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“My review of this will not be that great because I’m stuffy and sleepy and doing my best to ignore the fact that there is still white stuff all over the ground outside. Thankfully not the 10...” Read full tasting note
“A lovely late afternoon tea when restoration is needed after errands! Paired with cookies, even better (http://bakerstreet.tv/2012/09/hazelnut-and-white-chocolate-chip-cookies/ — they’re...” Read full tasting note
“Sipdown, 141. I sent the package of this that I got in my happy bag away in a swap a while ago, but I still had the sample bag kicking around. I figured I should at least try it, although I was not...” Read full tasting note
“While my husband is working from home today I thought I should do my wifely duties and bake him a cake. I went for a chocolate marble cake and chose this tea to serve with it. There is nothing...” Read full tasting note
AFTERNOON TEA is a blend of Darjeeling and Assam leaves from India. Rich and strong Assam leaves are lightened by mixing with refreshing Darjeeling leaves. This flavorful tea goes very well with milk; it’s a foolproof, please-all deliciousness! Perfect for a little afternoon break, whether you’re at home or work.
Ingredients: Assam black tea, Darjeeling black tea
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So I’m gunna try not to be a flavoured-tea tart for a minute and taste something serious. I won’t read the other reviews until I’ve finished. So this is an Assam Darjeeling , huh. I don’t know what that means really except that it’s black. The dry tea smells…like tea. (Try harder, Curls). It smells a bit minerally, a bit dusty, a bit mushroomy? I added boiling water and steeped until it looked a nice rich colour (this is an official measure of steep time). It tastes like ….tea. Barky. Faint astringency that wraps gently around the underside of your tongue.
Sadly I am nothing but a tea floosy, I am about to add frothed milk and a dash of chai syrup, so help me God. Ahhhhhh.
Ok I have just looked up Assam on Wikipedia and would totes agree in hindsight that it tastes “brisk”. I missed the “malty”. I got the tannic qualities of the Darjeeling (similarly googled), but would have described this blend as more earthy than fruity or floral. Perhaps I need to taste them separately.
Or with honey and lemon. No! Floosy.
Let me state right from the start I am really not the target audience for this tea. Unflavoured blacks are the hardest ones for me to stomach overall, and even though I’m still in the process of trying to figure out which base teas I actually like (considering I only come across them in flavoured blends) I do know I possibly take issue with darjeeling. Or assam. But I think darjeeling is the actual problem. And seeing as this is apparently a darjeeling-assam blend, all bets are off.
But hey, it was a free Lupicia sample bag, so how could I say no? Maybe if Lupicia were more readily available to me I’d feel I could afford a more cavalier attitude, but now it’s more like give me a free sample any sample I will perform tricks for samples okay just give me all the samples please come on I will sing for you and babysit although I can’t sing and loathe children please samples.
Scent wise, it’s just a bag of meh. Just black tea. That black tea scent. Same in the cup. It’s like that peppermint tea from Bluebird I tried the other day – I wish I liked this kind of tea, and this really is a fair cup of this kind of tea, so it honestly is all on me – but no.
I just don’t.
[Sample from my Lupicia spree at Westfield Valley Fair in Santa Clara, October 2013.]
[Sample polished off in Rome, February 2014.]
I am the opposite of you, in that I tend to detest a lot of flavored teas, in part because I have reactions to some flavorings, especially the artificial ones. However, I do enjoy some flavored teas, sometimes. We can both agree in not being big fans of darjeeling, however, & I personally don’t care for ceylon. I do agree on samples though! :D
Aw, right – I remember reading you had a reaction to Momoko (also from Lupicia) which made me sad. That would definitely make me detest flavoured teas, too. But hey, I’m on a quest to try to figure out unflavoured greens a little better and it’s going pretty good so far. I’m sure I’ll be all gong-fu/pu’erh madness quite soon if I keep hanging out with you guys, haha.
Hahaha, no doubt. One of my very first posts on steepster started with, “I need a Gaiwan”. Before I joined, I’d never even heard of one. I’d seen them somewhere, & I’d seen yixing pots & thought to myself, “Well, that’s ridiculously small, but adorable. Doesn’t hold much tea though.” Now I have 5 Gaiwans (why??) & 4 tiny teapots. And other teapots, many of which I already had. And lots of cups, & way too much tea. But I use them all, & will probably have more before it’s over with. Everyone has to have a hobby, right? :)
Hahaha, that’s so Steepster. I’m pretty sure most people wouldn’t consider tea your typical equipment-heavy hobby. Little do they know.
Another freebie from Lupicia.
This was a teabag, so I had no idea what kind of tea is was, other than “black,” but when I tasted it, I immediately knew there had to be some Darjeeling involved. Glad to see this vindicated!
This tea has an almost sweet aftertaste, kind of like honey. It’s bold and would go great with milk. I’d drink this for breakfast.
