Black Tea

Tea type
Black Tea
Ingredients
Not available
Flavors
Chocolate, Citrus, Malt, Tannin, Apricot, Mineral, Smoke, Nuts, Earth, Roasted, Tobacco
Sold in
Bulk, Loose Leaf, Sachet, Tea Bag
Caffeine
Medium
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by ShanValley
Average preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 2 min, 30 sec 2 g 9 oz / 257 ml

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26 Tasting Notes View all

  • “Backlog: I’m not sure if the leaves for this tea were actually roasted, but they do have a distinct roasted flavor to them. The roasted flavor reminds me a bit of coffee, but without the coffee...” Read full tasting note
    88
  • “I did 1 1/2 tsp/10 oz for this one, and since it was already pretty dark I went with a short steep. This is…not for me, I think. The leaves are small and it brews up dark, almost like coffee. The...” Read full tasting note
    68
  • “This tea was earthy and sweet with nutty notes and a mild fruitiness. Smoky notes in the background rounded out the flavor profile, adding a nice balance. It had a bold astringency but did not...” Read full tasting note
    85
  • “Let me start by saying that I am not a huge fan of basic black teas. I tend to like fruity, flavored and spicy teas. The aroma is fresh and roasty. I also think I smell some vegetal maybe even...” Read full tasting note
    85

From Shan Valley

Our tea is has satisfying roasted flavor blend and strong taste. This tea is naturally processed from our green tea to further enhance flavor.
www.shanvalley.com

About Shan Valley View company

Company description not available.

26 Tasting Notes

88
4843 tasting notes

Backlog:

I’m not sure if the leaves for this tea were actually roasted, but they do have a distinct roasted flavor to them. The roasted flavor reminds me a bit of coffee, but without the coffee bitterness (and the coffee side effects that I usually feel a couple of hours after drinking coffee.)

Rich, earthy, malty, and sweet. There is a slight “cocoa-ish” sort of flavor to it too that is accentuated by the roasty notes. Caramel notes, nutty tones, smoke, toast, and earth. It’s a really enjoyable, complex cuppa.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/01/30/black-tea-shan-valley/

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68
564 tasting notes

I did 1 1/2 tsp/10 oz for this one, and since it was already pretty dark I went with a short steep. This is…not for me, I think. The leaves are small and it brews up dark, almost like coffee. The taste is malty and strong and I can almost taste the caffeine, but the overall flavor is kind of boring. It’s not offensive at all, and it’s smooth and not bitter like I expected, but that’s about all I can say. To the swap pile the rest goes.

Preparation
1 min, 30 sec

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85

This tea was earthy and sweet with nutty notes and a mild fruitiness. Smoky notes in the background rounded out the flavor profile, adding a nice balance. It had a bold astringency but did not become bitter when left to steep for too long the first time around (oops!).

http://www.teaformeplease.com/2013/10/shan-valley-black-tea.html

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

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85
467 tasting notes

Let me start by saying that I am not a huge fan of basic black teas. I tend to like fruity, flavored and spicy teas. The aroma is fresh and roasty. I also think I smell some vegetal maybe even asparagus. Interesting. The liquor is dark and looks like coffee. The first taste I had was strong and coffee like. Steepsterites who said that this would be good for people changing from coffee to tea are not wrong. I feel that this has similarities with coffee with out the astringent/bitter taste I associate with coffee. This tea is a bit astringent without being bitter. When I drink most teas I add a sweetener and I felt that I needed to try it with sweetener. I used Stevia which has no calories. I still smell and taste the hint of asparagus, as well as a nice roasty taste. The sweetened black is full bodied and tastes fresh. I wonder how much caffeine in this? I’m betting a lot. I would drink this in the morning but would be a little afraid to drink it later in the day. The bag doesn’t have any instructions for brewing, but it’s not tricky to figure out. It is a black tea after all :D

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 6 OZ / 177 ML

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8
149 tasting notes

and the last time….

“I’ve debated a long time about writing this review. I got sent these teas by DCS, because they weren’t to her liking, and I then passed it on as it wasn’t to my liking. This is perhaps the best thing about Steepster. The community.

So, 10 is the grade I would rank for standard tea bag tea. I would rank this tea below that. Probably around a 11. I’m holding off on ranking as I would like to see some more reviews of this tea before I leave such a drastic mark."

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65
630 tasting notes

Wow, this one packs a bit of a punch! I definitely see the comparison to coffee – the flavor is very bold, and does have a roasty taste. The leaves seemed ground, they were so small, which might account for such a strong flavor. Next time I will try using less leaf, and see if I prefer it. I like strong flavor, but this was a bit intense for me as is! Recommended for people who like a bold cup, or converted coffee drinkers.

Edit: Even using half a teaspoon, the flavor is not really for me. I do see how it could be appreciated, and I am sure coffee drinkers would LOVE this one, but it is a bit too strong for me!

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec 0 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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154 tasting notes

Smells malty, rich, tannic, and robust.

First sip, while hot, tastes bright, light and ends with astringency.
After allowing it to cool, it takes on a fuller and mellower tone with chocolate and coffee notes.

Flavors: Chocolate, Citrus, Malt, Tannin

Preparation
1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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790 tasting notes

T&C TTB Round 2

This may have suffered from being in the TTB, I don’t know. Initial thoughts on smelling the liquor is pu-erh. Being CTC it was pretty much an insta-steep. As soon as I got the water in the cup I took out the infuser basket. It was okay. I didn’t get much of anything like others have noted. It was just similar to some not very good pu-erhs (the reason I haven’t expanded much into them). Dusty, odd and drying.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 0 min, 15 sec 1 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML

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87
2816 tasting notes

Thank you to carol who for this sample tea. I am sorry it took me so long to get around to trying it.

I decided to steep this at 175 F for 3 minutes. I was a bit nervous as the tea is a fine CTC and sometimes they can be very robust but the lower steeping temp. probably helps. This tea has a lot of interesting flavors in the cup. There is a bit of smoke, spicy flavor and some apricot fruitiness as well. I can drink this plain, which is good! I get a hint of tobacco flavor too but it doesn’t seem bitter. Overall, a very interesting tea which makes me want to try more things from Shan Valley. Thanks again — Carol!

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML
Cameron B.

I just recently tried this one too! It wasn’t as aggressive as I expected and I was surprised by the lovely apricot notes. :D

boychik

i have a sample of it but didnt try yet. Too much tea

TeaBrat

Yeah I have a lot of tea myself :)

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75
4160 tasting notes

This sample came from KiwiDelight. I don’t have a lot of experience with CTC teas, and to be honest, they intimidate me a bit… This one is dark chocolate brown in color and has that coffee grounds look. Dry scent is super mild but I can smell a hint of apricot. I steeped the teaspoon of leaf for 2 minutes in 10 ounces of 200 degree water (I was worried about it being too strong).

The liquor has a surprisingly fruity aroma (apricots) with malt and a touch of mineral. This actually came out a bit weak, which surprised me. The most prominent notes are apricot and malt, and there is a bit of a mineral taste. I realize I used too much water with this one, but I much prefer that to it coming out a bitter mess. Pretty tasty. :)

Flavors: Apricot, Malt, Mineral, Smoke

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 2 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 10 OZ / 295 ML

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