Basilur

Wowsa! What a wallop of raspberry. Tart, fresh berries ripe for picking. No cream though.
Pretty sure I oversteeped at 3 min, so next time I’ll go for 2 or 2.5.
Added milk and a bit of sugar due to the bitterness and it was quite lovely. A bit artificial in that overpowering raspberry danish kindof way, but I love that! Noms.
That said, I wouldn’t recommend this for a purist! ha.

This tea is amazing. It’s subtle and delicate, but very rich at the same time. It’s a green masquerading as an oolong, with wonderful fruity and floral notes to it, and a little malt or caramel in the background. I usually like my teas sweetened, and just a little bit of honey really brings out the flavours.

How i got it: Got a bag in a trade with my sister, long time ago.

Experience: Last tea in the ‘Magic Fruits’ assorted pack. This one has an intense strawberry-candy aroma, with a hint of kiwi that appears from time to time. The tea is almost imperceptible in this respect. On the taste side, along with the sweetness of the strawberry scent, I can taste a fizzy sensation very similar to the one in the Mango & Pineapple tea I tried earlier, which is probably due to the kiwi. The scents are less dominant in the flavor side, so there’s a little more space for the tea to express itself. Mild intensity, relatively well balanced and good duration. I expected a bit more of this one, to be honest, but it retains the Basilur standard of quality anyway. Good.

Would i buy it?: There are some possibilities, but I’d give preference to other teas in the pack.

How i got it: Got a bag in a trade with my sister, long time ago.

Experience: Well, let’s go back to Basilur now. This is the third of four teas in the “Magic Fruits” pack. To my surprise, its aroma turned out to be simply delightful. This is one of the best mixes of scents I’ve tried: very natural and well balanced, although it has very little presence of the tea. Its flavor is very enjoyable too, with a sip that begins with a soft mango taste that grows up to be mildly intense and ends with the pineapple, which leaves a curious fizzy sensation in the mouth. The tea is more present at the end of the sip too. An unusual blend, maybe the flavors are a bit overwhelming… but good nonetheless.

Would i buy it?: Actually, I’d have to think about this one with a couple cups more to give an answer.

How i got it: Got a bag in a trade with my sister, long time ago.

Experience: Second tea of four of the “Magic Fruits” pack. This one has a smooth berries aroma, almost creamy, with the tea on the background. Never had rosehip before, so I couldn’t identify it in the mix; probably it blends very well with the raspberry. On the other side, its taste reminded me almost immediately of La Teteria’s Berries Silvestres; the berries taking the main role over the tea. Very well-defined flavor, mild to strong intensity and good duration. As usual, nice job from Basilur.

Would i buy it?: Good possibilities

How i got it: Got a bag in a trade with my sister, long time ago.

Experience: Well, it’s my turn to try some teas of the “Magic Fruits” collection from Basilur. I got one bag of each type included in the pack, so i’m starting with L&L. As always, Basilur presents a well-balanced mix between the Ceylon tea’s and the scents’ aromas. In the flavor part, the lemon notes are more dominant, but not to the point to be overwhelming; the first sips seemed to me to carry some mint, slightly herbal notes (which makes sense now i see the ingredients, hehe), while at the end of each one there’s a hint of lemon caramel, very much to the style of Twinings’ Lady Grey, but a bit more natural, maybe following Basilur’s Kandy in that sense. Very good, overall.

Would i buy it?: Has good possibilites for a flavoured tea

This was a Christmas tea for me!
The smell is very strong and easily identifiable. The leaf isn’t the best quality so it’s advised to only steep this once, but the taste is enjoyable for the one cup you would make.
I enjoy this tea time to time, there is a lot of it in a tin, and the tin is quite a beautiful touch to the overall appearance.

The tin is beautiful and I enjoyed their milk oolong (white moon) so I purchased this tea; what a mistake. This tea must have been processed wrong with the bergamot oil because it left the mouth feeling as if it was stung by something small.

I wish I had another tea bag of this to see if making it differently would make it more palatable. It wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t something I would reach for again.

I like Ceylon tea grown at lower elevations but not particularly the high grown ones. I don’t know what this is, but the base was a little harsh. The orange and passionfruit flavors were somewhat redeeming, but I honestly though the orange flavor Twinings uses was better. And don’t even think about comparing this to the orange flavor in Nina’s Tea!

The packaging on these book teas is so pretty! These will be going on my bookshelf to hold little doodads once the tin is empty.

