review 151 - English Tea Leaves English Breakfast

English Breakfast
English Tea Leaves

My year in tea ended with a bang this time around, with a rather vast bounty of samples of black tea being shipped in from assorted and sundry merchants. I'm not going to dwell much more on my love for black tea - I've beaten that dead horse rather thoroughly. But I really do love it.

Here's what English Tea Leaves has to say about their English Breakfast. My comments to follow:

Our English breakfast tea, which we call Tealeaves Breakfast, has been our #1 selling tea for the last 9 years. We make it using our own custom blend of Indian and Ceylonese black teas.

Which is not very specific as far as the origins of the teas that make up this blend, but that's kind of beside the point since it was one of the better English Breakfast blends that I've had the good fortune to sample. I'd guess that there's a good bit of Assam in this one, but what do I know? In any event, I can certainly see why this is a bestseller.

Image: English Tea Leaves
Sample provided by English Tea Leaves
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Tea Review 149 - Tozy Tea Up North!

Up North!
Tozy Tea

This one will be short and sweet. There's not much to go on with Tozy's description of their Up North! black tea. They refer to it as "A Bold Blend of Black Tea" and "Handpicked Chinese black tea." I'm guessing that it's primarily Yunnan. What I have no doubt about is that I liked this one quite a bit. The truest test of how much I like a tea is how long it lingers in my tea cabinet after I receive it. This one was out of there in nearly record time. Good stuff. That's all.

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Tea Review 143 - Paisley Tea Co. English Breakfast

Organic English Breakfast
Paisley Tea Co.

I have mixed feelings about English Breakfast tea. I'm always happy to sample almost any type of black tea, but when it comes to English Breakfast I can't help being prepared, deep down inside, to be disappointed. If I drank my black tea with milk and sugar I might not find myself disappointed quite as often but drinking it straight up brings out every nuance of flavor - or lack thereof.

Having said all that I'll now say that I found this Organic English Breakfast, by Paisley Tea Co., to be somewhere around the middle of the range for black tea. It has little of the harshness or bitterness of lesser blacks but it doesn't quite measure up to the fuller flavors of the really great ones. Then again, it's probably not fair to expect it to do so.

I tried blending this with a higher quality single-estate black tea, to make the latter go a little further, and that worked out quite nicely. I suspect it would also respond well to the milk and sugar treatment, if that's your preference. Here's what Paisley Tea Co. has to say about it:

If you want a proper cuppa', this tea hits the spot. As a specialised blend of Indian and African teas, our Organic English Breakfast Tea is traditional, but approachable. We love it in the morning with a splash of milk.

These are traditional English-style paper teabags with tea that's Organic and Fair Trade certified.

Image: Paisley Tea Co./Two Leaves

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Tea Review 140 - Persimmon Tree Black (x4)

Biodynamic Darjeeling
Ceylon
Classic Black
English Breakfast
The Persimmon Tree

I tend to favor black tea over everything else. So when The Persimmon Tree sent a bunch of samples recently it's no surprise that I immediately gravitated to the four unflavored black varieties that were included. To paraphrase George Orwell, all of them were equal but some were more equal than the others.

Biodynamic Darjeeling
Despite its exalted reputation I find that I'm not normally a fan of Darjeeling. A lot of the ones I've tried seem to have a hint of bitterness and kind of a thin quality to the flavor. Maybe it's because I'm used to more robust black teas. In any event, this one didn't have any of those qualities and I found it to be quite smooth and flavorful. I'd rank it as the best of this bunch.

Ceylon
If memory serves right I've seen the term bright used to describe certain types of Ceylon tea and I was never sure quite what it meant. After sampling this Ceylon I think I understand it now. I've been drinking a lot of Yunnan black tea lately and have gotten used to that heavy, very robust flavor that's common to the breed. I could see how the term bright could apply to this Ceylon, which is quite light and has some very faint notes that almost resemble mint. Rather an offbeat one here.

Classic Black
This is a mix of Nilgiri and Yunnan and while I liked it I personally felt that perhaps it could use a little less of the former and more of the latter. Not bad at all, but kind of middle of the road as far as flavor goes.

English Breakfast
There's no indication of exactly what teas are included in this blend. I'd rank it about the same as the Classic Black.

