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I added a sample of this to my Upton order, because I’m still such a newbie when it comes to varieties of straight black tea. From what I’ve heard about Keemun, this seems like a good example. The aroma is pretty smoky (though it’s a smoother smoke than a strong Lapsang Souchong). The taste is strong and dark, and like others have mentioned, there are leathery and peppery notes. When I first took a sip, I thought, “Ah-ha! So that’s where the flavor in breakfast teas comes from.” I’d noticed the taste in a lot of breakfast blends, but didn’t realize it was Keemun, specifically.

Anyway, I like this! It’s the kind of dark smoky tea I enjoy drinking, especially in cool weather. So far, I think I might prefer Fujian and Yunnan black teas overall , but I would consider reordering this (and/or sampling other Keemun teas in the future).

Made a pot of this for my sister and me to share! The apple in this tea is sweet and crisp, and smells very fresh. (Tsugaru apples are a pale red apple, from what I can tell, and that matches the taste here.) The apple blends well with the green base; both are light and clean. I’d say the apple is on the subtle side, overall… My sister doesn’t drink unsweetened tea often, so to her this tasted like a nice straight green. But she definitely noticed the apple in the aroma, and I could taste the sweet softness of it mid-sip. (The flavor became more noticeable as it cooled, too.)

The base tea isn’t as finicky as some greens I’ve tried, but I still have to watch the water temperature, and keep the steep time to 2 minutes max. I also like that this tea is very smooth; it doesn’t have the powdery mouthfeel of some greens, which makes it easier to avoid any bitterness.

This is one of my favorite apple teas in my cupboard. If you like green tea and softer, more aromatic flavors, I’d say give this one a try.

Story time! About a year ago, I was on vacation with my best friends at Disney World. We had afternoon tea at the Grand Floridian hotel, where one of my friends ordered this tea. She’s a big fan of Earl Grey—and from her first sip of this one, she was swooning. She had all of us sample it, and we even went so far as to ask our server about it. (We noticed the vanilla note was especially good, so we were curious where it came from.) Anyway, I finally ordered some a month ago. I was curious to see if it would live up to the memory.

Long story short, it does. This is the best Earl Grey with vanilla that I’ve tried so far. It’s also one of the few teas I own where I can see grains of vanilla bean mixed in with the dry leaf. (Golden Orchid from Whispering Pines is another.) This tea smells delicious in the bag, and when it’s steeped. The vanilla is soft and creamy, and the bergamot is sharp and bright; neither overpowers the other. It’s clearly a luxury tea (and expensive), so I feel pretty lucky to have it in my cupboard. Since this is a black tea, it’s a good idea to watch the steeping time to avoid dryness (I try to keep it to 3 minutes max). My friend visited a week ago, and I surprised her by making her a cup of this. It was just as delicious as she remembered.

Pleasantly surprised by this one! I’ve sampled a lot of apple-flavored teas (apple is one of my favorite flavors), so I’m pretty picky about them. In the bag, this one smelled a lot like potpourri—lots of strong, sharp cinnamon, with a hint of almond. Based on the scent of the dry leaf, I was worried the spices would be way too overpowering. But it steeped into a nicely spiced tea, with a solid apple note to round out the cinnamon. I also appreciate that the black tea base was lighter and smoother than I expected. I think I might prefer this one to Adagio’s Spiced Apple Chai, which is a pretty similar tea (but more aggressive with the spices and has a stronger tea for the base). It’s not my favorite tea with apple that I’ve tried so far, but it’s still a good blend for this time of year.

You know those Godiva dark chocolate bars with the raspberry filling? The ones they sell in the check-out line at Kohl’s, which is kind of mean of them, because you went there to buy socks and a sweater and you don’t need chocolate, but now they’re calling out to you like tiny foil-wrapped sirens of deliciousness? (Maybe I’m projecting.)

Well, this tea smells like that when it’s steeped. (Exactly what I was hoping it would smell like! YAY.) The raspberry note here is very refined, not too sweet, with a note of smooth dark chocolate behind it. And it tastes like one of those chocolate bars too! I have to sip slowly to get the full effect—this is not an in-your-face kind of dessert flavor—but that just makes me appreciate it more. I also added sugar, as recommended, and I thought it tasted excellent both ways. I like that the base tea has a hint of something floral; it makes this tea feel elegant, and fits the name. I’m already craving another cup.