Metropolitan Tea Company

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Recent Tasting Notes

70

Ugh. I can’t believe I caved and purchased tea! After not having brought any into the house since the festival, I was doing so well(except the odd David’s sample, which does count, but not by much) .
I was up north visiting some relatives and we were browsing the shops in town… I guess I was in the mood for a souvenir, but the part of the store that my cousin says has the good stuff wasn’t open for the warm season yet, so we were a little down about it. And then I saw they had teas… things got a little happier!
I’m not the biggest fan of the brand but at that point I’m not sure I cared.

Anyhow. I made a cuppa at the cottage. It was just ok.
I need to try again at home. Maybe different water will make a difference.
All I know is that the chocolate note was super weak, and as I had expected from the scent, there was a definite smoky note. Still not sure how it all fits together. Definitely needs to be revisited

Fjellrev

I always wonder how many of their teas I have actually tried because although I never bought any that are directly labelled as Metropolitan, I swear some I’ve purchased from smaller tea shops are selling their stuff under different names. This sounds like a chocolate tea at a local shop here which I’ve been suspecting sells Metropolitan teas. Had that smoky note that I didn’t expect. Ramble ramble, it’s still a pretty good idea for a souvenir!

Indigobloom

UGH! I replied to this. Frustrating that it never loaded. Hmph.

That wouldn’t surprise me at all. I’ve noticed that with a few blends as well. The first one I remember like that is Forever Nuts from DT. SO many places have the same one under a different name

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97

A beautiful tea. Brews a pale green/yellow. Creamy with a strong floral scent and taste. In addition to the creamy milky taste, I also sense vanilla and the floral scent and taste is like orchids. I made this in the gaiwan with a short rinse first but I don’t think it needed it. Subsequent drinkable steeps were from 40s gradually increasing.

Flavors: Floral, Milk, Orchids, Vanilla

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 0 min, 45 sec 5 g 5 OZ / 147 ML

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76

I bought this tea from Moonbean Coffee Co. which stocks teas from Metropolitain. I made it in a Gaiwan with a 15 sec rinse, so far followed by two drinkable steeps at 40 sec each. The taste was quite floral, but I didn’t notice that so much in the scent. I also think there is a bit of smokiness, or at least that’s what I’m calling it. I’m not sure I like the type of floral, reminds me a little of perfume. Curious to see how the flavour develops in subsequent steeps.

Flavors: Floral, Smoke

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 5 g 6 OZ / 177 ML

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82

Purchased from Zombie Runner in Palo Alto, CA. I love the robust smokiness. Tea steeps to a strong caramel color and smells like a tumbler of Laphroaig. Lapsang is the peat-heavy Scotch of teas. Tastes smoky with a slick, syrupy mouthfeel. Spicy aftertaste. Mild astringency.

Flavors: Burnt, Scotch, Smoke, Spicy

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 4 min, 0 sec 12 OZ / 354 ML

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73

I decided to try this iced, and accordingly used more leaf than usual, but I think that was a mistake, as the tea tastes pretty bitter even with sugar added.

MadHatterTeaDrunk

I get that a lot with Lady Londonderry. So much so, that I feel guilty for adding so much sugar to wipe out the astringency!

Tamarindel

Me too, and I don’t really understand it, as astringency seems to usually come from the tea itself, not whatever flavoring was added. Oh well, some things just need a lot of sugar.

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73

I think I actually prefer New Mexico Tea Co.’s version to this one, mainly because it has a nicer base. The strawberry lemon flavor seems pretty much the same in both. This is definitely one that works better as a cold tea.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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72

I’ve been curious for awhile about the big wholesaler, Metropolitan Tea Company, so when Culinary Teas — which sources most (all?) of their tea from Met — had free shipping, I sprung for a few samples.

This is my first time trying a Monk’s Blend. I knew it would have grenadine in it, so I guess I was expecting something like liquid maraschino cherries. When I sniffed the bag, it smelled like raspberry candy, and the flavor has a tanginess that strikes me more as raspberry than cherry flavor. There is a light vanilla cream note that, for me, is the highlight of this tea. The base is inoffensive, but definitely unremarkable. I know this tea gets sold both in bagged and loose leaf form. I ordered loose leaf, but no surprise really, the tea still has that standard bagged-quality kind of taste. Something about the blend of flavors reminds me of H&S Paris, but H&S does a far better job on it.

I won’t have any trouble getting this down, but I definitely won’t be going out of my way to get more either, as it’s just pretty run-of-the-mill fare.

Flavors: Raspberry, Vanilla

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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68

Cold Brew sipdown (216)!

I wish I could say I enjoyed this one more overall, because it was a gift. I just didn’t though; it was too brisk and really astringent and I found that on the whole despite the fact I got a couple nice tastings it lacked any sweetness/brightness. Which it definitely needed.