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Tea Review 131 - Peter Asher Prairie Sunrise

Prairie Sunrise
Peter Asher Coffee & Tea

I'm not much of a fan of flavored tea, but there are a few exceptions. Those flavored teas I do like typically start with a decent black tea as a base. For me there are certain flavors - mostly a few of the fruity ones - that work well with black tea. One of the ones that springs to mind off the top of my head is peach.

Peter Asher's Prairie Sunrise doesn't contain any of that, but it does claim to be flavored with a mix of berries, vanilla, rhubarb and guava. I didn't taste any vanilla, but that might just be a failing of my coarse palate. As for "berries," that leaves it a bit open to speculation and I'm not familiar enough with rhubarb or guava to know how much they're contributing to the overall total.

But it works. I don't like this one enough to drink it on a regular basis, but I could probably say that for any flavored tea. That's just my own bias talking, but I'd say that if you're looking for a nice lightly flavored black tea this is a good one to go with.

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Tea Review 130 - Le Palais des Thés Darjeeling

Darjeeling Puttabong F.T.G.F.O.P. (Second Flush)
Le Palais des Thés

I'm never one to waste an opportunity to sing the praises of black tea. But I have to admit, at the risk of offending a phalanx of tea connoisseurs, that Darjeeling is among my least favorite of all the black teas.

Which is an odd way to start out a tea review, I suppose. But even though I wasn't impressed with Le Palais des Thés's Darjeeling Puttabong at first, I found it growing on me the more I drank it. For me Darjeeling is probably never going to measure up to a great Assam or Keemun, but that's just a matter of personal taste. If you're a fan of Darjeelings I suspect that you'll like this one quite a bit.

Here's what Le Palais des Thés has to say about this one:

A prestigious estate and of one of the oldest in Darjeeling, famed for its tippy flushes. The second flush produces a dark infusion and an amber liquor with depth and a lot of body. Its unique full-bodied and woody flavor makes it an ideal Matin tea.

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Tea Review 129 - Stash Christmas Morning

Christmas Morning Black Tea
Stash Tea

At first glance Stash's Christmas Morning seemed like a bad idea. Just as too many cooks are said to spoil the broth I couldn't help thinking that too many teas might just tend to spoil the blend. So much for that theory.

Christmas Morning is billed as a black tea. According to Stash it actually contains a mix of four types of black tea, including Assam, Darjeeling, Yunnan, and Keemun. If that wasn't enough there's apparently also some Formosa Oolong mixed in and some jasmine green tea.

Which sounds like a great big mess but it's actually quite good. In spite of the oolong and green, the dominant note here is definitely black tea. I couldn't quite pick out which, if any, of the black varieties dominated but it was a very smooth, flavorful drinking experience all the same. I tried the loose-leaf variety but as you can see from the accompanying image, it's also available in tea bag form.

Here's some of what Stash has to say about this tea:

Each tea component adds a distinctive flavor note. Indian Assam imparts a malty and hearty flavor; the Formosa Oolong adds bright, fruity flavor notes; the China Keemun, a hint of smokiness; our first flush Darjeeling, a flowery note; richness from the Yunnan and Nilgiri black teas; and the jasmine green tea imparts a lingering, sweet fragrance.

Overall, this breakfast tea is a rich, multi-layered drink that is sure to pick you up in the early morning. The smooth liquor of this tea showcases its bright and complex flavor. Christmas Morning is a great balance of brisk and sweet. Full-bodied and with a lovely aroma, this tea is a new and interesting take on traditional breakfast teas like English and Irish Breakfast. Enjoy it hot or iced, with milk and sugar or plain.

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Tea Review 128 - Le Palais des Thés Qimen Hao Ya

Qimen Hao Ya
Le Palais des Thés

Every time I try another variety of the Chinese black tea known as Qimen, or Keemun, it moves up higher in my ranking of favorite teas. This Qimen Hao Ya from Le Palais des Thés is perhaps slightly less smoky than the last Hao Ya I reviewed, from Teavivre, but it was just as smooth and flavorful and I was just as sorry to see the sample packet dwindle.

