Fairmont

I’m sitting here enjoying a pot of this for breakfast while I plan today’s adventure.

The liquor is a rich, deep burgundy brown, and smells slightly sweet and malty. It actually reminds me a lot of the Empress’ signature blend, but with more Assam.

It even tastes like that too. I get more of the maltiness and it leaves a pleasant malty oaky aftertaste. I haven’t tried this with milk and/or sugar yet, but I’m sure it would taste very similar to the Empress signature blend.

Better than I expected. A good tea to grab in the morning when you’re in a hurry and don’t want to have to deal with the mess of loose tea leaves. I kind of feel like this should get a higher rating than the Empress since I’m preferring the more dominant Assam in this, but for now, I’ll rate them almost the same until I try this one with milk and sugar. That’ll be the real test.

This was another tea I had the opportunity to try while I had Afternoon Tea at the Empress. Straight up, this Earl Grey lacked balance. The steeped tea itself was very aromatic thanks to the bergamot, but taste-wise, the bergamot was a little weak. And the tea base was too astringent for my liking. Perhaps they steeped it longer than I would have liked, who knows, but the astringency took everything over. It’s the kind of astringency that leaves an almost dry feeling in the mouth.

A disappointment, but there’s no loss, quite frankly. There are much better Earl Greys out there that brighten my day.

I had Afternoon Tea at the Empress the other day and they serve you this signature tea. It was a really cool experience, but to be honest, definitely isn’t worth the money doing it again.

I had this both black and with tea and sugar. Either way, I couldn’t taste any of the Assam in the blend, however, the Ceylon and Keemun stood out the most. I’m writing this from memory, but luckily they give you a box of this tea to take home, so next time I try it, I can always reevaluate it.

This tea takes the additives really well. It’s exactly the kind of tea I like to drink with milk and sugar. Kind of like a Tim Hortons steeped tea double double, but without the cardboard flavour you get from the TH. My mom had Afternoon Tea with me and she said that it reminded her of when she was a little girl, her grandmother used to serve her tea with milk and sugar, and it tasted exactly like this. So this tea definitely earns points for bringing back good memories.

This is one of my favourite peppermint teas. I purchased a couple boxes after going to high tea at the Banff Springs Hotel.

It makes a great strong brew, perfect for clearing out sinuses from head colds or allergies.

Definitely a fan of this tea.

Just for kicks I thought I’d try one of the bagged teas I had sitting around, and was very pleasantly surprised by this one. The bergamot to tea ratio is not out of the ordinary, but there’s a fruity component to the flavor that is quite compelling. My guess is that it’s coming from the Ceylon tea they used as a base, which was slightly malty and astringent in a good way.

Picked up during a recent hotel stay and becoming part of today’s “wind-down Friday” routine. I’ve always associated chamomile with an apple scent and taste, and while this one has that element, it also features a sweet grass/hay note which is nice. It steeps up to a bright golden color, and smells very fresh and floral.

The taste is naturally sweeter than other chamomile I’ve tried, and I like that. It’s really juicy, especially as it cools down, and between that and the meadow-like smell, I’m finding it a very relaxing cup. I don’t think I’ve tried specifically Egyptian chamomile before, so maybe that’s where this nice blend of characteristics is coming from.

One of the teabags I picked up last week during my hotel stay – it’s got a very fresh scent, and the bits of leaf I can see through the bag are a lighter green color than I’m used to seeing in peppermint.

After three minutes steeping time, I’m a little surprised by the notes in the flavor that I can pick out aside from the mint. The mint itself takes center stage, but is not as “breath minty” fresh as I’ve had with other peppermint teas. Aside from that is a pronounced grassy taste – I’d swear there was chamomile or some other herb in there, but I don’t think that’s the case. There’s also another aftertaste that comes into play, something akin to what it tastes like to chew on paper, which is not entirely pleasant.

This one’s okay, but I’ve had others I prefer.

I stayed at the Fairmont Banff Springs a while ago when my brother was working there, and I quite liked this tea, which was among the teas provided in the rooms. He surprised me with a couple boxes of it that he, um, “acquired.” I didn’t ask; he didn’t tell. :P

This is one of the few fruity teas I actually like. Tastes best with some honey.