Rare Tea Company

While some teas a very straightforward in their flavor and aroma this one is probably one of the most complex that I have consumed. The dry leaf is tightly twisted with a dusty slightly yellowish dark brown. Ever so slightly. This changes to brown with dark olive greens. in the wet leaf. Some longer leaves but also a lot of broken leaf. The wet leaf aroma is somewhat bready with hints of malt, The liquor color is a brownish amber. The flavor is all over. Compost, wet leaves, malt, rye bread, resin, and wet wood. This rates really well on the website. But to be honest it doesn’t really float my boat.

Dark chocolate color dry leaf with a dusty appearance. Dusty like one sees with a high-end chocolate. Not that it is actually dusty but more so just a way of description. The dry aroma has barnyard and summer floral notes. Along with a touch of smoking wood that I get a whiff of on a rare occasion. I have no idea of how long to steep. I know I could just read what it says on the website but there is a certain excitement that goes into discovering a tea fully on your own. Three minutes to start at 175 F. Not the most beautiful liquor color. Kind of brownish gold. Though as I steep it longer it turns a nice almost rose-gold color. The longer steep reveals woody notes. And some lacquer. Resin. I think I should have followed the advice (I read it after the first steep) and only steeped for the 60 – 90 seconds because it’s lost a bit. Though with a longer steep like before more flavors begin to reveal themselves. More woody notes and a soft mouth feel. A bit of cream of wheat plain and a bit of cherry and dark cherry wood.

Forgot to smell the dry leaf. But Henrietta does a fantastic job of sourcing so I trust this will be good. A deep brew. Bit of malt here, dash of wood tones there, and all wound up with a slight hint of malt o meal. This is very nice. And a perfect amount of astringency. Enough to wake you up but not enough to set your tongue clicking.

Terrible weather and things happening this past week. I just wanted to lay aside part of my note for all the lives lost.

TTB Review #51: Unremarkable. Slightly off-putting due to some muted, subtle notes of that burnt-popcorn-buttery taste I so despise. Could be just my palate playing tricks, but I didn’t care for this tea at all.

As soon as I opened the pouch and saw all the fuzz I knew this was going to be a good one. The aroma is barely there because it is just a small bit of tea. But I did detect woody notes and cream of wheat. If you have anyone in the military or did, Thank you!, and also be sure to give this tea a try. “50p of the price you pay goes to the Royal Air Forces Association Wings Appeal repaying just a little of what so many of us owe to so few.” I’ve decided to steep this one just as Henrietta would. I want to meet her so badly! What an amazing tea lady!

This is a bit more subtle than your other English Breakfasts. But don’t worry it still packs a punch for your wake-up. However, the punch doesn’t come from the bitterness that you will find in tea bags. It comes from the soothing woodiness and slight creaminess and yeah it will take milk if you really must.

The video she shared of visiting their base: https://rareteacompany.us/products/rafa-tea-for-heroes-english-breakfast

Lately, my love for charcoal-roasted oolongs has increased. This one in particular has some great roasty notes. The site doesn’t say if it is charcoal roasted but my palate says yes. And how incredibly interesting that this is a barrel-aged tea! Thank you Vallhallow. What an absolutely fascinating tea! To anyone who has had a charcoal-roasted oolong before this has many of the same charcoal and roasty notes. But what sets this apart is the port notes. The hygroscopic nature of tea shines brightly with this one. It is earthy, rich, and complex in flavor and aroma. In the wet leaf, I also detect notes of slightly charred sweet bread. Thank you Henriette for sourcing and sharing this most unique tea!

The name for this one on the website is Chinese Peony but on the package I received, it says White Peony. So I decided to combine them. This is a very delicate tea. Not a good tea to drink on the go or while making the kids their eat breakfast. This is a sit-down and drink a few infusions before writing anything tea. The green notes in this are quite a bit heavier than I have experienced with other peony teas. Green branches and twigs. Small summer florals. Baby’s breath I think they’re called. And leaves, a big pile of dried leaves waiting to be burned. Very dry, with no dampness. The mouthfeel is light. The dry leaf is very pretty. Lots of trichomes. Barnyard and summer field aromas.