Le Palais des Thés doesn't have a lot to say about this tea. Here is the info from their Web site:

Like Qimen Imperial, this tea grows on Huang Mountain. The tea from this excellent flush has a delicate, slightly chocolaty, taste. A subtle tea for the late afternoon.

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Tea Review 127 - Teavivre Premium Keemun Hao Ya

Premium Keemun (Qimen) Hao Ya
Teavivre.com

I haven't had a lot of experience with Keemun tea. A few years back I reviewed one and noted that I didn't really like the smoky notes common to this Chinese black variety. But I've sampled a few other Keemun varieties since then and I've come to like it quite a bit. I'm still not a big fan of smoky and I'm not going to race out and buy any Lapsang Souchong, but the Keemuns that I've tried lately seem to be fairly low-key as far as the smoke goes.

I was particularly fond of Teavivre's Premium Keemun Hao Ya and when the relatively small sample ran out found that I was quite sorry to see it go. It has a nice full, rich taste, with no hint of bitterness and a just a hint of that smokiness.

Here are a few highlights from Teavivre's blurb about this one:

Handmade Gongfu process tea from Qimen county, Anhui province
Dark black, glossy thin buds topped with golden tips
Makes a bold copper coloured tea
A bold but smooth, fruity taste with a lingering, mellow aftertaste

Rated as the best of Chinese black teas, Keemun is an absolute delight to drink. TeaVivre's Premium Keemun represents the highest quality of this tea generally available to the public, and has a taste, aroma and appearance that completely justifies its reputation as one of the best black teas in the world. Handmade in Keemun's birthplace of Qimen, this tea is simply stunning.

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Tea Review 125 - Teavivre Yunnan Dian Hong

Yunnan Dian Hong Golden Tip
Teavivre

Of the tea samples I received from Teavivre, two were of black tea and two of green tea. When I recently reviewed their Bailin Gongfu, the other black tea they provided, I noted that I didn't like it so much at first but that it grew on me. This is a relatively rare situation for me, but oddly enough it happened again with the Yunnan Dian Hong Golden Tip.

Given the abundance of golden tips that lend this its name and the outstanding aroma of the dry leaves I was kind of disappointed at the taste of this one the first few times around. I'm willing to admit that it might have had something to do with the way I was preparing it. In any event the more I drank of this the more I liked it and by the time it was gone I waved it a fond farewell and was sad to see it go.

Here are some of the highlights of what Teavivre has to say about this one:

Handmade in Fengqing county, Yunnan
Completely orange pekoe colored buds
A bright orange-red coloured tea
A rich, complex but smooth and fresh taste

Dian Hong black tea, also known as Yunnan black tea, is one of China's most famous black teas. This is the highest grade Dian Hong generally available in China – called Golden Tip Dian Hong. It has lots of orange pekoe in the dried tea, and brews into an absolutely great tasting, golden coloured tea, with very rich taste and aroma.

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Tea Review 124 - Teavivre Bailin Gongfu

Bailin Gongfu Black Tea
Teavivre

With most teas that I try I find that I either like them or I don't. It's relatively rare to find a tea that grows on me, so to speak. But that's exactly the case with this Chinese black tea from Teavivre. I was somewhat put off by the taste at first, but now that I'm on the last cup of the rather sizable sample pack I've grown quite fond of it.

Teavivre has fairly extensive notes on this one at their web site, but here are a few highlights.



Hand-crafted at Mt. Taimu in Fujian province
Black and gold coloured pine-needle shaped appearance
A rich, full bodied sweet tasting tea with a hint of caramel

Bai Lin Gongfu is a completely oxidised black tea. It is a “gongfu” (or “congou”) type of black tea, which indicates that it is hand crafted, with the leaf buds being twisted into thin, tight strips without them being broken. When dry, the tea has a sweet, caramel like scent and has a mix of black and golden-orange “pekoe” coloured leaf buds.

As for that "hint of caramel," I was thinking that it was more like a hint of cocoa, which was what put me off at first, but I could see where it could be interpreted as caramel. In any event, if you're looking for a Chinese black tea that's a little more obscure than the usual choices you might want to give this one a try.

