Ceylon Orange Pekoe

Morning brew. Eying the new teas at Verdant, but I know that I’m going to splurge on teas while in London, so I’m not sure if it’s worth buying now or waiting a month or two…

Advent Sipdown #11 – I could have sworn this was going to be number 12 but I just counted the empties.

I only had enough left for a single cup and Ashman is at work for the winter storm, so I am eating nonstop, drinking tea, reading, and throwing wood on the fire.

I wanted a simple black tea to have along with a Harney and Sons Blueberry Green White Chocolate candy bar, and it needed to be able to cut the sweetness. This classic Ceylon did the trick mighty well.

Fortnum & Mason Advent Calendar 2021 – Day 8

Surprise, surprise, another straight black tea. And I love black tea, but I feel like Fortnum is shooting itself in the foot a bit here by not mixing up the teas more. It just becomes boring to have slightly different shades of the same thing every day, when I know there are other types of tea and flavored teas in this advent as well.

Anyway. This is a mix of high and low-grown Ceylon. Ceylon doesn’t tend to be my favorite, but I’ve had a few that I’ve really liked. This isn’t one of those, but it’s still fairly tasty. It does have rather a lot of acidity to it, so not something I would want to drink on an empty stomach probably.

Otherwise it’s fairly smooth, woody, a touch bready, very slightly grassy or vegetal. It does have a lot of that Lipton-esque “tea” flavor that I don’t have another word to describe. A touch of briskness but nothing major, and some musty hay. I feel like I’m tasting just a teeny hint of some sort of aromatic herbal flavor like pine or eucalyptus, but having a hard time pinning it down. Fairly standard Ceylon taste to my tongue, though I’m probably not explaining it well… :D

On to the jam! Today it’s an interesting one, and I think it’s new this year? It’s Wild Blueberry-Balm Leaves Spread. I’m assuming they mean lemon balm…? But unsure. It’s tasty though, with a very sweet and rich blueberry flavor. There is a subtle herbaceous note that’s slightly minty, so could definitely be lemon balm. It adds a nice bit of interest to an otherwise very sweet jam! :)

It’s Friday! Got a four day weekend coming up and I’m counting it down.

I steeped this one cautiously after drinking the Assam. I had a feeling this one would be very strong, too. Judging by how dark red it came out, I believe my short steep time was wise. It has an aroma that reminds me almost of a darjeeling. That sort of fresh, green hay scent.

The flavor is crisp and toasty, but features a less than desirable sort of vegetal note. Not really the clean black tea experience I was hoping for. Not too bitter, but it could get that way quickly if left to steep longer. There’s really not that much to say about this one. It’s a middle of the road black. Meh.

Had a cup of this for breakfast. Deep, dark flavor. I really enjoy this. It has this slight bitterness (not from oversteeping, just from the tea’s flavor) that is really enjoyable. Complex, strong, flavourful. I recommend this tea if you like strong black teas, that is.