The Tea Makers of London

My flatmate moved out and left this tea. My other flatmate has claimed the cannister, but I managed to get a cup. I get that this is a common tea for people to enjoy, but having never had it before… the smell of bacon is an odd one for tea, so is the flavour which I can only liken to whisky.
I don’t think it’s for me, to be honest, happy to let my flatmate keep this one.

This has always been more on the delicately-flavoured side, but now it’s getting on a bit the flavouring is more of a suggestion than an actual presence. It’s hard to tell where the Darjeeling ends and the bergamot begins. I do get some natural floral tones from the base, as well as some citric tones, but there’s also a surprising peppery note I don’t think I’ve noticed before, and a mild astringency which doesn’t really interfere with the experience. The bergamot is more noticeable after the sip than it is while drinking. Bumping the rating ever so slightly from 56, because I do think it’s well-blended.

I received this as a sample when I purchased teaware from The Tea Makers of London, and I think it’s the first Darjeeling EG I’ve tried. In theory, I don’t know why it’s not done more often – the citrus notes of the bergamot surely complement the floral and citrus notes in a Darj. In practice, it’s not quite what I was expecting. There are huge chunks of bergamot rind in the leaf, and I was expecting a powerful citrus punch, but it’s so subtle that it meshes seamlessly with the Darjeeling and the overall impression is of a naturally perfumed tea that you almost can’t tell has additives. That’s not a bad thing – in fact I’d say this tea has been blended very well – but it’s not what I was expecting when I brewed it up.

For a first flush Darjeeling this is excellent value as it is considerably cheaper than many others without compromising too much on quality. It is not my first choice (it seems I have expensive tastes) but it is a good compromise between quality and price.

Comparison of several different types of Tea makers of London Darjeeling here; https://floatingworldofcha.com/2018/07/20/a-comparison-of-tea-makers-of-london-darjeelings/

If you love rose, steeped rose buds is a must in the cupboard!

Opening a packet of Eastern Sunset is sure to make your mouth water because you’ll be hit with a fruity aroma! The flavour is more subtle though. The fruit notes are still present, but they lay beneath the general flavours of green tea, disappearing into a dry finish and light hint of citrus. I was torn on this one. It’s disappointing that the strong aroma isn’t reflected in the flavour, but it also a really tasty tea with the gentle notes that it has.

This is such a weird blend! The pink steeped liquid emulates a creamy spiced scent, filled with cinnamon, nuts, fruit and coconut. Whilst the flavour is mildly fruity, sweet, earthy and unsurprisingly, has a popcorn twist. It should be great, but somehow the flavours aren’t harmonious.

IThe aroma is mouthwatering! Think sweet juicy apples! Yum! I steeped this one first; I hadn’t sipped on a flavoured green tea in sooo long and the fruity, sour notes were calling to me! The packet suggested brewing for 5 minutes at 90°C which seemed ambitious! I had a hunch that the tea would become tannic and unpleasant. Instead, I checked the website and the instructions were completely different! They were more in line with how I would normally brew a green tea and so pursued. The flavour was tasty, much of it is sweet apple. There’s the faintest ginger note, but it’s hard to find, particularly amoung the background of green tea flavours. I’d prefer a stronger ginger hit, but the fruity notes do hit the spot!

www.TastetheTea.co.uk

It’s not often I actually sit down and enjoy a sencha. I’m more of a Chinese green tea sort of gal and tend to find sencha too potent and crisp for my taste buds. If I’m drinking it, it’ll usually be cold brewed! Perhaps it’s my change in environment, but the crisp autumn days in Vancouver made this tea delicious. The aroma is filled with fresh grassy scents, whilst the taste is with sweet, zingy limes and a slightly toasted finish.
Enjoyed: Sat on a beach, in the sun of a crisp autumn afternoon, wrapped in a knit jumper and munching salty roasted chickpeas.

For more on tea: www.TastetheTea.co.uk

I love this tea!

I first started drinking Darjeeling about a year ago, and I went through a few different types, including some non-blends. When I saw this blend for about £7.50 in a nice tin I wasn’t expecting very much, but I was pleasantly surprised – it’s actually a very pleasant, smooth, easy-drinking tea that I can (and do) enjoy any time of the day. It quickly became my go-to Darjeeling to have in.

It brews a lovely, light, golden colour and has a subtle aroma. There is very little bitterness and it goes down smoothly. It also holds up to multiple brews very well; I always get three, sometimes four.

The dry leaf smells like cola.

Great combination of flavours. I enjoy the use of honeybush as the base to the subtle mix of spices. I’m tasting the note of cola that I could smell in the aroma. I find the slight rose note to be a great addition. The cinnamon has a nice warming tone to the flavour. This is not the flavour profile that I would traditionally associate with a chai but I really enjoy this particular mix. Mouthfeel is very thin, which would be expected from a herbal brew.

This was the first Dian Hong I tried, and it really got me hooked on Chinese Tea. The richness beats any Assam in my book. I was not expecting the complexity and caramel notes. Sweeter than Canton Tea Co’s offering- a treat. I found 3.5min was the best balance of sweetness and robust flavour.

I received this tea as a sample alongside my gaiwan and metal tea caddy birthday gifts. I was very excited as I had recently become fond of green tea after owning my own pouch of Thailand Bai Yai Assamica Green Tea from What-Cha. That tea was truly a taste experience and it would be hard to compete with.

I hadn’t actually tasted jasmine flavours before so wasn’t so sure what to expect. The sample pack smelled so amazing and sweet, but I wasn’t so sure if I’d like that smell as a taste. The packet recommended 2 minutes brewing time, however my cup was quite large and it wasn’t very strong so I brewed it for 2 minutes 20 seconds.

After taking a small sip of the tea, the overwhelming taste of jasmine hit me in the face (or mouth…). The flavour was very one-dimensional and incredibly floral. It was nice, however I did expect more than just feeling like I had stuffed a bunch of jasmine flowers in my mouth. This is my first experience of jasmine so I could have brewed it incorrectly, but even so I couldn’t really taste much but flowery notes. I guess it’s nice if you like that sort of thing, but I think I’ll give flowery teas a miss in the future.