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnQKb2lHGes&index=1&list=LL1M1wDjmJD4SJr_CwzXAGuQ

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68

Mediocre cold brew…

It would have been alright overall but the lemon notes were very dry/rind like. I’d really love to see this one deliver more of a sweet/juicy flavour more akin to lemonade. If I wanted that pithy peel note I’d just eat a straight up lemon rind. It’d taste the same anyway.

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68

This is a queued tasting note.

So I decided to try this one out again cold brewed to see if it would brew up consistently. I found that the base was very brisk with malty notes to it, and that strawberry and lemon flavouring was pretty equal in intensity when compared to each other. However, there was a bit of discord between the base and the flavourings that resulted in a brew that wasn’t as enjoyable as I would have liked.

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68

Last tea of the day today,

I cold brewed it today because I remember someone mentioning that it’s great iced/cold last time I wrote a note for this one (around my birthday). So since the Steepster hivemind usually it correct, I figured I’d give it a go and drink it cold!

I think I tasted more lemon last time when I was drinking this as a soda. This time around, I DEFINITELY get more strawberry notes a top a brisk black base. Kind of malty? Just a whisp astringent, as well. I wish I tasted more citrus/lemon: I feel like that would create more of a “lemonade” profile. However, this is pretty tasty as a more strawberry focused tea.

Next I suppose I’ll need to drink this one hot, just to have tried it that way.

ashmanra

This one is a real chameleon for me. Comes out different every time.

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68

Mom’s back from her mini vacation to Vancouver! Since she was there over the course of my birthday, she brought back tea goodies! Actually, she brought back a pretty solid haul from the tea shops she stopped in; The Chinese Tea Shop and Granville Island Tea Company…

From Granville Island:
- 50g Monk’s Blend
- 50g Lady Londonderry
- 50g Henry’s Blend
- 50g Surprise Rooibos

With the exception of Henry’s Blend (the owner?) all of the teas from Granville Island are sourced from MTC, hence why I’m reviewing the Lady Londonderry under the MTC entry.

From The Chinese Tea Shop:

- 50g of 2013 Yiwu Mountain Raw
- A sample of 1980s Premium Traditional Iron Buddha (shopkeeper’s recommendation)

And… Drumroll please!

The most darling little yixing pot! Which brings my yixing total to five, now! Including this newest one (I definitely need to take pictures) I now have two pots unseasoned. I’m thinking it may finally be time to dedicate a Sheng and a Shou pot?

As for the tea…

When I went over to her place tonight for birthday supper/presents I brewed up some tea soda for us all to go with supper! I’ve missed the convenience of her soda stream and getting to drink tea pop on a whim. The soda was pretty good; you could definitely taste the lemon notes and the strawberry was also fairly present. Still; that brisk and just slightly pithy lemon note came off as the feature flavour. As well, it was fairly floral from the Ceylon base: I’m not big on more floral black teas but it kind of worked with this almost strawberry-lemonade flavour combo.

Fairly solid offering, overall.

MadHatterTeaDrunk

I’ve noticed that this tea is a better iced tea than it is hot. Brewing it hot (at a variety of temperatures) has a tendency to become unbearably astringent. However, I could say it’s from the tea company I bought it from, but it’s most likely not…(?)

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This is a queued tasting note.

Split a pot of this with my mom at the Vintage Tea Room quite a while back when I was still in the process of moving, but far enough into it that all of my tea had been boxed. I was really, really looking towards external tea sources that week to keep myself from becoming completely unhinged.

Essentially, this is just a soft Earl Grey with caramel notes. There are other ingredients in the blend like apple and as assortment of floral things but you can’t especially taste any of them. This was pleasant enough on it’s own, with a nice light bergamot note but it was quite delicious with just a little bit of cream added in. That really elevated it quite nicely. Since the Vintage Tea Room is a tea room I paired this pot with a slice of some truly delicious Pecan Pie. Quite indulgent overall, but the citrus notes of the tea provided just enough deviation from the rich pairing.

The one thing I will say that I disliked was that this tea room brews “Grandpa” style so the last few cups of this were not so good. Quite bitter, actually. But it did the trick!

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76

I picked this up at a little tea shop the last time I was in Cape May. I thought it would be nice to have this autumn, and then, of course, I brought it home and forgot about it. Me thinks perhaps I need a better storage/organization system for my teas. But I digress….

This tea is good, but not great. There’s a nice maple flavor, and the base tea has a slight maltiness that’s nice. There was no creamy note as far as I could tell, so I added a touch of milk. The result was a perfectly enjoyable cup, but also an easily forgettable one.

