No. Six Depot

This was another economical find at our local Dean & Deluca store. The reason for the low price might be because this product was discontinued. (I could not find any specific information about it on the Internet.)

When I opened the drab, but signature, No. Six Depot metal container, the aroma of the short dark leaves reminded me a lot of English Breakfast tea. No. Six Depot seems to use black teas from all over the world. I’m not sure which was used here but I’m relatively confident that it wasn’t Chinese tea. My guess is that it consisted of Indian and Ceylon leaves.

As always, I followed the manufacturer’s recommendations for the initial steeping. I brewed the leaves at 200 degrees for five minutes. The color was orange/gold. The odor had weak English Breakfast and malty characteristics.

The first sip of my cup produced very little flavor. It was early in the morning when I tried it but my taste buds should have been alert enough to wring more taste from this blend. At about the fifth gulp, and after quite a bit of swirling inside my mouth, a defined malty tea taste began to register. The flavor was nice once it clocked in. It was smooth without astringency and the aftertaste was brief and faint.

Maybe the Russian Czar had more sensitive taste buds and/or clearer sinuses than I have. Regardless, this American peasant would have liked the tea to be stronger.

Here’s Hoping TTB

I picked this one out because it looked to be a hibiscus, berry based tea. It isn’t (though I could swear there’s some hibiscus to this blend.) There’s some citrus and floral tones and it’s surprisingly good hot. Supposedly there is rose and chamomile; both of which are flavors that I’m not fond of. But overall I really like this one, I’ll have to add it to my end of the day/sleepytime tea collection.

You either love Pu-erh or you hate it. Nobody seems to be in the middle of the road when it comes to this tea type. Personally, I’m one of the Pu-erh tea lovers. I revel in the earthy, stout, and steady flavor of Pu-erh.

This brand of Pu-erh came packaged in a metal tin. The tou cha (or tou chas?) were all individually wrapped in delicate, white, and tissue-thin paper. As soon as I opened the tin, I immediately smelled the strong leathery and earthly Pu-erh aroma. I knew that was a good sign.

The brewing instructions were not detailed. They did supply recommended temperature and time ranges. However, no recommended number of tou cha(s) per cup was given. I decided to use the amount suggested by other tea companies and brewed one tou cha per two cups of tea for four minutes at 200 degrees.

The steeped aroma was exquisite. Some people (including my wife) describe the smell of brewed Pu-erh as “fishy.” Although I understand the comparison, to me the odor is more like the rich fine leather of a new pair of boots.

In any event, this tea was absolutely pleasing to my palate. The standard Pu-erh flavor was booming but not obnoxious. It was even slightly sweet. Although the taste was forceful, it was also smooth and without astringency. The aftertaste was strong at first but it was pleasant and it dissipated quickly.

If you are on the “love Pu-erh” side of the aisle, this is definitely one that you should try. If you are a “hate Pu-erh” member, you still might want to give this one a chance. It just might make a convert out of you.

Just picked this up last evening, and trying it for the first time today. It’s really smooth and gentle. I’d call it a straight up classic keemun.