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Earl Grey with the base of India tea? I hoped this meant Darjeeling. The smell of the earl grey was very malty, and I picked up very light hints of bergamot. That must be why they called it earl grey “with bergamot”.

When I steeped the tea, I got a very bitter cup (for an earl grey, at least) and the base tea overpowered the bergamot. This did not taste really like an earl grey at all, and I was disappointed.

It is a good thing I did not buy this particular tea for myself, as my friend let me sample it. I would have liked more bergamot, or maybe a less strong base tea. There had to be some other tea besides Darjeeling, because it was too malty.

It felt like I brewed up an English breakfast tea, and added some bergamot oil in the mix. This was very surprising, as I have generally been pleased with Peet’s teas. I hope the next Peet’s tea I have is not like this.

This was the last Green Peony tin at the Peet’s location. I had to get it on the spot, because I remember it being sold out online.

The tea was very mild; it had little sweetness, and had absolutely no bitterness at all. The color of the brew was a very clear yellow. I think I tasted hints of butter, or maybe a nutty flavor. The smell was very floral as well.

The taste was light, and vaguely sweet. I was very pleased with this tea. I’m glad I bought it when I had the chance.

I really liked this tea. It was nice and malty, and went great with breakfast. I bought this while on vacation, like some of my other Peet’s teas. However, the taste was a little surprising.

I opened the can, and smelled the familiar smokiness of Lapsang Souchong. In stead of finding merely black, smoked tea, I also found golden-silver leaves mixed in. I wondered which teas they were, but the description online and on the tin only described them as “China black teas”. Despite not finding which specific teas were in the blend, I knew that Lapsang Souchong was the base.

I poured the water in the teapot, and let it brew for about 5 minutes. I did notice a different scent than just smokiness. When I tasted it, it reminded me of English Breakfast. Smooth, brisk, and slightly malty. This went really well with the smoky flavor.

The only downside I could find was that there were more stems than I would have liked in my tea. Not too complex, but not very simple either, this tea makes for a wonderful morning cuppa.

The most prominent trait of this tea is the smell of smokiness. When I opened the tea can, the first thing that came into my head was smoked meat. I actually liked this smell, and it made me hungry. I picked this tea, because everywhere it is advertised, it is described as a very strong tea. I love strong teas.

When I brewed the tea, I got a very nice reddish-orange color. The smoky hinge was still there. I felt like I were sitting next to a campfire. The taste was smoky as well. However, even with 5 minutes of steeping, the tea did not seem as strong as advertised. I had 2 cups already from different steepings, and got the same result.

It was surprisingly smooth, and I could barely taste the flavor of a typical black tea from China underneath. Basically, it tasted as if I were drinking smoked meat Keemun. Despite not being as strong as I would have hoped, I liked this tea.

The smoky taste seemed to linger for several minutes after drinking. Next time, I’ll try steeping it for 6 minutes, to see if I can get more of a malty taste. This is a good tea for breakfast, and the afternoon.

I was quite perplexed with this tea. A worker at Peet’s told me that this was one of the more sought after ones at their location. The tin felt heavier than the other teas, and for good reason: the leaves were compressed as is customary for pu-erh teas. The tea bricks themselves smelled very earthy (not the typical pu-erh “earthy”) and bitter. I got a more pungent smell when I actually brewed it.

Brewed Tea:
The color of the brew was very dark, even after lightly “rinsing” it with a miniature steeping. It started off as a light pink, but as the brick dissolved, the pink turned into a reddish-brown within seconds. This fascinated me quite a bit, as I had never seen a loose leaf tea change color as dramatically as this before. Then again, the directions called for a much longer steeping than I usually give Pu-erhs.

The taste was as it smelled for the first brew: Earthy, bitter, with an acidic aftertaste. But another element decided to show up as well. It was nutty, and tasted like a bitter baking flour. The after taste was not very pleasing either. I still had a bitter nut flavor in the back of my throat.

