Afternoon Tea

My review of this will not be that great because I’m stuffy and sleepy and doing my best to ignore the fact that there is still white stuff all over the ground outside. Thankfully not the 10 inches from yesterday, but still.

This is a very nice tea. I can taste the Darjeeling but it is mellowed out by the Assam so it isn’t full on Darjeeling with the sometimes sharp edges. The Assam doesn’t taste overly powerful (perhaps due to the short steep time) which makes this a solid but not overpowering tea, very nice for relaxing. Not very cardboard-y or bake-y or very bright, this is a nice, down to earth tea that is definitely good for afternoon. It’s not stout or aggressive enough to be a good morning tea but I’m not holding that against it since it isn’t supposed to be.

The tea doesn’t overly wow me just because it is nice, gentle and mellow. But it’s got a very pretty taste that makes it very easy and nice to drink. I don’t necessarily find afternoon type teas all that memorable but this one might be the exception. I think it I were a big fan of afternoon teas, this one would need a place in my pantry.
4.7g/12oz

A lovely late afternoon tea when restoration is needed after errands! Paired with cookies, even better (http://bakerstreet.tv/2012/09/hazelnut-and-white-chocolate-chip-cookies/ — they’re divine!).

I really like the slightly fruity and “different” note the Darjeeling brings to this blend. The Assam is fortifying, but the Darjeeling adds the sparkle! Whilst light, completely compatible with a little milk and sugar. Classic with a twist.

Never in my tea journey did I think I’d become such a Darjeeling fan! I’m actively searching out more blends that contain Darjeeling for when my cupboard is truly under control (I’m at 63 teas! I’m getting there :) I think I will be at a good place in 2014 if I continue to add very few teas like I did in 2013).

Many thanks to Tea Sipper’s Traveling Tea Box for this gem!

Sipdown, 141. I sent the package of this that I got in my happy bag away in a swap a while ago, but I still had the sample bag kicking around. I figured I should at least try it, although I was not optimistic because it had the dreaded darjeeling in it.

When I brewed it up, it smelled pretty good, honestly. I may have to explore assams a bit (beyond Butiki’s PTA) because I think they do have potential for me. I used to think that assams were the part of the blend I didn’t like, but now I think that it was likely certain (but not all) keemuns. Maybe certain assams as well, I guess. Anyway, when this was hot it was pretty decent, though not particularly interesting, but as it cooled it got very bitter for some reason. Not sad I sent the rest of it away, though I liked it better than I thought I would.

While my husband is working from home today I thought I should do my wifely duties and bake him a cake. I went for a chocolate marble cake and chose this tea to serve with it. There is nothing better than eating a slice of cake still warm from the oven. :)

I can taste the Assam in the first few sips but there is a delicate floral after taste from the Darjeeling. The Assam in my opinion is just too strong in comparison though and it spoils the blend. It’s drinkable but not as nice as it could be. It’s also rather spicy and musky but also dry.

I have one more pots worth of this tea left and I will not be restocking it. Just not special enough for me, sorry Lupicia.

Tea of the afternoon here; an appropriate name for the afternoon. :)

This teabag was a free sample from Lupicia. Interesting, I don’t know that I’ve ever had an assam/darjeeling blend. The cup after steeping is a light reddish brown. The aroma is definitely reminiscent of an assam, quite malty and chocolate.

After tasting, I can see how the darjeeling tempers the assam and lends a fruity, almost floral note. I like how smooth this is and practically devoid of astrigency. This is quite pleasant to sip on plain, which is always nice. Doesn’t really need milk in my opinion, but you could always add some if you wanted.

I have enjoyed this but I doubt it’s something I would bother to keep on hand on a regular basis. In character, it reminds me a bit of Kusmi’s Russian morning tea, which is also very mild.

I would be the one to get sinusitis in a year of bad flu. Hah. I should have realized it weeks ago probably. So lots more tea it is.

I knew I was going to like this, Assam and Darjeeling blends are quite possibly even better than an Assam or Darjeeling by itself. So I made an entire teapot full.

As it’s sat in there though it’s lost some of the super sweetness it had at first, but that’s okay.

While it’s nothing REALLY special, it’s nice. The strongest thing I can taste past the maltiness coming from the Assam is honey. And it is tasty. Also very helpful for getting out the nasty taste of nasal spray (did they really think putting fake sweeteners in there helps? BLEH).

Honestly if I didn’t want a kick, I don’t think this is really afternoonish. I’d drink it more in the morning. But I also prefer a more rounded blend of black teas. Speaking of which I am still SUPER tempted by that Rue La La Harney deal because I would spend it entirely on black tea blends.

Thank you so much to RICKY for sending me this sample. I have to agree with the other assessments here. I think that this is a really reliable, traditional type of tea that you could offer to anyone without causing dismay.
While there is nothing utterly distinctive about it, the merit comes from a good strong smooth taste with nicely balanced flavors.

I should always have a tea like this around to serve when eating a really strongly flavored food or to serve people who don’t like green tea or flavored tea.

I think I was unfair to this tea before; it is in fact a step up from Twinings EB. As with many teas, I find I’m enjoying it more now that I’m paying minimal attention to steeping parameters – lots of leaf, long-ish steep, water at whatever temperature it is when it comes out of the dispenser at work. The Darjeeling’s coming through quite strongly, which I appreciate. Raising my score by several points.

Back to the land of good tea! Yay!

I was at a work conference last week at a beautiful, but remote, training center in West Virginia. The food service was pretty good, but I knew that, most likely, the tea available would be Lipton. I was right, but they did have some Tazo tea…a slight step up, but only slight, haha! I brought some of my bagged black teas with me, and even some 52teas marshmallow genmaicha with portable teabags. On the latter, my coworker resteeped the bag I steeped…I think she was desperate for some green tea! Haha! All they had was black and chamomile.

Anyway, I mostly enjoyed my Northwest Breakfast tea from Market Spice, but I did have a sample of this tea from one of the monthly newsletters. It’s kinda too bad I drank it there, because all that I remember was that it was better than most of the tea available, but that’s good, right? ;)

Glad to be back!

I probably have used more tea leaves than I should! This has brewed up to be a full-bodied, slightly bittersweet and astringent cup. The kind of tea that will carry milk really well. Love the intense aroma :)