Afternoon Tea

I’ve gotten a bit behind due to work and such, so I’m playing catch up with some reviewing today. This is a good standard tea. It reminds me some of the Prince Wales blend from Twinnings. It is a blend of several different kinds of teas, so the leaves are pretty non-homogeneous. The tea steeps up to a nice dark brown. To me, this tsates like a classic tea, and I enjoy it with a dash of soy creamer and sweetener.

This is the kind of tea I might order along with other teas to get free shipping. I like it, but if it wasn’t in the cabinet, I wouldn’t miss it. I’ll probably use it up pretty quickly, since it’s something you can reach for when you’re not in the mood for flavored teas, and I seem a little bit overwhelmed by the flavored black teas I have in the cabinet right now. I like them, but not everyday.

Backlogging from yesterday…

Grabbed this for my morning tea and forgot that it wasn’t as bold as I like (for a morning pick-me-up). It’s a really pleasant blend-light and smooth-but not quite strong enough to really wake me up. I have to remember to pay attention to its name next time!

This is a pretty basic and nice Assam/Darjeeling mix. A nice black tea, and that is pretty much all I can say about it. It is smooth and nonbitter.

This is hard for me to describe, but it’s a winner!

It reminds me of Twining’s English Breakfast or Lupicia’s Ceylon Uva, but it has a different taste. I definitely like it! It’s more light-bodied than the aforementioned, which makes it a nice alternative to English Breakfast (which can be heavy and almost “in your face” to me).

This is a very pleasant, easy going tea. It’s a winner for tea parties and for when I’m an old lady. This is one to remember.

I don’t even have to add milk or sugar! And that’s the best complement I could possibly give a black tea.

A rather bog-standard Assam with some Darjeeling mixed in. A perfectly pleasant cuppa but nothing about it is particularly memorable. The quality is fine and it’d be lovely with some dessert as an afternoon treat. A fine choice but nothing I’d go out of my way to source. Would probably be fine for 2 steeps, but I only felt like one cuppa today, so I can’t say for sure.

Superanna gave me several Lupicia teas for my birthday and a sample bag of this came with the order. I did read many of the tasting notes before trying it, so I went into it somewhat knowing what to expect.

What I did not expect was liking it as much as I did, as in, liking it enough to add it to my next Lupicia order.

I agree that it is nothing all that special, and yet…it tastes so very like what I perceive to be the most classic cup of tea that I can see myself craving the simplicity and easy drinkability of this.

There is Assam, but not strong enough to upset my sensitive tummy that often objects to Assam. There is Darjeeling, that can be too astringent for my tastes, but this is only brisk and bright. I drank it plain but I think it would also be lovely with milk and or sugar. It would be so good with afternoon snack, like a little slice of decadent (or delicate) cake.

Advent Calendar from Kaylee: Day 23

I broke the rules and had this one for breakfast! :D It’s definitely lighter than a robust breakfast tea thanks to the Darjeeling, but still strong enough to satisfy with some nice malty notes. I fully intended to brew a second pot but my partner got rid of the leaves before I could do it! Ah well.

Decided to make this single-serving teabag I got as a sampler from Lupicia with some long-ago order before the California flagship closed down for my Doctor Who-watching afternoon teatime (at least the name fits). It is a typical malty black tea blend, and a rather nice one, at that. I get notes of malt, baked bread, grapes, raisins, and autumn leaf. It’s a pleasant breakfast blend black tea, the sort that appeals to me by being smooth and with mild astringency and pleasant to take plain.

Sipdown. Decent work tea – nice mix of darjeeling and assam. Consistent flavor and held up well to all day drinking.

This is the first straight tea I have tried from Lupicia and so far I am not impressed. It’s not bad but it’s really nothing special either. It is a touch astringent which is okay but other than that, there isn’t a really distinctive flavor to this. It is maybe a little bit like stonefruit and a touch citrus but really it just tastes like any other run of the mill straight black tea you would find bagged at the grocery store. Drinkable but not something I would want again. 281.