Tea Palace

Backlog from this morning. Thank you Scheherazade for sharing this with me! This is a super wonderful delicious tea. There’s no bitterness to this and it’s very much what i want the majesteas leslievill strawberry patch tea to be. This is the taste of fresh juicy delicious strawberries! now of course my delemna is whether to have the last of this cold or hot. oh man.

Sipdown! Finished this off last night after I arrived home from a day in Southwold. I think I always appreciate good tea more than usual after a long car journey, but this was probably one of the best tasting cups I’ve had in a while. It’ll be sadly missed.

This is a tea I’ve definitely got better at brewing as time has gone on. The first time I tried it, I could taste mostly the tea base, and the berry only really emerged in the aftertaste. These days, I can make a cup of this and know that the berry flavouring will the main feature. I think it’s probably partly trial and error, and having found the amount of leaf and the brew time that suit my tastes. Part of it might be that it’s been open a while now, and maybe it’s benefitted from being aired a little.

I’ve only got a couple of cups worth of this left now, so it’ll soon be a sipdown. It’s a tea I’ve thourghly enjoyed, though, and one of the best berry flavoured blacks I’ve tried in a while.

I think I’m getting better at brewing this, because today’s cup didn’t taste like ordinary black tea, even to start with. I could taste berries, sweet and juicy, straight away. I’m really happy that they’re no longer just in the aftertaste. I’ll have to try and work out what I did differently this time, so that I can repeat it again next time. Or maybe it’s just that it’s been out of the plastic bag and in the caddy for a while since I last drank it. I don’t know. Either way, I feel justified in raising its rating a little now. Truly delicious for a warm spring day!

This smells so deliciously of fresh strawberries, I had to give it a go. I’m in a funny mood today, and I can’t seem to settle down to anything. It’s really odd, because I’ve longed to have some time off work, and now I’ve got it I feel at a loose end. Anyway, hopefully this will help to sort me out!

The dry leaves, as I said, smell strongly of strawberries. This is to the extent that I’d probably think I was smelling a tisane if I didn’t know this was a black tea. There are little pieces of strawberry and raspberry in the mix, and whole blackcurrants. It smells absoultely gorgeous, and is really making me long for summer.

I brewed this for about 4 minutes. The black tea is discernable now, of course, but the fruity berry scent is still there. I’ve added milk this time, but I’d like to try this with cream one day. And maybe a scone. In the summer. Time to stop dreaming, though. It’s about 5 degrees outside.

The berry taste doesn’t come out in the brewed tea as much as I’d like. I think that’s always going to be my bugbear with teas like this. It’s by no means bad, though. The initial sip just tastes of black tea, but as I swallow the berry taste does come out. It’s quite subtle, but it’s definetly there. I actually quite like this effect. As you sit there feeling a bit cheated, the sweet, glorious berry flavour suddenly develops. It helps that you can smell it as you lift the cup, I think. That definetly adds another dimension.

Ultimately, a pretty good tea. I definetly want to try this iced in the summer, but as a hot drink to remind me that summer is coming, it’s not too shabby at all. I could really get into this.

It’s naughty I know but even though it’s not my birthday yet (only a few hours to go) but I am trying this tea from my birthday stash. Thank you to my mum for this tea, she bought me a Tea Palace sampler with 8 different teas.

The tea in raw form consists of dark and golden brown leaves that are short and thin. They have an earthy, malty yet floral scent.

I am using my Gongfu with my usual 3 steeps. (1m,2m,3m) using two heaped spoons of tea.

Steep 1 – 1 minute
The tea is now dark red (Baltic Amber) in colour with a sweet malty scent. Strong, rich, smooth, malty, sweet, fresh, smoky, woody. The strength is strong (to my particular taste) and carries so bitterness. Malty with a smoky touch but quite light too, you simply sip, admire the flavour and then as though by magic it’s gone. It is very refreshing.

Steep 2 – 2 minutes
Orange in colour. Not as strong but still smooth and refreshing. I would even say this steep is sweeter than the first, honeyed almost. There is also a floral dryness that edges on becoming perfume like.

Steep 3 – 3 minutes
The malt has vanished and been replaced with a buttery floral very mellowness. A little on the dry side now.

Overall it was very enjoyable and showed great quality. I’m not a huge lover of Assam and I was not expecting much but this has made me realise that I do like Assam….good quality Assam. I’m going to treat myself to another pot of this before bed :)

I remember trying this tea at the Tea Palace store in Covent Garden last year and being so impressed that I just had to buy some. They had a set Gongfu with a stand and small candle underneath to keep it warm, great idea.

I must admit that I am watching a documentary while typing this review so if what I say does not make sense then I apologize. Today we found out that King Richard III body has been found and it’s here in my home town of Leicester. It’s a huge historical moment! :) I’m overwhelmed.

