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“I was not planning on ordering any more teas for a while but after seeing the free shipping code I thought I’d check this out from RtR. After reading Scott B’s note on the bitterness I decided to...” Read full tasting note
“l’ve been wanting this for six weeks, but I was waiting for RtR to get in a couple of FF Darjeelings so I could do just one order. Well, RtR had a free shipping promo this week and, alas, they...” Read full tasting note
Plucking Date: 02/23/12
Origin: Kenya
A full-flavored, brisk and beautifully balanced morning tea with notes of honey, sweet mace and dried plum. This medium-bodied tea has a cedar aroma and subtle notes of vanilla carry from the leaves through to the infusion. This is the perfect breakfast tea with or without the addition of milk and sugar.
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I was not planning on ordering any more teas for a while but after seeing the free shipping code I thought I’d check this out from RtR.
After reading Scott B’s note on the bitterness I decided to steep this at a slightly lower temp and came up with a medium bodied orange color. I thought I would be brave and at least try it plain once before deciding it needed anything.
I am getting some light fruity notes and a bit of sweetness. I definitely think there is some astringency in this cup but so far it is not overwhelming me. Dried plum, maybe. I’m not even sure I know what mace tastes like but it’s got a spicy element of some kind or another. It does remind me a bit of a second flush darjeeling. Just like Scott, as my cup is cooling off I am noticing the bitterness even more. Ick.
I will need to try this with some soymilk to see what happens…
l’ve been wanting this for six weeks, but I was waiting for RtR to get in a couple of FF Darjeelings so I could do just one order. Well, RtR had a free shipping promo this week and, alas, they never got the Darjeeling I wanted so I just placed my order. I’ve got a problem with the way RtR gives out free samples, but I’ll deal with that in another review. Otherwise, their shipping is very fast, packing is good and no complaints with my order. The tea is packed in re-sealable pouches that are foil/mylar on the inside and brown kraft paper on the outside. BTW, RtR is a division of RoT-they even ship from the exact same address.
This is my first Kenyan tea-I’ve heard they are very high in caffeine, so I’ll probably only have one cup today. Dry leaves are very dark brown with a couple light-medium brown leaves (tips?). They are short-medium in length, and tightly rolled. I do smell the cedar in the dry leaves that RtR promises, but little else specific. Something fruity. Maybe the dried plum they mentioned. It’s a pleasant aroma.
The brewed leaves actually brighten up a touch to a dark olive green and medium brown. The liquor was copper before I finished putting water in the cup and turns mahogany brown when fully steeped.
Taste is brisk with some bitterness in the aftertaste. I detect some sort of floral note, which is definitely unwelcome in a breakfast tea. Makes me think someone dumped a few oolong leaves in this-but it’s not a blend. The floral taste is not dominant, but it’s off-putting. The flavor overall is kind of unusual and I’m not sure how much I like. it. Bitterness is really increasing as this starts to cool, so don’t let it cool too much because it will become undrinkable.
I’ll give this a preliminary score-subject to change after further cuppings.
That’s another thing I’ve noticed about teas-astringency, and bitterness are more noticeable as the cup cools.
Sorry to hear about this. I was planning on trying it again maybe over the weekend. I really hate to put milk in my tea (except Masala Chai), but if it improves it, definitely let us know.
I have mace in my house. Doesn’t say “sweet” on the label-but it smells kinda sweet. I smelled it to compare with this tea and I didn’t really find it in the tea.