When I opened the pouch of loose tea inside the aroma rushed out and enveloped me with summer! White rum, pineapple, and coconut – all there just like the company said. And the pouch has a nice sticky zip closure to keep it fresher in this tin.

I mixed a first and second steep together and it was still nice and strong with no washing out of the flavors. This would be amazing iced, too. I can seeing lounging in the sun with a glass of this, with a little umbrella in! These flavours are spot on, too. Very nice!

Many thanks to my daughters, Superanna and youngest, who bought this for me in Toronto and gave it to me on Valentine’s Day!

A lovely, generous sample from Kaylee.

As seemed to be the consensus in the forums, Basilur isn’t the highest quality tea, but this is actually really pretty and tasty. The black base is just kind of there, without contributing a lot to the flavour, but this is a really different take on Earl Grey, with bergamot, vanilla, light chocolate and citrus notes. It’s quite smooth and the flavour and mouth feel are a bit creamy.

I’m not sure I’d ever want 100g of this, even for the really cool music box tin, but I’m definitely enjoying the sample I got.

How i got it: I got some good references to this tea, so i bought it when i had the chance (Too bad Basilur doesn’t have a “Oriental Collection” variety pack =/ )

Experience: My good references were indeed very accurate: this is a great tea. It has an intense aroma, with Basilur’s classic caramel/toffee notes and a little touch of toast smell. Its flavor reminds me of an intense Assam, but keeping the classic crisp Ceylon character. It has some fresh and wooden notes in this respect too. In addition, i can sense honey, toffee and a bit of muscatel at the end of the sip. Really good.

Would i buy it again?: You can bet

How i got it: Got a bag in a swap with my wife (part of Basilur’s “Specialty Classics” Pack)

Experience: This is the fifth and last tea from Basilur’s “Specialty Classics” pack, which i can say, has very few low points, and this time was not different. It has a mild to intense aroma, with very clear and natural bergamot notes. Its taste is intense as well, but gives a smooth sensation, has a good duration and a fair balance between the tea flavor and the bergamot scent. The typical caramel notes of Basilur teas make an appearence once again, helping make this tea one of the best Earl Grey’s i’ve tasted. Very good.

Would i buy it?: It’s a real possibility

How i got it: Got a bag in a swap with my wife (part of Basilur’s “Specialty Classics” Pack)

Experience: Well, it has been a long time since I wrote the last note! This is the fourth tea in the Basilur “Specialty Classics” pack, a Darjeeling one. It has a very classic, soft aroma for which, as i usually said, Nepal teas are my closest mental reference. I can sense herbal/floral notes, similar to the ones found in a green tea. Its flavor is quite delicate, low to medium intensity, but is clear and well defined. It has some hints of honey too. I only miss the taste of muscatel and a bit more duration. Aside from that, this is a very good tea.

Would i buy it?: Mmm… i’m not sure. I’d put this tea close to Dilmah’s Darjeeling, but if you ask me, i’d go for the later and leave this one in a second place.

How i got it: Got a bag in a swap with my wife (part of Basilur’s “Specialty Classics” Pack)

Experience: Third tea in the Basilur “Specialty Classics” pack, and the only green one. A distinctive part of this tea is its aroma, which i find to be a bit less like the usual green (i’ve tried other Senchas, but this is still different) and a bit more acidic. On the taste side, is very light and less flowery and sweet that the usual green, too. Not bad, but a bit more of intensity/character in the flavor would have been very welcome. In the end, i’d say it’s above the average, but stays behind of its pack partners.

Would i buy it?: Mmm… i don’t think so. Better black (and some green) teas out there.

I got this tea as a present from my brother -as many others. I must say, the first thing that caught my attention was its aroma; Slightly citric. It makes you want to give it a taste right away.
It’s such a fresh kind of tea. Really nice for these Summer days. I would buy this tea instead of my regular lemon scented kind, if I can be honest.

How i got it: Got a bag in a swap with my wife (part of Basilur’s “Specialty Classics” Pack)

Experience: This tea has a crisp, mild to intense, well defined, classic Ceylon aroma. Indeed, I’d say it’s more fragrant that the average Ceylon, reminding me of Dilmah’s English Afternoon. I can sense some acidic notes in its scent, too. On the other hand, it has a bold, well defined and lasting flavor, but also a distinctive smoothness (unlike other other Ceylon teas, i couldn’t sense any tart notes on it) and richness. I sense very slight hints of caramel too, characteristic of the Basilur teas, which gives it a special touch. I’d say with some confidence it justifies its OP classification. Very good.

