Silk Road

I’m not usually a big fan of mint teas, but this one blew me away. The pink peppercorns and the hibiscus really help to mellow out the sharpness of the peppermint. Hands down, one of my favourite teas ever.

Sipdown (currently 271, but I need to package up and send out a bunch of teas, and also share some stuff with my brother).

Like. Will buy again. :) Just need to get over to Victoria, which isn’t going to happen until after I move and settle in.

This is exactly what I wanted right now.

I’ve been drinking a lot of lemongrassy teas lately, I think I have a craving. I even made bo kho, with super strong lemongrass tea (didn’t want to go to the store to get a couple stalks) and it was so amazing and lemongrassy. Yum.

I added a couple small pieces of rock sugar while it was steeping.

This has a lot of lemongrass in it, so I wouldn’t call it so much a lime tea, as a lemon-lime tea.

I do enjoy this one, although I prefer the cherry. This one is really nice iced in the summer. Too bad it looks like I forgot I had it all summer!

Apparently I have some of this tea at home! I was trying to dig something out of my friends cupboard I hadn’t had before, or at least not that frequently. Oh well.

I’m having this iced with honey today. Brewed double strength (1 tsp per 6-8oz water-that-cooled-5-mins) and poured it over ice, then added ice till the cup was full. I think I ended up with about 16 oz, but I’m not sure.

I added 1/2 tsp honey to it while it was brewing, which was too much. I do like honey with lemongrassy teas, though! Just maybe a lot less next time. A hint of honey rather than it being a prominent flavour.

This tea is so good. I love it iced so much. I hope I can replicate the tastiness at home later, once I’ve finished my laundry!

Quite enjoyable! The best chocolate mint rooibos I’ve had came from a tiny tea store in a little town that I carefully rationed when I learned the store had closed. Chocolate Panda isn’t the same but it’s quite a good substitute, plus it’s got some added flavours. This tea delivers the quality taste that I’ve come to expect from all Silk Road teas. Overall: yum!

It took me a while to warm up to this tea due to an unfortunate lemongrass essential oil incident in the past, but now a fan. It’s light and fruity with a bite of lemongrass. Caffeine-free but with a bit of a pick me up that perfect for early evening tea drinking.

This is a nice green oolong but I don’t think it will become a staple of mine. I’m on my second steep of this already and the floral and crisp mineral notes are the most dominant, with some milky butter creeping in subtly. It reminds me a bit of a tieguanyin oolong, in regards to floral crisp flavours (don’t ask me what kind of flowers).

This would be a good casual evening oolong; it’s not fancy or expensive and that makes it strangely accessible, if not particularly exciting.

I had a tiny tin sample of this that I passed along to school friend today. She’s not a big tea drinker but she likes green oolong! She’s my green oolong buddy.

really clear, sweet earthy green tea.
excellent multiple steeps

Super happy sip down! I cold steeped the rest of my small tin in a jug overnight, and unfortunately, I still taste broccoli tempura.

This tea has sure taken me on a ride. First of all, the dry leaf smells intoxicating. Swirls of fresh orange zest with a squeeze of grapefruit, topped with a pinch of cinnamon. It’s exactly what I’m looking for in an orange spice tea.

The cinnamon comes out more once steeped. But the real confusion happens with the flavour.

First couple sips, alright, it’s citrusy, a little spicy. I was actually expecting more cinnamon but that is not a complaint.

But as this started to cool off, there was something in here that reminded me of something else. What is it? Is it a vegetable? I think it’s a potato or something. No, no it’s not. It’s something I get at a Japanese restaurant. Huh. Halfway through the second cup, I was getting warmer. It’s something with tempura batter on it. Eureka! It’s broccoli tempura. That semi-green base must be playing mind games with me.

I will see when I drink this next time if this bento box lunch special will be jumping out of my cup again.

My friend drove us down to a nearby DavidsTea after class, and after I picked up a couple of their new ones, we headed down to Silk Road. I picked out a couple, and when I introduced him to the Lapsang Souchong, he sprang for a mini tin of that, plus some Japanese Sour Cherry. Yay!

This was actually my first Silk Road purchase. Loving all things vanilla, I wanted to try this first. My friend commented on the overwhelmingly sweet aroma wafting from the huge canister. And he’s right, I wasn’t expecting that. But it’s sweet in a good way.

Ever smell something one moment and revisit the scent not too long after, only for it to smell completely different? That’s what’s going on now. The dry leaf in my tin smells nothing like it did in the store, where it was an obvious vanilla bean. Now it smells like stewed tomatoes. That’s right. Stewed. Tomatoes.

Once steeped, the stewed tomatoes confusion disappears and it’s back to vanilla bean.

The vanilla is lovely, really. Velvety, almost like vanilla whipped cream. The base is a little too brisk for my liking. Detracts from the smoothness of the vanilla. It makes me want 52teas French Vanilla Assam. I’ve hereby decided that Assam is a better choice than Ceylon when we’re dealing with vanilla.

But if that’s what you are looking for, a Ceylon-based vanilla, this one is very well blended and it’s worth trying.

Silk Road gave their website a makeover and it looks like they are finally on board with the online shipping thing-before you apparently had to order over the phone! I wasn’t aware that their teas were categorized as “signature” or “limited edition”. Silly me, assuming everything is permanent.

Mmm, This is a delicate, dainty little tea. The dry leaves look like tightly curled up bits of thread. The aroma is almost unnoticeable when dry but it becomes characteristically floral when damp. The notes are simple, crisp and floral, with a honey sweet finish. This contains a surprising amount of flavour. There is something that almost seems “spiced” and musky about its aroma and finish but it’s too subtle for me to put my finger on.

