31 Tasting Notes
This tea is AWESOME! Just in the tin, it smells like its exploding with warmth and cozyness. My mouth gets all tingly from the ginger and it tastes more of cloves than of cardamom. Cinnamon lingers on the tongue for a while. It really warms you up from the inside and is perfect for the long Finnish nights.
I still can’t decide if it like it more than the Upton Rooibos Chai. This one is much spicier and the Rooibos tastes somehow “fresher” than Upton’s, but the Upton version has a more balanced mix of flavors. Also I forget what Upton’s tasted like when I first bought it. I guess I’ll have to keep buying both, HOORAY! :D
Preparation
After brewing this tea for a relatively short 3 mins, I really like it! I’ll have to see how it tastes after 4 and 5 mins, but brewing for 3 results in a soft, smooth Assam that is still toasty. It doesn’t have too much astringency and would probably go well with a little milk. I tried re-steeping the leaves for about 3 and half minutes and they still retain quite a bit of flavor. It would probably be best to do the first infusion for 3:30 and the second for 5:00.
Preparation
This tea was really good! I just finished the bag today. I was quite surprised at the quality, as usually the pre-packaged teas you get from supermarkets aren’t that delicious. However, this one was very smooth and difficult to overbrew. Though the package didn’t specify which kinds of tea were included, it was a nice blend that went well with milk, but was even better plain. I’ll definitely buy this again.
After running out of my Twinings Vanilla black tea, I decided tea bags were too wasteful to use every day and I was sure there would be several better vanilla-flavored black teas that I needed to try. This tea is one of them! It has a much more natural vanilla flavor.
When brewed, it smells like warm caramel. I often drink vanilla teas with milk and a little sweetener, as that makes them taste like some dessert drink one would get from Starbucks. Plain, however, it’s also quite drinkable, though vanilla becomes more of a background note rather than the main flavor in the tea. I don’t know if this is my ultimate vanilla black tea, but it’s definitely a good one!
Preparation
This tea is mediocre. It has an artificial berry/fruity scent. It’s difficult to taste any of the flavoring, but the tea base is pretty good tasting. It has a sharp, clean taste that isn’t too heavy. I’m not going to buy this again, as Upton has many flavored black teas that are way better.
Preparation
This brews up to a beautiful deep mahogany-amber color. My roommate saw my glass and said “That’s how a tea should look!” It’s a good combination of malty Assam and tangy and floral Yunnan flavors. It’s not bitter at all and the taste lingers nicely on the tongue. It’s much more “clean” tasting than just a plain Assam.
Preparation
Disclaimer: I just tried this tea today, and it’s from a sample packet that I received 4(!) years ago. Soooo here we go!
It has a nice Assamy scent when brewed, and is definitely a breakfast tea for those days when you don’t feel like getting out the door, as it will really make you wake up! There’s a bit of a vegetal taste that lingers on the tongue, and it’s great with a little milk added.
I’ll definitely buy more of this in the future to see if it’s even better when it’s not so old.
Preparation
I bought this tea mostly because I thought the package looked cool. It smells mostly fruity and slightly malty, and the leaf is pretty with the cornflower and marigold bits. The taste isn’t interesting, and though it leaves a minty feeling on the tongue, there’s no strong mint flavor. I can’t taste the vanilla either, but there is a hint of blueberry at the back of the tongue. It’s not a horrible tea, but much more boring than I thought it would be.
Preparation
This is only an alright chai tea. It tastes very strongly of cardamom so that it’s difficult to pick out the other flavors in the blend. It’s good with milk and sweetener, especially in the morning. I won’t buy it again as there are so many better “chais” out there, but I’m enjoying what I have left.
Preparation
This smells exactly like hot apple cider that you can get at those pumpkin farms during autumn. Unfortunately, there’s not nearly as much taste as there is scent, but it’s enjoyable. Adding a bit of milk and sweetener brings out the apple and cinnamon flavors, enough that I’d buy another box for this winter.