Tea at The Empress (aka Empress Orange Pekoe)

I had tea at the Empress a few years ago. I had forgotten that they sent us home with these neat tins full of tea, until I was rumagging around in my parents tea cupbord a while ago. I spirited this tin home with me, mostly for the neat tin, I must confess.
But I’v got three tea bags of this in the tin, which are now several years old, but I am determined to try them anyway.
Hmm. This brewed up very dark very fast. And the first sip gives me a bitter burst.
Second sip provides a little more roastyness, a hint of something greeny lurking in its depths.
This is strong! I’m not sure. I’m such a sweet tea drinker that this is almost overwhelming. These three tea bags will be an adventure in comfort zones, I can tell.

I had Afternoon Tea at the Empress the other day and they serve you this signature tea. It was a really cool experience, but to be honest, definitely isn’t worth the money doing it again.

I had this both black and with tea and sugar. Either way, I couldn’t taste any of the Assam in the blend, however, the Ceylon and Keemun stood out the most. I’m writing this from memory, but luckily they give you a box of this tea to take home, so next time I try it, I can always reevaluate it.

This tea takes the additives really well. It’s exactly the kind of tea I like to drink with milk and sugar. Kind of like a Tim Hortons steeped tea double double, but without the cardboard flavour you get from the TH. My mom had Afternoon Tea with me and she said that it reminded her of when she was a little girl, her grandmother used to serve her tea with milk and sugar, and it tasted exactly like this. So this tea definitely earns points for bringing back good memories.

A nice touch from the Fairmont with their Empress Tea. It’s a a black Orange Pekoe style tea. Nice touch making the tea bags with loose leaf in them. They serve two cups of tea, so a nice serving.

I oversteeped mine though I think. Was slightly astringent. Will try for less time next time, but a nice addition to my morning :)

well bodied cup that I think I enjoy best as a daily drink. Affordable 100g bags are consumed quickly and the ceylon heavy blend is good plain or with cream/milk/sugar. A good base for chai blends or for a standard cup I think this provides a good “English” tea flavor. Not tolerant of over steeping keep the brew time under 4.5 minutes and brewable twice.

This tea is blended by Metropolitan tea company out of Toronto and has a few names Empress, 1908 blend, it is their standard blend available in the shop.

This is much better quality than I anticipated. While it comes bagged, there are large unbroken leaves inside. It makes for a malty orange pekoe tea with citrus and smooth, creamy notes.

Current cuppa!

This is nice; it’s very thick and full bodied with tannic autumnal leaf and malty bread notes. Basically, it’s serving the purpose of why I chose it tonight – it’s a great canvas for the lemon infused creamed honey that I was craving so much. The black tea is a super solid foundation for this sweet and citrus-y honey that compliments all of the other flavours!

If I asked for simply “tea” at a moderately upscale restaurant or hotel, this is about what I would expect. Not pretentious, no particular flavor notes to comment on, just a straight up black tea which, to their credit, has a much smoother finish than more generic pekoes I’ve had. While I don’t typically take my tea British style, something about this blend would make me feel at home tossing in a lump or two of raw sugar and a splash of cream. All the same, probably not worth seeking out if you or someone you know isn’t already visiting a Fairmont resort.

Late in posting this. I actually dug this out during the Olympics when I saw this clip and ended up drinking quite a bit. They attend the tea about halfway through the clip.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/35017294/#35558956

Wish that I could say I was lucky enough to go to one of their afternoon teas but… it was a gift for babysitting while relatives combined business with pleasure. It is a very refreshing tea with a little citrus aftertaste – like a mild Earl Grey.