Unsatisfied with the first brew, I decided to have a second steeping. After all, I heard so much about this tea from the staff, and one of the locals. And I supposed that the first brew washed the tea enough for a second brew.

The second steeping was MUCH more welcoming than the first. The earthy flavor had become more typical, and more enjoyable. In fact, I quite liked the second steeping. This time, the earthy taste was still present, but the nutty flavor had been replaced by a more vegetal one (very unexpected). This one was more smooth, and the beverage had a slightly lighter color. It was a dark red now. However, I still did not like the acidic after taste.

I brewed the tea twice with the directions provided, and twice using a more traditional method with shorter steeps.

I suppose I’ll rate this tea based on the experience over all. I will not be drinking this pu-erh regularly, as I would with others. The character changed quite dramatically between steeps, and proved to be uneven. This tea was not wonderful, but not terrible either; it was centered in between the two.

This was one of the first Oolongs I’ve had in a while. I went up the coast this weekend for four days to San Luis Obispo. I was walking by the shops with friends and family, and I noticed the Peet’s Coffee & Tea shop in a corner. I just had to go in.

I wanted an Oolong to compensate for the long time I’ve gone without. I was enjoying the view outside, while letting the tea brew, and I couldn’t help but notice a slightly-sweet, grassy smell of the tea. The color was a dark green, reminiscent of a lake. This tea already seemed like more of a green tea than an Oolong. The flavor was lite, but not grassy, which was very different than the scent. I did notice that the tea was slightly sweet.

I carried it around with me to some of the shops, wishing I had more once I ran out. I made sure to buy a couple of other teas at the shop. I can’t wait to try them. This tea did not impress me too much, though I did enjoy it. More reviews later.

I went to one of my favorite stores yesterday, and came across this tea. I’ve never heard of this french company before then. It looked like a pretty good tea to try. It says it’s the perfect tea for 5:00, but I had it with breakfast today. The smell was floral, and fruit-like. The leaves were very typical of a Darjeeling: multiple colors of green, yellow, and light brown. The tea leaves were actually quite beautiful looking.
Because this is the first tea of this company I’ve tried, I decided to do a “quality check”, to make sure the stem to leaf ratio was small. Thankfully it was. I brewed the tea for about 4 1/2 minutes, at which point I decided that was enough to taste the full body. The aroma of the brew also smelled floral, but lost it’s fruity scent. To me, the tea tasted great. It seemed like the mixture of a white and a black tea. It was as smooth as silk, and filled with flavor. It wasn’t too brisk, nor too light. It sat somewhere in the middle. This company seems promising enough to try some of their other teas, which I hope are as good as this.

I really liked this tea. Some of my family members celebrated a baby shower, and gave me this when they came back from it. They gave me several teas from Twinings. I was very gracious, as I always appreciate free teas. When I opened the can, it smelled very floral. The scent was light, delicate, and yet the tea smelled strangely robust for a green tea. The previous morning, I had gone to the farmers market, and gotten some fresh vegetables and fruit, which I decided to prepare for dinner. I made the tea just in time to eat. It tasted wonderful (both dinner and the tea). I could taste the Jasmine, and something else. I can’t quite place what the other element was, though. The tea was a bit strong for a green tea, but the Jasmine made it work. I think this tea might be one that I order for myself.

While visiting my grandmother several years back, I tasted this tea. At first, all I could smell were the roses. Then, the naturally sweet-smelling black tea shone through. Although the scent of the roses was strong (yet not overpowering), the taste was very light.
I guess this tea is alright, but not my favorite.

How should I describe this Earl Grey? It is strong and malty, like an Assam, but has the subtle taste of lavender underneath the Bergamot overtones. In fact, I found it a little too strong for an Earl Grey, and was only satisfied by the aroma. Earl Grey teas are a signature tea for each company. For this reason, I expect a variety in the flavor from company to company. And perhaps Tazo simply wanted to make this blend stronger than most Earl Greys. Still, I find myself going back to Twinings or Harney & Sons for the best Earl Grey.