The leaves are a mixture of silver and greeny brown that are squiggly, thin and long in appearance. They have a gentle floral and sweet scent.

Brewed in my Gongfu (3 steeps:1m,2m,3m) with 2 heaped teaspoons of tea.

1 minute – Pale yellow colour – Floral and sweet scent
Light, refreshing, floral, sweet, buttery, nutty. I remember this now :) The strength is good (for a white tea) and it’s sweetness resembles Peony. It’s completely light and buttery that make it just slip down so well. Wonderful quality.

2 minutes – More buttery and floral but at a perfect balance. Packed with flavour while still remaining light and very refreshing. Reminds me of a weak green tea.

3 minutes – Weaker now but still a good third steep. Very sweet and still no bitterness or impure flavours.

It carried itself on well through out all 3 steeps. Even though I am not a huge fan of white tea I think this is absolutely wonderful. Possibly my favourite white tea but too soon to tell. Great quality and taste that works well with re steeps. Plus this one comes with happy memories :)

Ah Yunnan teas, how I adore you. This was a Christmas gift from my husband that we picked up in London (Covent Garden) on a trip last year. I have been drinking Earl Grey all day and now it’s 9pm I thought I would move on to the stronger/harder stuff (which funnily enough is what I would do with alcohol if I were drinking).

The needles are a wonderful mixture of gold and brown with a shimmery effect. Very hypnotic. It has a sweet almost woody scent that smells very fresh.

I am brewing two teaspoons worth of needles which I estimate to be 3g-4g in my Gongfu. I’m having a cup and my husband will have a cup which means it will be used at least twice (if not more, I will see how re steepable it is). Times and temperature taken from the back of the tin.

The colour is a wonderful golden reddy brown with a magical aroma of sweet malt.

Steep 1 – 4 mins –
In taste this is rich and malty with delicate sweetness. Very clean tasting and fresh, also very smooth. A somewhat malted caramel concoction. Delicious, so far it’s one of the tastiest Yunnan’s I have had the pleasure to drink.

Steep 2 – 5 mins –
The colour looks to be the same shade as the first steep but it’s scent is more mild. The sweet malty tones are still noticeable however. The flavour is still pretty much the same. Sweet, malty, caramel, velvet, woody Yunnan. You make my tongue dance with your flavours before you slip naughtily down my throat giving me a loving warmth.

I believe I can get another two steeps from this tea. Steep 3 will be 7 mins and steep 4 will be 10 mins. Joyous. :)

EDIT NOTE: My steeps for this reached number 3. Unfortunately it got lost in translation after that :( Oh well, two teaspoons and three cups is a worthy feat of tastiness. I have 100g of this so there are plenty more cups where that came from. :)

The quality of this tea is amazing and is now hands down my favourite Yunnan.

One of the Tea Palace’s holiday teas, this smells horrifyingly strong as soon as you open the tin — mostly reminiscent of very sweet cherries, for some reason. But the flavour and smell mellow out after being steeped, and even more so after being doctored with milk and sugar. Not as cloying as one might think upon first smelling it, but still quite sweet and fruity. Not one to drink on a regular basis, as it seems quite easy to get overloaded on flavour-wise, but definitely one of their more ‘fun’ ones.

I’ve got a bit of this tea thanks to threewhales! Thanks! It is a really nice vanilla black with just the right amount of heft. Yum! This one is really good.

I’m having a cup of this deliciously minty tea whilst reading The Treatment by Mo Hayder. :)

This tea was a gift from my husband for Christmas after our visit to Covent Garden a few months ago. Such wonderful memories :)

I added a splash of milk as this is my first cup of tea for the day. With my severe hang over yesterday I need easy drinking this morning.

The tea is very nice, it tastes of fresh peppermint but more natural flower than sweet and artificial but with a malty and rich Yunnan base that has been toned down slightly by the milk. The mint is not overly strong as you would expect but it’s still a little refreshing without going overboard and being dominant.

The balance is perfect, I already have enough strong peppermint tea’s (especially since Christmas has just passed) so I’m thankful to have a weaker mint tea. Plus it’s Yunnan which is one of my favourite’s and I believe this is the first time I have tried Yunnan and mint together.

The tea is minty, naturally sweet, malty, rich and fresh. It brings back my wonderful time in Covent Garden with my husband, watching the opera singers while we sipped on Earl Grey, shopping in Tea Palace before we watched a street comics 30 minute show….such a nice day. :)

Recently discovered this and the caramel pieces provide a unique taste and sweetness. Perfect evening relaxation.