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Assam Month Review: Tiesta Royal Breakfast

Tea Review 117
Tiesta Tea
Royal Breakfast

In the process of doing research for an article on breakfast tea a while back I found that there's not a whole lot of consistency in what goes into the various breakfast tea blends. About the only thread that connects all them is that they are mostly (if not always) made up of black tea. Assam is often one of the black teas used, but not necessarily always

I hadn't heard of Royal Breakfast tea before but apparently there are a few other tea merchants besides Tiesta who make such a creature. Tiesta's site didn't list the teas that were used in this blend but when I contacted them they confirmed my suspicion that it was a mix of Assam and Ceylon. I'm not normally a great fan of the latter - with a few notable exceptions - but this was a very good blend. I wouldn't put it at the top of the list for Assam and breakfast teas but I wouldn't have any problem drinking it on a regular basis. Worth a look.

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Tea Review 116 - Adagio Teas Gourmet Tea Collections

Artisan Comfort Collection
Sweet Medley Collection
Adagio Teas

Up today, two collections of gourmet tea from Adagio Teas. Each contains five pyramid bags of six different teas. The Artisan Comfort Collection features mostly unflavored black, white, green and oolong teas and the Sweet Medley Collection contains flavored black, white, green, oolong, rooibos and a tisane.

I won't comment on each one of these teas, but there are a few that stand out for me. Not surprisingly, given my preference for unflavored tea, those are the ones I liked best. Especially noteworthy, at least for me, the Dragonwell, Oolong Goddess, and especially the Golden Yunnan, all from the Artisan Comfort Collection.

As for the Sweet Medley Collection, I liked the Peach Oolong best and I always go for a good strong Peppermint. Also surprising, since I don't like Earl Grey or vanilla, is the relatively palatable blend I came up with when I blended the former with the Vanilla Rooibos.

Artisan Comfort Collection
Jasmine Pearls
Silver Needle
Dragonwell
Wuyi Oolong
Golden Yunnan
Oolong Goddess

Sweet Medley Collection
Earl Grey
Citrus Green
Peach Oolong
Peppermint
Blueberry White
Vanilla Rooibos

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Tea Review 115: The Art of Tea

Biodynamic Breakfast
Classic Black
Mandarin Silk
The Art of Tea

My apologies to the good people at The Art of Tea, who sent some samples a while back. I'm not sure what happened but the review got a bit sidetracked somewhere along the way. In any event, here are some thoughts on a few of the samples I tried, which include two black teas and a flavored oolong.

Classic Black
I don’t think I've ever met a Yunnan black that I didn't like and this was no exception. Never mind that it's a blend of Yunnan black with Nilgiri, a black tea from India. It was quite good, with a very smooth, mellow flavor. I would have guessed that it was perhaps a high-end Ceylon, but I guess that shows what I know. This was a winner in the Black Tea category at World Tea Expo and I can see why.

Biodynamic Breakfast
Another nice black tea, though perhaps not as good as the aforementioned. Very smooth and flavorful. I've noticed that the components of breakfast tea can vary quite widely from one merchant to the next. There's no indication at Art of Tea's web site what makes up this one but it's worth a taste nonetheless.

Mandarin Silk
I'm not a fan of flavored tea - plain and simple. But I was kind of surprised by this one. I wouldn't say it bowled me over but given my general lack of interest in this sort of thing I'd say it's not so bad. It's a mix of Pouchong tea with lemon myrtle, marigolds and natural essence of vanilla. Perhaps a little heavy on the latter but pretty decent overall.

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Tea Review 114 - Mellow Monk Crimson Grove

Crimson Grove Black Tea
Mellow Monk

Given that Japanese tea and green tea are pretty much one and the same, the chance to taste a black tea from Japan is one that I couldn't pass up. Black tea has been produced in Japan since the late nineteenth century, but typically on a very small scale, much more so than green.

The chance to taste any tea from Mellow Monk is also one that I'm not likely to pass up, given the experience I had with some of their Japanese greens a while back. Here's what they have to say about their Crimson Grove variety of Japanese black tea:

Crimson Grove is black tea (kocha, or "crimson tea" in Japanese) made from the leaves of green tea varietals grown in the pristine foothills of Mt. Aso. Gently harvested leaves are lightly fermented, for a smooth, smokey taste uniquely combined with a mild sweetness not found in ordinary black teas.

