Strand Tea Company

I love ordering from the Strand Tea Company – the tea is great, shipping fast plus you get a free sample and even a cookie.
This blend looks really pretty: Dragon Well-type leaves, rose petals and Sunflower Blossoms. The description says it’s mango flavored but to me it tastes more like sweet citrus. This is one of my favorite flavored greens.

Initially, the dry leaf was unimpressive – very small, almost looks like the leaves were torn. There were several different shades. The smell is a very basic black tea, nothing spectacular.

Once brewed, the liquid is very light in color, so light in fact, that I was sure it would taste weak. However, it was a medium body, smooth black tea. It isn’t anything special, but good for a plain black tea. I tried it with milk and it held its own, but didn’t overpower.

After the second infusion, the leaves really opened up and I realize now that they weren’t small or torn pieces, but were sort of rolled. These leaves are HUGE!! Although the liquid is extremely light in color, the flavor from infusion 1-3 was pretty consistent. This tea may be able to take quite a few infusions.

I don’t exactly know what I did wrong with this tea tonight but I was getting a very peppery taste that I have never had before and did not enjoy. I’m disappointed and since I do not even want to finish my cup, the rating will be dropped a couple of points. Hopefully next time I drink this the tea will redeem itself.

I woke up wanting this tea.

2nd infusion. Yum! I think I hear the Red Dragon whispering my name though….sorry Yunnan, I think you may be done for the day.

I decided to have this with breakfast with a very small amount of milk.

I would like to say I enjoyed this cup of tea, but I never got a chance. I made the tea and set it on my table to slightly cool while I took dinner out of the oven. My cat thought this would be a good time to knock the entire mug onto the carpet. sigh I love this tea and I will just have to make more.

Pretty weak on the third infusion, but good overall.

I really wanted an Earl Grey this morning, but this is a pretty good substitute.

This is my breakfast tea and I am very happy with it today. I am getting the slightly sweet, full body taste (almost like a coffee/tea combo) and it is strong but not bitter. Very nice cup of tea. I almost never take my breakfast tea plain, but this one is very smooth so plain it is.

Maybe it is because I feel adventurous or crazy, but probably just because I wasn’t sure a third infusion of this Yunnan would produce a strong enough cup….either way, I decided to make hot chocolate with tea instead of water. Perhaps that isn’t strange to some, but I just never pictured chocolate and tea together. (I have made hot chocolate with coffee several times, though). After recently trying and loving the mint chocolate oolong, maybe this will actually be good.

It is pretty good. I think I was right about the Yunnan not making it for a full third infusion, the tea out of the pot was pretty light in color. The flavor is mostly hot chocolate with a taste of ‘something’ which is obviously the tea, but I don’t think I would have guessed that it was tea if I didn’t make it myself. I really want to try this hot chocolate/tea thing with a first infusion of tea to see if the tea taste is stronger….project for tomorrow. :D

Last time I made this I found it a little bitter. The directions were to steep for 5 minutes, but this time I tried slightly less. The smell of the tea was fruit and possibly chocolate. The shorter steep time really makes this tea – very smooth, slightly sweet. This tea deserves a higher rating.

This tea is pretty good for a plain black tea. I do think it is better as an iced tea though. It is slightly bitter when hot.

I found this tea in the back of the tea/coffee drawer so I thought I would give it a try. The liquid is a very light honey color, almost clear. I used rock sugar in this, initial flavor was very smooth with a slightly earthy aftertaste. I’m not sure if this would be good to infuse multiple times as the taste is really light to begin with.

Nice flavor. I am not using this alone. I like to add this to other teas to help balance them out and add a bit of a spicey note.
Today I added this to Plum Oolong and yum is the result!

Honestly, I was turned off by the inital look of the tea which reminded me of dried mud. I gave the tea a try, but it tastes like dirty water rather than tea.

Brews up a nice amber colored brew. Pleasant, earthy smell. Mild flavor with a smooth finish. I have drank this twice, both times I developed a tremendous headache. I don’t know why. Any ideas?

After getting attached to Brewhaha’s Rose Tea, I can’t seem to find another black tea with rose that impresses me quite as much. The rose flavor in this is very slight.

I tried this at a friend’s place, and now I’ve come to think of it as their house tea – I always look forward to it! Light, sweet, fruity, and complex. Takes honey very nicely. Tends not to go bitter, which is a plus in case you let it brew a minute too long.