Would i buy it?: It has real possibilities, but competition in this category is tough, hehe. Maybe i’ll go for it when looking for a good loose leaf Ceylon.

How i got it: Got it in a swap with my wife, in addition to the one i got from the shop seller as a gift (part of Basilur’s “Specialty Classics” Pack)

Experience: Well, let’s start with a new Basilur pack, more on the classic side this time. This EB has a very intense aroma, which i could describe as a mix between Assam and Ceylan, with dominance of the latter. On the flavor part, however, this mix is more balanced, going from malty notes to fresh and crisp ones. Not very intense, but very rich and deep on taste, one of its most notable traits is that the characteristic bitter note of the Breakfast blends is very nuanced, almost absent from its flavor. Very interesting, and really good tea.

Would i buy it?: I think this would be a ‘yes’, sometime in the future.

How i got it: Bought It (Basilur’s “Leaf of Ceylon” Assorted Pack)

Experience: Well, this is the fifth and last tea in the “Leaf of Ceylon” pack. It has a quite delicate aroma, not very intense, but complex; it reminds me to spiced varieties like Twinings’ Russian Caravan. On the other side, its flavor is light, and has a low-to-mild intensity and good duration. At the beginning of the sip, it tastes a bit similar to a Darjeeling, but it gains more of a Ceylon character reaching the end. I sense some very nuanced notes of caramel and toffee too, although this tea don’t have additives or scents. Interesting tea, and a very good ending for the experience of the pack. One of Basilur bests, i’d say.

Would i buy it again?: Being enjoyable as it is, i’m not fully decided yet, but sure has good possibilities

How i got it: Bought It (Basilur’s “Leaf of Ceylon” Assorted Pack)

Experience: The fourth tea in the “Leaf of Ceylon” pack, this one maintains a little similarity to other Basilur teas like Winter Tea and Dimbula, but i’d say Ruhunu is better from the beginning. In the aroma side, I can sense toffee, caramel, vanilla and cream, creating a very enjoyable mix. On the other hand, the taste is dominated by caramel and vanilla notes, while the flavor of a more classic Ceylon appears almost to the end of the sip. Mild intensity, smooth and relaxing character. I’d say that’s hard to imagine a tea like this is not scented… but i saw again the envelop and realized that Basilur did it again: they added caramel scent. But that doesn’t make this tea less great. Indeed, this is how Lipton’s Caramel Truffle should always have been. Really good.

Would i buy it again?: I’m looking forward to have this blend again in my cupboard. The answer is clearly ‘yes’

How i got it: Bought It (Basilur’s “Leaf of Ceylon” Assorted Pack)

Experience: Third tea in the “Leaf of Ceylon” pack, and a nice surprise. Very acidic aroma, with some flowery notes and just a hint of the smell of an usual Ceylon. On the taste side, its has a lasting, mild-high intensity flavor, but at the same time is curiously fresh and light. It follows a classic Ceylon style, but i’d say that i could taste some notes similar to a Kenyan tea too. Extra points for a particular, very smooth and gentle citric touch – i’m thinking in something like lemon candy notes – that comes from the inclusion of some Bergamot, which goes very well with the tea (I realized this after seeing the package. Basilur, you cheater, wasn’t this supposed to be a pack of non-scented Ceylon’s? hehe). Very enjoyable tea. Really good.

Would i buy it again?: With good possibilities too, i’m almost inclined to say ‘yes’. This is one of the better bagged teas i’ve tried, and my cupboard is open to try the loose leaf version.

How i got it: Bought It (Basilur’s “Leaf of Ceylon” Assorted Pack)

Experience: Next one in the “Leaf of Ceylon” pack, this is another curious tea. It smells very similar to Basilur’s Autumn Tea, even being a non-scented black. I can sense toasted, caramel and toffee-like notes, among which the aroma of a more classic Ceylon only appears from time to time. Its taste is more standard, but it also is dominated by soft and toffee/creamy notes that fade a bit to the end of the sip. Good duration, relatively well-defined flavor. What an unusual taste for a Ceylon tea! This is another new experience for my record. Good.

Would i buy it again?: I like it, but Uva comes first in this regard. Maybe i need further drinking to settle my mind, but until then, i’m more inclined to pass the offer.