Tea Forte

Backlog: I chose this tea to enjoy with my dinner this evening. It came from their “organics” line, and it was in a classic tea bag rather than the signature Tea Forte pyramid sachet. I have to admit that I found myself preferring the classic tea bag over the pyramid, if for no other reason than the fact that the foil pouch kept the tea tasting fresher than the origami-like folded cardstock packaging for the pyramid.

This is one of my favorites from Tea Forte. The pear is light, the ginger is peppery and it was a pleasing accompaniment to my meal.

This is a delightful white tea. Tea Forte nailed the apple flavor. The ginger is mild, not too peppery and doesn’t overpower the delicate combination of tastes.

One of Tea Forte’s best, I think!

As a mint tea it’s ok, but if it’s a “chocolate herbal tea” as they call it, it ought to have stronger chocolate flavour! Apart from peppermint all I can taste is some bitterness which is hardly like chocolate… it’s not unpleasant, but as a chocolate fan I am disappointed.

An ok tea. Sweet-smelling and tastes (coco)nutty. Would be more impressive if served with milk I guess :)

A very gentle Darjeeling. It doesn’t have an overwhelming astringency, although it doesn’t have a strong sense of muscatel either… this would be a great Darjeeling for those who find most Darjeeling teas to be overly astringent or too bitter. A nice fruit quality in the background with an overture of toasted, nutty, flowery taste. Nice!

It’s stronger than most brands’ Earl Grey… the bergamot flavour is overwhelming. Drinking it plain might be better than with milk and sugar, which was what I did just now…

Almost ridiculously sweet, I can’t say I loved this cup. Did I like it? Debatable. It was drinkable, and I drank it, so that has to mean something, yes?

At one point, I found myself thinking ‘It tastes like juice warmed up.’ Which, pro or con, I’m not entirely sure.

Some of you were still having pretend tea parties with your Furbies when I first reviewed Tea Forte’s English Breakfast, but at the time, I was very complimentary of it. Trying it again after a 10-year-break, I still have nice things to say about it. A good and beefy Assam with some brown sugar and raisin notes. Simple and sufficient.

Regretfully sipping my last sample of this one. Besides being a good quality blend, it just smells great—clove-y, maybe.

Updating … full review’s now up at www.itsallabouttheleaf.com.

This one’s due for full review at itsallabouttheleaf.com, but a good quality morning tea that will merit full descriptive paragraphs. (Some companies, I think, dump in a blend of meh black tea and call it English Breakfast for window dressing.)

If you like cinnamon, you may like this. If you want a mild black tea that can be drank without any additives, you may like this. The orange is not present in this tasting session, the cinnamon and clove are all I taste, that is ok with me, I like both of these flavors in tea. Overall, I like this tea. It reminds me of simpler times.

Surprising combo—I haven’t tried a ginger tea before. I enjoyed it but would not repurchase as the peppery aspect to the ginger makes this a tea where one cup will due ya. I’d prefer a tea that I can sip all afternoon in the office.

I am a big fan of chai and other spicey teas. This one is not bad, but I don’t think its much better than the Good Earth and Stash I have. Packaging is nice, but I will not repurchase.

New to better quality teas and gave this one a try. Still trying to decipher my preferences. The vanilla aroma is overwhelming, has a chemical quality to it, and in my opinion it makes a sickening mix with the berry notes in this tea. I do appreciate that lack of bitterness with a rooibos tea even with a long steep, but this blend is just not my thing.

Meh. I am still becoming acquainted with better quality teas and trying to decipher exactly what pleases my palette. So, I picked this up on an invitation shopping website—I am a sucker for packaging I guess. It have a very nice aroma, but the flavor is not all that thrilling.

I was surprised to read the tasting notes on this chai, because I am actually quite enjoying it. Perhaps I like it for the reasons others don’t – the black pepper. I like the way it really perks up this chai.

Steep Information:
Amount: 1 teabag
Water: 1 cup hot spigot water
Steep Time: a little over 3 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: ginger
Steeped Tea Smell: ginger, lemongrass, spice
Flavor: ginger! spicy
Body: Full
Aftertaste: spice
Liquor: translucent dark yellow

5 min was too strong, I had to toss that one

3 minutes worked well, I had to add honey. This worked well for my sore throat and head cold, but not something I would drink normally.

Does not resteep well, very weak.

Pictures: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2011/01/tea-forte-teabag-herbal-tisane-ginger.html

Review up: http://www.itsallabouttheleaf.com/2117/tea-review-tea-forte-hazelnut-truffle/
If one has to do without chocolate, this is a good placebo!

Many of the chocolate-based teas I’ve experienced lose their chocolate-iness after they sit very long. Took me a while to get through my sample cup because I was trying to wax poetic over it for www.itsallabouttheleaf.com, and even after it was stone cold, it still smelled like a really good box of chocolates.

The last of a sampe plack given to me for Christmas by a thoughtful colleague – This tea is a treat to steep. I’ve used pyramid ‘teabags’ before but the flavour of that particular tea was weak and terrible and I ended up prejudiced against the whole lot. The beauty of the pyramid, however, is that you can see the tea inside expand and fill all the available space. Beautiful!

As for the taste, I like chai. I occasionally get one that is overpowering, but this is a nice compromise. The overpowering cinnamon smell/taste can come in if the sip is too big, but that’s become a personal issue. Small sips = delish!

Edit: downgraded the score as the cup is less tasty as time goes on, :(

Hello, cinnamon!

This came in a lovely set and while I will probably finish out my stash, I don’t think I would rebuy. Could barely taste peach or vanilla. Too much cinnamon for me.

Nice balance between a sweet cinnamon spice and a robust black tea. Can’t taste any orange though.