I will come back and revisit this one in a few days to see is my palate changes.

Hello Ground Apple. How are you today? I’m making meatballs. I don’t mind Chamomile. It’s great for upset tummies and when you’re generally feeling under the weather but as an everyday drink. Meh. Don’t get me wrong this is a very good chamomile. Soft on the palate. Summer and spring floral notes with light apple bits.

Needed something. Didn’t want a drinky drink. Not a big fan of peppermint tea but wanted to see what this had to offer. This is very refreshing. Slightly woody and slightly creamy. Smooth mouth feel. It is 1 degree outside. I hate this weather.

Finally made an order to Rare Tea. After interviewing them (https://teatiff.com/2021/02/05/rare-tea-company/) and reading her book this was a purchase that not only one to help the company but also one from the heart. I heart you, Henrietta. Incredible woman, with an incredible story, and incredible tea. They included samples with my order. This was one. The aroma is wonderful somewhat buttery, earthy, and sweet butter cookies. The flavor is also very nice. Probably, no, definitely the best rooibos I’ve had. The butter cookies transfer into the background flavor but you may miss it if you aren’t thinking about it because the earthy tones of dry desert and desert wood are somewhat overshadowing. But in a nice way. Whether you’ve tasted good or bad or no rooibos at all you need to try this.

I’ve never had an orange blossom tea before! The brewed tea smells candy-sweet and almost medicinal, reminding me of licorice. It’s an interesting flavor: lightly citrusy, savory the way chrysanthemum flowers are, and with just a hint of sweetness. I’m not sure I actually LIKE it, but super glad I got to try it thanks to the TTB!

I love a good Earl Grey, so I was excited to see this one in my Rare Tea Company sampler. The leaf is very finely chopped, almost like a CTC tea and has a strong aroma of bergamot. It steeps up strong and hearty with a sharp bergamot flavor; a bit too aggressive on its own, but lovely with milk. It’s not the best Earl Grey I’ve ever had and I’m not sure its worth the premium price tag, but I’ll certainly finish and enjoy the 2oz I have!

This was one of the teas I was most excited to try in my Rare Tea Co. gift set, as I haven’t had the opportunity to try many African teas. The leaf was much more finely chopped than I was expecting, almost like a CTC tea. It brews up to a rich reddish brown color with a nice malty aroma. The flavor is strong and earthy with notes of malt and stonefruit. Despite the torn up leaf, I didn’t get the anticipated bitterness or astringency; it’s smooth enough to drink without milk, though it’s also robust enough to take milk well. Overall, this is one of the best breakfast blends I’ve tried and definitely something I would repurchase!

I got a Rare Tea Co. gift set for Christmas that included six different unflavored teas. This one is by far my favorite of the bunch and quite possibly my favorite white tea I’ve ever tried! The buds are very downy and brew up such a sweet, delicate fresh-tasting brew. It tastes like sugar-snap peas fresh off the vine and sips down super smooth with no astringency at all. It also re-steeps beautifully! This is definitely going on my wish list.

Backlog:

The photo for this tea … really is how this tea looks. The leaves are large and whole like that. Not crumbled or broken or in a sachet or teabag. Loose.

Sweet with a flavor that’s reminiscent of a light green tea. It’s a little lighter in flavor and texture and a little sweeter than most green teas, but it’s similar to that kind of taste. This is what I’d recommend to someone who loves green tea but needs to cut back on the caffeine. Drinking this will help you not miss the green tea so much.

Sweet, notes of savory (and be sure to check out the recipe link on the full-length review for this tea: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/06/17/english-olive-leaf-tea-from-rare-tea-co/ – it sounds so yummy!)

A very enjoyable tisane.