136 Tasting Notes
Backlogging: Been away from most of my other teas last week, resorted to buying some new bagged teas. This one impressed me the least. The black tea seemed to be buried under the flavorings, which while they were ok… I wished I had some Upton Creme Caramel, where the tea is an equal player. Weak overall, not bad…just lacking.
Preparation
Disclaimer: Really out of my element on this testing. Having nothing to really judge it against, will just record impressions and opinion (but take it for what it’s worth right now). This is a white tea (unusual for me) and I’m testing it without additions (eeeek, lol).
The brewed tea aroma is floral (can’t place which) and vegetal…mostly vegetal (like a pot of fresh green beans boiling on stove).
First sip impression: eh, going to take a few more sips to adjust to “no sweetener” added. Sip sip sip … this does taste like a vegetable broth of some sort (not green beans). There’s a slight bitterness to it (slight, slight). Not really liking the aftertaste, even though the tea itself is quite drinkable “plain”. While it’s still warm, going to run and add a little honey (wimping out, I know)…. Added a tsp. of honey, and it justs seems to get more vegetable-like. Since I’m not one to drink vegetable broth, this isn’t for me. Not going to give it a number rating (wouldn’t be fair). It’s probably quite good for what it is … not a weakling by any means.
Preparation
For godsake woman shorten your steep time! ;) i can only imagine that’s why you were getting so much veg and that hint of bitterness. For a straight white I would steep 5 mins tops, I don’t trust package recommendations, especially after tonights green debacle.
Yea, and it’s not Adagio’s fault (they said 3-5). I was reading other tealogs about this tea and several said 7 (and liked it). So I do need to give it another try, perhaps at the other extreme :)
I never steep white teas past 2 minutes usually…
Hi! Got here from my own tealog, and I had to laugh – I, too, am trying to kick a Coke habit with tea. Well, maybe not entirely (I can’t actually bring myself to imagine a life without pop), but it seems to have worked, largely, since I mostly drink tea now.
I “wimp out” on the no-sugar thing, too. I’ve gotten down to as little as one packet of raw sugar for a cup, but haven’t made it to clear; even when I promise myself I’ll drink a cup clear, I inevitably end up adding a sweetener anyway.
I would also try a shorter steep. A low-quality white might stand up to 7 minutes – I recently had a Tazo white that turned out to stand up to a combined steep time of 2 minutes, 4 minutes and 6 minutes on three steeps, but that’s a bagged tea. Better quality whites I also keep to 2 minutes, max. Sometimes I see reviews of tea where people are listing steep times that are so long that I think they’re just wacky!
Truthfully, I haven’t given up Coke either completely, but drinking a lot less now. My problem comes from being a sipper and I always end up drinking hot tea quickly, needing more : ) My water consumption is up though…ha.
But yea, this is in my “try again” pile (not the “OMG no!” pile) so will go for 2-3 next time. Matter of fact, a lot of things I tested as a newbie probably needs retested (now that I have a vari-temp kettle and realize time and temp do matter a lot).
p.s. chocolate brownies are better with (homemade) peanut butter icing (tell your Mom…lol).
When I placed my last Upton order, a sample of this went into my cart. But wait! It’s almost sold out (so I bit the bullet and added a tin to cart). Did I make a mistake? Hmmm, that’s on my mind as I test this tonight.
Sniffing the tin, it does indeed smell like those chocolate/orange cream candies that are popular around Christmas-time (name escapes me). After steeping, I did a little testing because I suspected this would need sweetened, and it did (added 2 tsp. raw sugar to 15 oz.). This black tea used is STRONG and a bit too strong for me. I’m not getting much chocolate (or orange for that matter). Tasting like coffee (eeeeeek) to me. Added 1 T. (or so) of Coffeemate “Natural Bliss” Sweet Cream. Sip. Sip. Sip. Mmmmmmmmm. NOW this is great. I’m getting that chocolate-covered orange cream candy impression. The tea itself has mellowed, and it is as described. I must have missed that this had flowers when ordering (brain focused on the chocolate part…go figure), but I’m not getting any hint of flowery’ness in this. I wished I had bought a whole tin of Creme Caramel yesterday, but am not regretting the “risk” of getting a whole tin of this one. Yum (and perfect for a cold snowy night…brrrrr).