I’m going to try to remember to use up the rest of this tea over the next few months because I think this is a tea that’ll lose its flavor and body if it’s not used in a timely manner. Now if I could just remember to remember!

Preparation
1 tsp 6 OZ / 177 ML

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First time trying this one. I do wish this one had a bit of a stronger peach flavour, but oh well. It’s not too bad, but I’m not sure if I would get this one again. Again the tea is lovely and enjoyable, but I do with that the peach was stronger.

Edit: It’s lukewarm now and I have to say it almost seems like the peach flavour has come out a bit more, which doesn’t make any sense to me, but whatever. I like it. I want to try this one iced!

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I’m pleasantly surprised by this one! I only steeped it for about 3mins and that was absolutely perfect. I added some soy cream because that’s I had and it made it so yummy! Lovely blueberry flavour. I didn’t think I would like this one as I had the bagged version but honestly it was so good. If my mom-in-law still has some the next time I come down I’ll probably have it again but making sure I don’t oversteep it

gmathis

I have rarely encountered a Metropolitan Tea I didn’t like.

TheKesser

Now that you mention that, I think I have to say the same! I’m amazed at how many teas of theirs I like.

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73

Amazing with the Canadian Ice Wine flavored cookies…..same with the ice wine tea. Otherwise, another malty Ceylon with a syrupy taste. I like it in the evening in the cold despite my inherent restlessness. Also, honey really pushes forward the syrupy nature of this tea. Again, my friends love it but I wouldn’t recommend this tea to every one on here. If you were looking for a decent bagged tea, though, I would say that this company would leave you with a more satisfied, full taste.

Flavors: Malt, Maple, Maple Syrup

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 15 sec 8 OZ / 236 ML

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74

Sometimes I prefer this one over the Ice Wine, other times I prefer the Ice Wine over this one. I need to add honey to this one, but I don’t add cream or sugar. Nice blueberry smell and taste with a champagne and malty background. Malty is honestly the best description for most of the Metropolitan teas. Again, this tea is very Canadian, or European influenced. I’d give it to a friend, but I don’t think I’d recommend it on here.

Flavors: Blueberry, Champagne, Malt

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 3 min, 0 sec 8 OZ / 236 ML

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76

I really like this flavor. The sweet, lingering grape wine aroma and merlot color are aspects of this tea that makes me enjoy it so much. Most of the color is attributed to the dust fanning of the Ceylon, but the main leaves are pretty descent quality. To me, this would seem like a really European tea, which is no surprise considering Canada’s stronger ties to England and France. Cream and sugar are the bread and butter to this tea, and almost needs a cookie or biscotti for company. Honey also doesn’t go bad with the wine taste, but overwhelms the better malty qualities of the Ceylon. I have drank it without any cream or sweetener, but it’s only okay. It depends too much on sugar or honey to bring out the flavor. I would have probably rated it higher if it weren’t for that fact.

Like I’ve said with other bagged teas, this one is really best out of the bag in the first few weeks. During that time you’ll be having your after dinner wine and tea in the same cup. I’d recommend this almost to any guest I have over or any one of my friends (who steal a lot of it anyway). I’m not sure that I would recommend this one on this particular site though.

Flavors: Astringent, Cherry, Grapes, Malt, Red Wine, Sweet

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 3 min, 0 sec 8 OZ / 236 ML

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89

No notes yet. Add one?

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 6 OZ / 177 ML

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94

No notes yet. Add one?

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 2 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 6 OZ / 177 ML

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57

Here’s hoping TTB
This one gets a rousing “meh.” on the how-good-is-this-tea-o-meter. It’s semi-floral and was okay at first, but gets really bitter at the end of the cup when it’s cooled off a little.

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10

Bought this one a few months ago when I was still pregnant and thought I was going to be able to drink it while pregnant. Then I got it home and realized one of the ingredients isn’t pregnancy friendly (can’t remember which one).

Anyways, so it sat and waited for me until now. I attempted this one in latte form. I love them right now and I’m dying for something amazing as my favourite is all gone from my cupboard and I’m looking for something to replace it.

So, I steeped up 2 tsp, added my frothed milk…. and I hate it. Ugh… This is the second tea today that I don’t like.
The look of this one was strange. I open the bag and it seriously looks like powder… or dust. There were pieces of something in there, but I have no idea what they are.
Taste-wise: what. in. the. world. Seriously. It tastes mostly of black pepper. I have come to realize that black pepper in tea is not my favourite thing. And with this tea, and maybe it wasn’t steeped up as strong as it should have been, it was all I could taste! I couldn’t make out what the base was at all, nor any other flavours.

Anyways (apparently I use that word a lot… oops) I have decided I dislike this one. I wouldn’t get again. I’m actually not sure how I’m going to finish this one. I’m going to try it one more time as a regular tea, but I’m not expecting much.

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