Romanoff

GCTTBR6

I’m not getting any smoke, but I can taste dates and citrus fruits in a fruity and floral black base. Not a lot going on in this cup, but it was stored with other teas and I only took 1/2 tsp out of the TTB. I brewed for 8 minutes, but I also used ~600 mL hottish water.

Sipdown (211)!

GCTTB Round 6

There was only a cup of this left in the box, and I was intrigued by the name. I couldn’t help but wonder if this was meant to be a subtle nod to Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff. I mean, just reading over the tea information available here on Steepster it’s not blatantly or obviously hinted as such – but the flavour combination of smoke and blood orange seem appropriate to me for Marvel’s Red Headed Assassin so I had to try it and give it a shot with that in mind…

It’s interesting – that’s probably the most straight forward/diplomatic way to put it.

I suppose I’d say that overall I enjoyed it, but the flavours perplexed me a little bit because this is supposed to be a little like a smoked blood orange sort of thing and that didn’t really come across at all? More than anything, I’d say the flavour I picked up on the most was actually ginger? And as an overall flavour combo sort of a sweet candied ginger with fruity but not citrus-y undertones. Strawberry, maybe – but also not really.

Strange overall; but ultimately nice. I don’t know if I’d say it captures the essence of Nat though…

GCTTB DAY 2

Second tea is the day. I must say I didn’t smell much from the dry leaf, but the name interested me enough to give it a try. Arbitrary choice, I know, but I don’t regret it! It’s a full bodied, slightly smoky black tea with an earthy aspect. Reminds me of a very mild lapsang souchong. It’s actually quite satisfying, I found myself sighing with contentment.

From the Great Canadian Tea Box Round 5

I had no idea what this tea was going in, I just guessed it’d be a smokey russian caravan type tea by the name. In actuality it’s an orange flavoured tea with just the slightest hint of smoke. I’m not super fond of orange flavouring, so I can’t see myself drinking something like this often, but other than that it’s Pretty Okay.

Yep, smoke comes first. Like Lapsang Souchong light. And then, citrus zips along behind it. Delicious.

The scent of my empty tea glass is intoxicating. I would have another, but this last one may have overwhelmed my caffeine limit for the day.

I am totally going to enjoy this with a spoonful of homemade preserves that next time that I need a wow kick in the pants kind of tea.

yum. While the description says lightly smoked black base, i’d suggest they just take that descriptor off. There’s no smoke to be found here but there is a delightful blood orange flavour that is spot on. I really like how this one works – i can see this also being a tasty cold brew in summer with a little sweetner. thanks for sharing Evol Ving ness

Initially nervous about the smoky base, I almost didn’t get this. It was the blood orange that changed my mind. And I’m glad I did! The dry leaf smells glorious. Very heavy on the orange, not artificial or overly sweet. I appreciate that it is not nearly as smoky as other smoky teas, but it’s ultimately not my thing regardless. Leave the smoke at the door in this household.

While the orange is there, I just feel like I can’t appreciate it as much with the smokiness in the way. That said, if you like smoky teas, check it out. Even people who don’t care for smokiness like me may think this is alright.

After breakfast tea, another generous sample from Boychik.
This is a lightly smokey tea, & by that I mean not really smokey at all, maybe just a hint. Add an overlay of tart & tangy, from the blood orange, & there you have it. :)

Sipdown: Tony took a whiff of this & decided he wanted to try a cup for himself, so I brewed up the rest of it for him. He likes his tea with some of that crystal sugar in it, & I’m happy to report, he said it is “Delicious!”

Nice black -orange combo. Scores high on flavor profile but only medium on depth, which is the main feature I enjoy about blacks. Would benefit from upping the leaf volume per cup. I had to follow this with a cup of Samovar’s Blood Orange Puerh as comparison and found the latter had far more dimension to it, still a favorite despite its ginger component.

Plan is to try adding cocoa shells or nibs to this next time around.

I love it when free samples expand my horizons. I would not have tried this – I don’t love smoky teas and don’t keep many blacks around at all. I happen to have just reviewed yesterday Shang Tea’s Tangerine Blossom though, so this is perfect timing for a comparison. The base tea here really only has a slight smoke, despite the description, and it’s at a level that makes the tea more interesting for me but doesn’t overwhelm. And I have to agree with another reviewer that the citrus notes are more like dried orange than fresh – with just a slight spice to it. Where the tangerine blossom is more delicate bright citrus floral, this has a slight smoky, spicy, fruity flavor. This one is actually quite a bit closer to the Constant Comment profile, though with subtler flavors. I actually really like both this and the Tangerine Blossom, I suppose depending on whether you’re having a winter night by the fire (Romanoff) or breakfast on the balcony (Tangerine Blossom).