Preparation
This is the first caramel tea that I’ve tried and I am happy with this one. It brews up nice and dark/rich with a bit of a burnt caramel aroma. This black tea is very strong and present, but not bitter in any way. This is as close to coffee-like that I’d want to be. The caramel is very strong as well, and I think it’s the tea base that is giving it a slight burnt impression. Added 1 tsp. raw sugar and 1 tbs. of Coffeemate “Natural Bliss” Sweet Cream to sweeten it up some, and it is really strong and flavorful.
Preparation
Knowing that I love Upton’s Earl Grey Cream Vanilla, I wanted to test some of their other Earl Grey choices and ordered 3 more to try (including this one). I picked this one first, because the bergamot aroma from the dry leaves was not overpowering (just right).
Being somewhat new to tea, and to Earl Greys, I’m not an expert by any means, but this tea is very enjoyable to my tastebuds. I’m not getting any bitterness from the tea and the orangey flavor is noticeable, but not over the top. What more to say? Added about a T. of honey to 15 oz. and thinking it wouldn’t have needed that much sweetener (which is a good sign, yes?).
Preparation
Note that Upton has switched from using spearmint in this tea to peppermint. When I ordered it, it said spearmint. When it arrived, it said peppermint. Looking at the reviews on their site, many mention spearmint (so I’m not crazy, lol).
The aroma of the dry tea is of peppermint (uh huh, sneaky Upton). I prefer spearmint, but since falling in love with Adagio’s Casablanca Twist, peppermint is ok too.
I added 2 tsps. of raw sugar to this and it is very sweet (note to self: use less next time). I can taste the tea and it is very mild and good. The peppermint is mild in this, and in comparison to Casablanca Twist, it is sort of a “Casablanca Twist” light (more green, less peppermint). But I like this a lot. Mint is a category that I’m going to favor over others, so take that into consideration … but will probably add this to my next order to have around. Mild, calming, nice tea.
Preparation
Waking up this morning to snow reminded me that this is still winter. This is one of only a few Upton samples left to sample, so good as time as any.
The dry aroma threw me at first. I can smell the spices, but I think the (unnamed “citrus” threw me). Potpourri? Maybe. After brewing, the tea became less fragrant.
Black tea, citrus peels, rose petals, chopped almonds, cloves, vanilla bits, cardamom, artificial flavor:
The black tea base is not obvious nor bitter (yay). The cloves and cardamom are well behaved and not overpowering. I can taste the almonds in the background, along with the vanilla … which makes this a very calming blend for my tastes. This is no where near being a “chai” (which cloves/cardamom conjur up). Having added a tbs. of honey, this is very sweet… might get by with less (almost too sweet). I do sense the rose in the aftertaste, which is ok (not something I’d seek out). Overall I’m really liking this tea (fears an Upton order in my future, since this is seasonal). Very mild yet flavorful.
Preparation
I bought this from their latest sale, because I love Chai/Chai blend, which is this plus White Ayurvedic Chai (in what proportion, one can only wonder). I have the WAC and thought it was weak on it’s own, so if I don’t like this on it’s own either, I could always blend them.
The aroma of the brewed tea is of cinnamon and other spices blending in. First sip is cinnamon and a fruity tone. Yep, I’m getting the pineapple mostly but the other flavors are melding in. Since I like pineapple (mmmmm, pineapple upside down cake) and cinnamon, I’m finding this very good. Little too much ginger for my (sensitive) tastes, but that isn’t a fair criticism imo. Overall it is sweet (added tbs. of honey, but think it would be sweet anyway). Aftertaste is back to the pineapple and cinnamon. Haven’t tasted (green) mate on it’s own, so not sure how it’s playing in here, but not noticing much beyond the fruit and spices.
Will see if this perks me up tonight (groggy)… tgif!
Preparation
Had this when I woke up, with a T. of honey and a T. of the new Coffeemate “Natural Bliss” Vanilla (which is very good btw, but has a wee bit more sugar than I’m comfortable with…will use sparingly). This is becoming a morning routine, as I love Earl Grey Creme Vanilla.
On a side note: I have allergies, bordering on being ashtmatic at times. One of the reasons for switching from Coke to tea is to be able to incorporate honey into my daily routine (and for calorie reduction overall). It really was helping me avoid medications. This morning was validation for this practice. When I woke up, it was one of those mornings with breathing difficulties (out of breath walking anywhere). Thinking I was doing something wrong (by reading comments here about honey), for the past few days I’ve been trying to switch away from honey to raw sugar, or no sweetener. I have to remember why I’m using it, because after 2 cups of this tea with honey, I’m breathing MUCH better. So there! A tea purist I will probably never be, but time will tell.