Crimson Grove is a special presence in the world of tea — a black tea made with lightly fermented leaves from the same tea plant varietals used to make traditional sencha. The flavor is brisk and clean, with a green-tea-like sweetness and a black-tea-like smokey, nutty taste, finishing with overtones of nutmeg.

Well said. While this is definitely a tea I'd be more than happy to revisit I'm not quite sure what to compare it to. The closest I can think of would be one of the better, more full-flavored Ceylons I've tried. But even though words have failed me somewhat I'd recommend it nonetheless.

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Tea Review 113: Rishi Hong Yue

Hong Yue
Rishi Tea

A while back I decided that due to limited time and resources I would confine my tea reviewing to those teas that are truly worth mentioning. Because this is a one-man show and there are so many other more comprehensive review sites out there it seems silly to review everything that comes down the pike.

Rishi's Hong Yue is definitely worth of mention and not just for the novelty factor. But let's talk about that for a moment. Taiwan is best known for it's fine oolong teas and so when a Taiwanese black tea comes along it's worth taking notice. Fortunately Hong Yue does not disappoint.

I can't quite put my finger on what to compare Hong Yue to. I suppose it's closest to a Keemun, but that doesn't quite cut it, as it's quite a bit more flavorful than any Keemuns I've tried. Rishi describes it as having "a distinctive aroma of Clove, Wintergreen, Camphor, Red Date, Raisin and Cinnamon" and I suppose I can concur with that description. Definitely a very aromatic black tea with strong notes of spice and virtually no astringency or bitterness.

In any event, it's one that's worth checking out but be sure to hurry along. Apparently quantities are limited. For more on this tea, from Rishi's blog, take a look at this article. For some thoughts from another reviewer, look here.

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Tea Review 112: Wiseman Tea Company

My apologies to the gang at Wiseman Tea Company for not getting around to this sooner. I've fallen behind on my reviewing lately but I'm making an effort to get caught up.

First things first. Wiseman sent samples of an Earl Grey and Genmaicha, but since these are both varieties that I've never cared much for I wont say much about them. Ditto for the Puerh. I will say that all of these seemed of a decent quality or better, if you're into this sort of thing.

Some of the Wiseman teas that I did like included a very good Rooibos. It might be tempting to think - as I used to - that all Rooibos is created equal, but this is definitely not the case. What set this one apart was simply that it was smoother and more flavorful than many Rooibos varieties I've tried.

Wiseman also provided a very nice Dragonwell. As far as reliability goes, Dragonwell might be among the tops of all tea varieties. I've been trying to think if I've ever run across one I didn't like and I'm coming up dry.

Among the surprises in this bunch were some of the flavored teas, which I typically don't get too excited about. Both the Shalimar Oolong (oolong, aronia berries, mango cubes, rose petals) and the Pearl of Fruits (green Tea, black tea, orange peels, rose petals, safflowers, and marigold petals) were interesting. But I think it was the South Sea Magic (black tea, rose blossoms, sunflower blossoms, cornflower blossoms) that stood out the most from this bunch. Not a bad combo as far as this sort of thing goes.

And how about that slogan?

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Tea Review 111: Yunnan Roundup

Yunnan Curly Golden Buds
Yunnan Golden Tips
Yunnan Black Needle
Tea Trekker

Yunnan Top Grade
Mighty Leaf

Yunnan Golden Curls
Adagio

Let's all join hands for a moment and sing the praises of black tea - something I never waste an opportunity to do. Yes, that's right - black tea. The old warhorse of the tea drinking world. If I had to choose just one type of tea to drink for the rest of my life (assuming that it's top quality stuff) I'd probably go with black.

My point, as I've noted in these pages before, is that a great black tea, at least for my money, can easily hold its own with any of the other types. Of the black teas, my favorite is probably Assam, but lately I've been discovering the delights of the Chinese variety known as Keemun. And, of course, there's Yunnan, yet another type of Chinese black tea.

I've been fortunate enough over the past few weeks to get my hands on a number of Yunnan samples. Yeah, life's hard. Here are some thoughts.