A dearest friend got me this for Christmas last year, and although the best before date on the bottom indicates to use it by this December… I hope I’ll be using this a little longer. ♥

Today I had this in a teacup, hence the short steeping time, although really in my opinion this one doesn’t need a very long steep time as it doesn’t brew all that strongly. Previously I’ve used more than your average teaspoonful to achieve a darker brew just so I can put milk in it but this is best appreciated black and light usually! The leaves are fairly large, great quality, and they don’t open up so much that you need a larger strainer for extra leaves. They also smell dry quite similarly to how the tea tastes once brewed!

The first word that comes to mind is definitely “toasty” on the first sip of this; it’s more prominent as it gets cooler so I wonder if this might make a tasty iced tea? It’s certainly dry and astringent and the Darjeeling is rather prominent here too, muscat-y and oaky with a partial but not full smoothing-out of that astringency with the other black teas blended in.

As far as afternoon teas go, this is something I reserve for the guests who’ll appreciate a lighter brew and a delicate but powerful aftertaste. My favourite part is how strong the Darjeeling is— all too often that takes a backseat behind the Ceylon!

I have a bit of this tea thanks to threewhales! It is a really good, juicy strawberry tea. The strawberry and tea are in perfect harmony and really work well together. This is really good plain, but I’m having it with a pinch of sugar and milk – this is great!

I really enjoyed this tea last night and after reading the description of the tea this morning I can see why! The base is a Ceylon, which I love:) The apricot balance in the tea is spot on. I did not reinfuse the leaves as it was pretty light to begin with, but overall a good cup of tea for the afternoon or after dinner.

The dry leaves smell of Assam, which worried me a bit. But after brewing that robustness was toned down by the Ceylon to create a mild morning cup of tea. Brisk enough for that first cup of tea, but not so over the top with astringency. The first cup I added a wee bit of milk, the second one plain. Lemon might be better than milk.

I mixed one tsp of this with some spent blood orange black leaves. Perfection in a cup the peppermint shines through beautifully!

This is the best after dinner tea I have ever had! The peppermint is perfectly balanced against the Yunnan base.

Fresh strawberries ripe on the vine. Got that picture in your mind? Good. Now imagine all that juicy goodness in your teapot…you can taste summer in your cuppa. The dry leaves smelled incredible and the brewed tea does not disappoint. Very fresh, very drinkable. This would be incredible iced:)

I do like this Sencha – it’s nice and light and flowery, and when I can’t decide what to have and all the flavours in my Mariage Freres teas are too much for my poor brain to cope with, I can grab this tin of tea and go for it.
Brewing etc?
I put about 1-2 desert spoons in a six cup pot, add water that is off the boil, and steep for about 2-3mins, or until the leaves have all expanded and opened but still leaving enough freshness for the next steeping to be just as nice.
Taste/Flavours etc?
It’s very flowery, with a hint of woody/grassiness, but not with that “vegetal” feeling one can get from some Senchas, and it doesn’t feel bitter at all. I prefer this one late morning or afternoon, as being quite light, I prefer something with more “meat” to it first thing in the morning with breakfast, and I prefer something a bit softer/smoother/creamier in the evening before bed.
Anything else?
At present, this is my favourite Sencha, and it’s the only one I currently own, but have had a few samples from Grinnyguy of other senchas – one was a Fukuyu and the other was a woody one.I would say this one was quite “middle of the road” and therefore likeable and easily brewed by anyone – it’s not as much of an acquired taste as one might find with certain Senchas, Oolongs or greens. I would recommend this to anyone newer to Sencha as a good pace to start – and it’s robust enough that you can’t go wrong. This is a good tea to have when working, as you just sit with the pot next to you and a smaller china cup and just keep refilling until all gone, and it’s good for concentrating and focussing – at least I find!!

If I had tasted this tea as the very first white tea in life, I may have fallen in love with it ! But having this after falling in love with the sweeter and more mellow Chinese Silver Needle and White Peony, I find this a bit harsh and reminiscent of my “un educated green tea drinking days” !

Thanks to Dinosaura for this one!

I had a feeling I would like this, it looks very pretty and smells great in the bag. White tea and roses does seem very girly but I’m a chick so I guess it’s all okay. :)

I steeped this for approx. 2 minutes at around 180 F. The aroma of this one is very light and fresh and flowery. The rose was very light and flavorful in my cup, not too perfumey, it was nice. As it cooled off I did notice some bitterness and I wasn’t sure if I accidentally steeped it for too long or at too high a temp.

I did attempt a resteep at a lower temp. and I thought I got better results with the second go around. It’s too bad this is only available in the U.K. but I see that Zhi makes something similar. I’ve been known to put rose petals in my white tea and I buy those in bulk from the health food store. :) It is a nice combination for sure.