Preparation
Oh, the wonders of local honey! I started that kind of thing last Spring, and had a much better year for allergies, even though they were pretty bad for my kids. Unfortunately, they don’t really like honey. I may have to convince them at some point! BTW, I have a friend that adores this tea!
Local honey is something on my “to find” list, but regular ole store bought works. My biggest allergy is mold/mildew, and this warmer weather is a blessing (no snow) and a curse (mold spores). But I do have pollen allergies too, and they never were a huge problem until I moved to this very-rural area. I joke that I need to be around more asphalt/concrete apparently (city girl at heart). Thanks for the validation that honey does work (glad for you too).
Need to test out other Earl Greys at some point, but this one is working for me. I crave it, and hey, the price is right : )
I believe my allergies have improved since I started drinking tea.
I know that locally harvested, raw honey has helped me significantly with my allergies. I am at the point now where I don’t need it year round, though (when we first moved up here to the Pacific Northwest I did need it year round), but, when things start blooming again, I’ll probably be adding some honey to some of my teas.
p.s. last night I was having a really bad coughing fit. I did turn to medication (Nectadyn and a Hold cough drop, which only worked so-so). I should have brewed a big cup of tea instead. Didn’t realize until this morning that I hadn’t had honey for 2-3 days.
I’m clueless where to turn for local honey, but need to start the hunt. There are a lot of Amish folks nearby, so there is probably hope : )
Oh, you will find it! Do you have Farmer’s Market anywhere? (Well, not necessarily now!) Since I am pollen allergic, it really helps me!
Mt. Vernon has a Farmer’s Market in the summer, but I haven’t visited (way too early on a Saturday a.m. for my liking, lol). But yea, that is one possibility. How “local” does it need to be? There are a lot of Amish shops a county north (Holmes). Without snow, navigating the hills/curves shouldn’t be too bad : )
Mine comes from about 15 miles away (but north and east of here so that does not help you at all!)….just get the closest to home that you can!
p.s. Jen: Because of your picture (and research on the topic), I decided to order a 24 oz. Curve teapot (for mornings, when I want more of this tea than my IngeniTea can make) and a 15 oz. matching mug. Thanks to Coinstar, who now gives Amazon (and other) gift certificates without any fees (for using Coinstar), my big pile of coins went to good use (ummm, got a 32 oz. IngeniTea too, for cold brewing). Amazon just shipped today (should have soon). Yay!
Have to go south tomorrow (Columbus) but am going to stop in a little deli shop, who sells a lot of Amish foods (baked goods etc) that is nearby and ask. There’s a lot of Amish in this county too, or maybe someone else who makes honey. Will see. Thanks for help : )
Amy: Just tea, not with honey? Any particular type or just in general?
Liber: Thanks for reinforcing my thoughts.
You will love that teapot. I use that one a few times every day. When I don’t want quite that much tea or I am testing or I am drinking a good resteeper, I use the mug. Yayyy for Coinstar!
Oh…what color? ;)
Turquoise (wish there was a different green choice, but it matches best). I haven’t gotten to a resteeping point yet, but will keep that in mind. I don’t have a dishwasher (boo) so these purchases will keep me down to one dishwashing session a day : )
i feel compiled to order some of upton’s EGCV but i have never had it before…so it kinda freaks me out.
compiled…. Compelled sorry
Our little produce markets sell local honey here, so it doesn’t have to be a big farmers market!
I hate being repetitive (just tested Jade Oolong and Jasmine Silver Needle by Adagio, and found them not to my liking), so I will just say that I am learning that floral scented teas are not my thing. This is a cross between the 2 others tested tonight (falls in the middle of likeability).
These 3 failures to my tastebuds is causing them to scream out for a mint testing : )
When I tried this one, it did taste pretty artificial. An exception to the product line—most of the Lipton pyramid bagged line is pretty good.
Will have to keep an open mind and try another one down the line then. Thanks : )
I didn’t know Lipton did pyramid teabags. Do either of you know if the leaf in those bags is full?
The leaf is more “ground” like coffee, at least in this one (black tea). Their website shows 9 varieties.
http://www.liptont.com/our_products/pyramid/index.aspx
I liked Black Pearl, and the Pineapple Chamomile is a really nice herbal.
On the webpage given via the link, they use the words, ‘long-leaf’, and ‘long-cut’ but not ‘full-leaf’ to describe the tea. Interesting. Thanks for the link!
You’re welcome. In fairness, it was “only” $2.59 for 20 pyramid bags (on sale I think…whooping $2.99 if it wasn’t, lol).