Charleston Tea Plantation
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A friend from postcrossing sent me this tea among a New Year card (received much earlier)! Thank you Benjamin from South Carolina, USA!
I needed to wake up call after another passed exam and for studying for another exam. It’s hard to have all of them so close to each other, but now only 4 are remaining, and three weeks of exam period. Luckily, at least two of them will be in summer term too; so I don’t have to worry that much about those two. But, naturally I would like to pass them all in time.
Anyway to the tea…
It’s very nice that they have used pyramid sachet, but they should know a better quality tea can be there… it’s mostly dust and fannings, which made me a bit sad.
The aroma was very nice, autumn leaf pile and barnyard, that typical for black teas, enjoyable and I knew it is going to be strong and hopefully tasty tea. Hmm. It seems it wasn’t delivered well into taste as I got, instead of baked bread, typical black tea tannic taste. It actually tasted like an quite cheap tea, somewhere between Lipton Yellow label and Twinings basic black teas.
What a shame it isn’t more complex; although it has been fun to try US produced tea, which lacks depth, but isn’t that bad as I was a bit afraid of! I can understand being it produced for sweet part of market, for people who are drinking tea only with sugar added and/or milk. For that, I reckon it will be a delicious and better than Lipton. But on its own… it’s 66. Above average, but just a tiny bit.
Song pairing (to write a note):https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_0pQTEhj8A
Flavors: Autumn Leaf Pile, Barnyard, Tannic
Preparation
The tea was decent for tea grown in the US, but I didn’t like how the taste was overpowered by raspberry. I like to actually be able to taste the tea leaves. I think people who don’t like traditional teas as much and prefer strong fruity or berry flavors might like this tea , but it was a bit too strong for me.
Flavors: Raspberry
Preparation
The smell of tea leaves is quite pleasant. The color is caramel looking. Overall the tea in a way is sweet like raspberry but subtle. I really enjoyed it. I’d recommend 10/10.
Flavors: Raspberry, Tea
I really enjoyed this tea. I love peach flavored things but a lot of places make the peach too sweet, too strong, or too fake. This tea does a really good job of giving a real peach flavor without overwhelming you with peach. I also enjoyed it hot which I wasn’t expecting because I usually like iced peach tea.
Flavors: Peach
This first time a had this tea was during an afternoon tea outing on a brisk Winter afternoon, and it was the perfect juxtaposition to the chilly weather. I had it more recently during our tea tasting in class and had the opportunity to prepare it for everyone. It’s so much more enjoyable to be able to take the time to boil the water to just the right temperature for you, to fill the bowl of the teapot so that the bottom is covered with the beautiful dry leaves, and then after brewing you get to see how they have transformed and swelled with water.
The fragrance of this tea is a great enhancement and adds a moreish quality, the flavor is deep and earthy with more of a raspberry aftertaste. In fact, the lingering aftertaste is my favorite part.
Flavors: Grass, Raspberry
Preparation
Another basic green tea. No intense or complex notes just vaguely green and vegetal. There wasn’t a lasting mouthfeel either which makes me wonder about quality. There were no “island” notes nor did I find any hay or lasting bitter greeness.
Flavors: Green, Smooth, Vegetal
Preparation
A solid English style black tea. Brewed a large pot in the Western style, and enjoyed the taste without cream or sugar. Definitely worth checking out for casual drinking or for less sophisticated tastes.
Flavors: Floral, Fruity, Tea
Preparation
When things say island it elicits the thoughts of tropical fruits, beaches, the ocean etc. Nothing about this tea shouts island to me besides the fact that it was made on an island. I honestly find it a bit bland. Greenish should at least have some grassy flavors but this… maybe some hay?
Preparation
Mmm, this is delicious! The base tea has a rich, bready flavor that mixes perfectly with the pop of sweet, juicy peach. Not sure what the difference is, but the loose leaf version is SO MUCH better than the bagged one.
Flavors: Bread, Peach
Preparation
I made myself a cup of this like an hour ago and completely forgot I was steeping it for a solid chunk of time and was expecting it to taste awful. I quick took it out of my Ingenuitea and it was fine… I’m convinced its impossible to oversteep this tea!
The black base definitely shines through a little more than usual and the raspberry becomes more of an undertone but it’s still a nice cuppa.
This one will probably always be a favorite. I generally like it iced but this morning I needed something cozy to keep me awake. I’m getting towards the bottom of the tin and the raspberry flavor is not as strong as it once was.
Flavors: Fruity, Raspberry
Preparation
I had high hopes for this tea, but was disappointed. It’s drinkable but there is really nothing to distinguish it from any other commercial, mass produced tea sitting on the shelves of supermarkets across America. The fact that it was grown in the U.S. is interesting but doesn’t make it a better tea. I believe they are a subsidiary of Bigelows, now.
This tea plantation is only a few hours from me, but I have never been! Maybe soon!
The plantation also has a few more upscale blends that are better quality. I think I have tried a couple, but I can’t remember which ones.
Ashmanra, as it is that close to you, I thought you were there! It seems like a nice place to visit.
gmathis Yep, as I was lurking around their website, I saw a few blends that sounds better. I was just sad seeing pyramid sachet and not a better tea in.