I’m drinking this using my little glass gongfu pot… white tea and floral flavours can be so subtle yet potent! They make the world seem like it’s slowing down. I could just sit here and drift off with this (should be studying). Too bad this tea wasn’t cheaper.

I cringe at the thought of how old my container of this tea is. I think I bought it in 2006 or 2007 when I was working full-time at a contract job. My container is still mostly full, probably because the lemongrass is cut fine enough that the tea was difficult to strain through my teeth, and I hadn’t discovered the delightful Finum strainer yet (My favourite tea at that job was Golden Phoenix.). Now, I may be wrong and I may have purchased this on a more recent visit to Victoria, but… I’m probably right, and yet I’m still going to drink this stuff.

Dry, the tea still smells a little citrus-y, and a lot lavender-y. Wet, it has a smoky smell that essentially smells like old lavender blossoms and pu-erh… so, old lavender blossoms. Sipping on it is still delightful, though. There’s a bit of sweetness from the rosehips, a lot of citrus from the lemongrass and orange peel, and the smokiness comes out as lavender. There isn’t enough lavender to make it soapy, even though the tea has… been well aged.

I remember I used to think this needed sugar, but evidently my palate has matured. This is good, and I’m excited to finish what I have (!! I know!) and plot for a new order from Silk Road. Maybe I’ll go visit, or maybe I’ll bribe someone to come visit me! Or maybe I’ll just stay at home in my PJs and order online. Tough decision. :)

This is one of very few flavoured pu’erhs that I can throw a scoop of into the bottom of my travel mug, top with water, and let it go all day, topping up the water as it gets low.

I was really excited that it contains grapefruit, I LOVE grapefruit, but have few teas with it in them. It gives the tea a different citrus kick than the usual orange or lemon, and the extra tang really cuts through the earthy pu’erh to make the cup feel fresh. The cinnamon is subtle in the steeped cup, and intensifies with time.

I usually throw it in the bottom of my Timolino, fill with water, and then it takes about an hour with the top off to be able to drink it. So I’m going to write the following bit as if each steep is about an hour:

First: the grapefruit really shines in the first steep. It’s sweet but tangy, lightly spiced, with a really rich finish. It reminds me a bit of breakfast. Half a grapefruit with a cinnamon bun and cup of ceylon. I feel like the pu’erh is lighter than most in my collection, and tastes like a slightly earthy, slightly malty Ceylon, and I think that’s why I love it extra much.

Second: the grapefruit is still there, but milder, the pu’erh is a bit bolder, more earthy, more malty, more like my other pu’erh. The cinnamon really comes out in the second cup. Reminds me of Christmastime, and those oranges with the cloves poked into them. Really comforting cup!

Third and beyond: more of a cinnamon pu’erh, the citrus is almost gone by the third, and totally gone by the fourth. The pu’erh has softened again, and is back to feeling like a mild black. I like to add a splash of oat milk at this point, and it looks like chocolate milk in my cup! haha! I usually squeeze about 5 cups out if I start with the leaf in the bottom of my cup first thing in the morning.

If anyone is interested in a sample, I have LOTS (probably 250g right now) and since I work up the block from the shop, I can always go get more with very little effort, so I’m happy to send a couple cups’ worth :)

Subtle is the key word here. It’s pleasant, slightly sweet. I tried a few different brew lengths and it never became bitter and oversteeped, which is nice. It’s a beautiful light clear green colour. Not a lot of tasting notes, as it is very subtle, but I did like it.

Though I have grown away from this to more black teas this tea is exceptionally well balanced with the black backing up the crisp mint. I will not drink mint by itself again as this blend provides such a pleasing well rounded sip. Despite the black steep times up to 7 minutes provided no bitterness.

At this point this is my favorite lapsang though I have tried few others. The tin smell is strong like campfire which is off putting to many but the brew is deep black with a smoky sweet finish and often my daily pot at work. I brew twice with little difference between pots. Surprisingly tolerant of brew times I have had a delicious cup well past 5 minutes. Take note that this is heavy on caffeine for those that are intolerant this tea can give you a long lasting high.

Very good in cooking too, steeped while soaking lentils gives you a tasty bacon flavor without the fat. Murchies lapsang is more bacony and is better for cooking.

Being my first estate tea I think my memory is on the high side but I remember this being my favorite cup ever. Steeping up to 3 times I found the sweetness well balanced with the tartness of the darjeeling. I have tried other estates both first and second flush and yet to find the same character. I believe this was a 2011 harvest. Tasty, soothing and peaceful I was always left wanting for more. The only negative quality of this tea was its high price and limited availability.

The mango is well balanced with the ceylon providing a sweetness to the full bodied black cup that makes a pleasant morning or daily brew. Not suitable for multiple steeps as the mango is lost this is best enjoyed in the initial steep.

Light and cheery this is one of few green teas I enjoy. The jasmine is clearly present with peaky sweet flowery notes that make me feel happy with only the slightest green grassy taste in the background. Steep light and cool and drink when feeling down, tired or hot for a refreshing pick me up. Have successfully infused for a tasty cocktail. My only critique is that taste has varied between batches and stock is not assured.

Smooth sweet green with tart bright cherry notes that is extremely delightful to taste. This is really the only green tea that I enjoy. The flavor is satisfying and invigorating with no discernible grassyness but the tea does not age well with all desirable traits diminishing by 6 months. Unless you drink a lot purchase only 40 cup tins.

The smell is intoxicating but I find the vanilla to be heavy that mutes the character of the ceylon base. It is heavy to a point of tasting artificial.