Tea Trekker (X3)
This was the first time I had the chance to taste any tea from Tea Trekker, but I hope it won't be the last. Of the three Yunnan samples I tried, Curly Golden Buds was the least impressive, but only by comparison with the other two varieties.

Next on the list was Black Needle, which had a very smooth, rich flavor and which definitely made me sit up and take notice. But they both paled (so does everything on this page) in comparison with Golden Tips, which I'd rank right up with the best black teas I've ever tasted. To say that it was bursting with flavor is probably something of a cliché, but it's true. I can't imagine how you could top this one.

Mighty Leaf Yunnan Top Grade
A respectable entry from Mighty Leaf. As they put it, "Black tea from China, Yunnan Top Grade, is one of the finest and noble Chinese black teas hailing from the cloud-veiled mountains of the Yunnan province. Nick-named the "mocha of teas", Yunnan Top Grade black tea boasts beautiful large, golden-tipped leaves, a sensual aroma and a rich, smooth flavor with a touch of fruit and malt."

Adagio Golden Curls
Golden Curls is part of Adagio's new Maestro line and is an interesting variety. It's one of the more unusual Yunnan teas I've tasted thus far, with a mild, offbeat flavor that wasn't quite like the typical Yunnan tea and which almost had a kind of creamy taste. Good on its own but perhaps not for those looking for the standard Yunnan flavor profile.

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Tea Review 109: Dilmah Single Estate Ceylon Teas

Dombagastalawa Estate
Nilagama Estate
Lover's Leap Estate
Somerset Estate
Dilmah Watte Series
Single Estate Ceylon Teas

My experiences with Ceylon tea, thus far, have been mostly so-so, with one or two notable exceptions. I found Dilmah's Watte Series of single estate Ceylons to be an interesting notion though I liked some of the varieties more than others. While they may or may not be attempting to woo wine drinkers into trying their teas, the packaging, with notes on each estate, including altitude, and tasting notes that compare each tea to a type of wine, is obviously an attempt to present Ceylon tea as a more upscale kind of beverage.

Dombagastalawa Estate
Dilmah compares this tea, which is grown at 3,300 feet, to a Syrah wine and notes that it has a "biscuity" taste. I'm not sure what that means, but for me this one was probably the best of the bunch, with a full, rich flavor not unlike a high end Assam.

Nilagama Estate
A low grown tea, from an estate located at just 800 feet, Nilagama is "almost chocolatey and ripe tasting" and "full bodied with a big structure and fleshy." Fleshy? Really? Its analogue in the wine world is supposedly the Cabernet Sauvignon. I'd rank this one second of the bunch after the Dombagastalawa. It has a somewhat similar flavor, but lacks the richness of the former.

Lover's Leap Estate
This one didn't do it for me, but of course there's no accounting for taste. Lover's Leap is produced at 5,700 feet and Dilmah likens it to a Champagne, a comparison often made about Darjeeling tea. This variety is probably closer to a Darjeeling than any of the others, with a very light color and flavor, but I found it to be a little too thin and astringent for my liking.

Somerset Estate
From the Somerset Estate, at 4,600 feet, comes a tea with a "fruity, exotic perfume" and "ample tannins" that Dilmah likens to a Pinot Noir. For me this one was not so bad with a nice reddish brown color and a good flavor but perhaps just a bit too thin and astringent. When I think of Ceylon tea, this is the "classic" flavor profile - if there is such a thing - that comes to mind.


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Tea Review 108: English Tea Store Nine Bend Black Dragon

Nine Bend Black Dragon
English Tea Store

Here's what the English Tea Store's blurb has to say about Nine Bend Black Dragon:

Nine Bend Black Dragon Loose Leaf is a classic China Black tea. This tea is full bodied with deep burgundy depth and delightful oaky notes. Excellent as an after dinner tea!

Which is not completely off the mark, but it also doesn't tell you exactly what type of Chinese tea it is. I'm no expert on this sort of thing but I'd put my money on a Yunnan or perhaps a Golden Monkey.

In any event, this is a very good tea and by far the best of the bunch of the four samples ETS sent. I won't quibble with "deep burgundy depth" and "delightful oaky notes" and I'd add that there was virtually no trace of bitterness or astringency with this very flavorful tea.

Samples provided by English Tea Store
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