139 Tasting Notes
Sample package label:
“Organic high grown estate black tea hand blended with fragrant oil of bergamot and a hint of French Vanilla. Fresh citrus notes followed by a rich and robust finish complete this remarkable blend. Ingredients: Organic and Biodynamic Black Tea, organic cornflowers, organic oil of Bergamot, natural flavors. USDA Organic – Caffeine: Medium Steep 3 – 5 minutes – Fair Trade certified”
6-oz water with total dissolved solids (TDS) of 24 ppm, boiled, left to stand so only steaming hot
1 heaping Tevanna teaspoon: (After yesterday’s tasting of The Tea Merchant’s English Breakfast.)
This tea has a fragrance that’s different than classic Earl Grey.
Somewhat darker reddish hue than yesterday’s English Breakfast
First 5-min Infusion:
Stronger vanilla + citrus aroma followed by a smooth, rich & full- bodied taste. There’s also a note of cinnamon. There was zero hint of bitterness. There is almost no astringency, as compared to our current Earl Grey Cream from Whistling Kettle. Initially, I did not notice any. As the cup began to cool, there was a mild sense of it. The taste of lemon lingers long on the tongue.
2nd 5-min Infusion:
I was surprised that the French flavoring was still present.
Impression: “It’s complicated.” The unspecified additional natural ingredients that give this Earl Grey its rich full-bodied taste are stronger than the classic Oil of Bergamot EG flavor. Achieving just the right balance must be quite a challenge as the number of ingredients increases. For those who prefer a classic Bergamot flavor, try The Tea Merchant’s organic Earl Grey. (See my next review.)
Thanks to The Tea Merchant for providing this generous size free sample. It’s a good thing that Joey Landford provided enough tea for more than one cup! My wife loves EG and could not wait for me to return home to try all his EG teas herself.
Sample package label:
“Our Traditional blend of organic and biodynamic fair trade black tea. This provides a superior organic black tea creating a robust flavor perfect for beginning the day. Brews a smooth malty cup with a clean finish. Ingredients: Organic Black Tea. Steep 3 – 5 minutes.”
I did not read The Tea Merchant’s website marketing description of this tea prior to tasting.
6-oz water with total dissolved solids (TDS) of 24 ppm, boiled, left to stand so only steaming hot
1 rounded Tevanna teaspoon
This tea has a fresh clean smell that reminds me of something more than just tea. But what is it?
Vibrant reddish hue
First Infusion:
3-min: Smooth but light-bodied with a clean finish. I then steeped it an additional 2-min.
5-min: Smooth & medium bodied, with light floral/fruity notes and a clean finish. At this point I can’t identify the floral/fruity notes. There was zero hint of bitterness or astringency.
2nd 5-min Infusion:
Lighter than the first infusion, but still very enjoyable. I debated whether to try a 2nd infusion. However, I’m glad I did.
First Impression: I typically think of English Breakfast Tea as a strong, full-bodied, wake up breakfast tea. While I am now more alert, I find myself craving something more full-bodied. Perhaps this truly enjoyable tea deserves a new name that better describes its character.
2nd Cup:
First 5-min Infusion:
Prepared as above, but with a heaping Tevanna teaspoon. Now we’re talking – much more robust! This definitely is English Breakfast Tea! Best of all, there is still zero hint of bitterness or astringency. My teacup was empty before I knew it. Well done!! Time for a …
2nd 5-min Infusion:
As you would expect, the heaping teaspoon also improved this infusion – definitely more full-bodied, but of course not as much as the first infusion of the 2nd cup.
Final thoughts: Thanks to The Tea Merchant for providing this generous size free sample. It’s a good thing that Joey Landford provided enough tea for more than one cup! I would urge The Tea Merchant to specify a heaping teaspoon on their packaging since they describe this tea as providing a “robust flavor perfect for beginning the day”. Such information may prevent tea drinkers from forming a less than favorable first impression of this excellent tea.
An excellent black breakfast tea – full-bodied & smooth. I look forward to waking up! Accurately described by The Whistling Kettle. I ordered samples of 6 black teas from TWK: Kambaa, KP#1, Kenya Black Natural, Irish Breakfast, Mokalbari East Assam, & Scottish Breakfast. The KP#1 was clearly the most enjoyable tea of this group.
Preparation
An EG that’s less astringent than The Whistling Kettle EG Cream. However, over time the price has increased from $20/lb. to $38/lb.
3/22/13 Update: Rishi EG is now $47./lb. There is a 5% discount for 2 or more lbs. Also, note that this tea no longer displays the “Winner Best Tea Earl Grey” award logo.
http://www.rishi-tea.com/product/earl-grey-organic-fair-trade-black-tea/black-tea-blends
6/1/13 Update:
Many years ago when Twinings produced awesome EG, we used to use 1 rounded teaspoon/cup. We brew it a minute longer than unflavored black teas as it is not as full-bodied. In recent years, we also used these same brewing parameters for Rishi EG.
After joining Steepster, we see that many members generally recommend using more tea leaf and shorter infusions to minimize the odds of bitterness & astringency.
About a month ago, I purchased a box of Rishi loose EG tea and was very surprised to see the current recommended instructions were:
1 Tablespoon / 8-oz cup / 212*F / 4 min.
After tasting it, my wife agreed that much tea leaf was indeed needed. Consequently, that small box did not last too long. This is certainly one way to increase the sales of Rishi EG tea.
Preparation
“China Breakfast is a pure Dian Hong style black tea harvested from Yunnan’s antique tea trees”
This tea used to be my favorite everyday breakfast tea. It’s both full-bodied & smooth. Not a hint of bitterness. However, years ago our first bulk order was $20/lb. Today, the same order would cost $30/lb. – a 50% increase.
3/22/13 Update: This tea now costs $42./lb. There is a 5% discount for 2 or more lbs. http://www.rishi-tea.com/product/gram-tin-china-breakfast-organic-fair-trade-black-tea/chinese-black-tea
Preparation
Is your primary criteria for buying tea quality,taste or price? We all like value but still,I’d never drink crappy tea just because it costs a few dollars less than a spectacular tea. I couldn’t help noticing how important price was to you.
Hello Bonnie, Like most tea drinkers, we want excellent tasting tea. We drink many cups/day and purchase tea by the lb. Unfortunately, Laoshan Black at $99/lb is not in the budget. As budget conscious consumers, we look for good deals & sales on recommended teas. I’m also exploring Multiple Infusion Teas (MITs) as a good option for us.
Bonnie, SimplyJenW and I think alike. Please see her recent review of Golden Monkey Black Tea by Teavivre: http://steepster.com/SimplyJenW/posts/155340#comments
