ESP Emporium

I had this as well earlier. I’m not sure I got many of the ‘spicy influences’ in the description this time, but it was still good.

Thanks again Ellen!

Another backlog.

The dry leaf smelled sooo good – fruity and spicy. The scent was very strong – I love strongly-flavoured teas, so this wasn’t going to be a problem. When I brewed it up, I got spices and fruits again, but orange was a lot more predominant. The taste was as good as the scent – mostly fruit, but not as much orange as I got from the scent. I have never had a black/green blend before, so this was a first for me , and I quite enjoyed it.

Todays cup is especially rosy. I’m having risotto for lunch, and this fruity, floral tea cuts through the richness of the food very well.

Having this again today as it has become a real go-to tea, probably because it is kept in my kitchen tea collection so it is easy to get to. Also because it is lovely and sweet and juicy. I love this more and more, so I’m going to raise the rating.

Had this earlier. It was very sweet today (I didn’t add sweetener) and the lychee came through especially well.

Thanks Ellen!

This smells divine – quite light and fruity, with the strawberry and lychee easily identifiable. I love watching this one steep – the leaves open up to be large, whole leaves. The steeped leaves smell moslty of tea, with inly hints of flavours in the background, but the taste of the tea is very well balanced – again, the strawberry and lychee are good and identifiable but they don’t overshadow the green tea, which I can taste mostly at the end of the sip.

A nice, sweet flavoured green tea which is capable of a very flavourful second steep.

This tea appears a bit dull and flat. There just isn’t much color or vibrance to it. The fragrance is both tart and sweet with a discernable white grape note. The ingredients list includes “flavoring” and I’m hoping it’s at least natural since the grape fragrance is so strong.

This tea brews very light; similar to a white tea. The fruit fragrance remains fairly bold but the flavor is really mild. There isn’t much to the tea body and there are only hints of the grape and currants.

If you like very subtly flavored green teas, then give this one a try. If you prefer more oomph then I’d pass.

Thanks Ellen!

My last backlog for now.

Again, just like last time, this is strong and malty. This is OK when it is hot, but as it cools it becomes very astringent and almost oily (probably due to the flavourings). I still can’t taste the flavours, but it woke me up this morning, as a breakfast tea should.

Thanks QueenOfTarts!

A fairly good black tea, but I can’t really taste the flavours in this, apart from a little berry in the aftertaste. I can’t really identify the other flavours though, but this is an OK breakfast tea if you want something plain.

The description of this tea caught my attention. It has a lot of elements I really enjoy like vanilla and bergamot but it also had a few I’ve never tried like grenadine and tea flowers.

The fragrance was a strong berry-and-bergamot. The leaves were dark and crumbly and the add-ins appeared shriveled and faded versus just dried. It wasn’t as vibrant as pictured.

Once prepared, the tea had a strong candy-like smell; think candied apple without the apple. The taste was vaguely tart and subtly fruity with a lingering vanilla aftertaste. There was also something completely unidentifiable-possibly the tea flowers?

This was an odd one but it grew on me. I really liked the flavor and fragrance but it could have looked a little better. I’ll probably try another bag later in the year to see if there’s any difference in that regard.

The twisty, medium-green leaves smelled of black cherry. There was also a strong presence of pipe tobacco. This created images of old English estates.

The brewed tea was a light copper color and it had a strong, sweet and creamy fragrance. The flavor had an initial bite then became what I can only describe as a “classic tea flavor.” When you think of what tea in general tastes like, this is a great example. That’s not to say that this tea is boring- just consider it friendly and predictable. I really liked this and see it becoming a staple.

I just received my first order ever from ESP Emporium. It happened to include two different varieties of Darjeeling; Margaret’s Hope (SF) and Marybong Organic (FF). I thought it would be a fun experiment to prepare them side-by-side and compare and contrast them in my reviews. The text of my reviews for both teas will be the same but the score reflects how I feel about this particular tea.

First, let’s talk about initial fragrance. Margaret was clean and crisp with notes of pepper and grapefruit. (This is a second flush?) Marybong leaned towards being sweet and biscuity.

Margaret’s leaves were dark and crumbly while Marybong’s were a mix of older and newer, bright green leaves.

Both teas were prepared at the same time using the same steeping parameters.

The fragrance of Margaret was bright, crisp and citrusy while Marybong wasn’t very fragrant at all. I detected a bit of hops but not much else.

Finally, the taste. Margaret was initially very smooth but then you get this final punchy astringency. Quite a pucker! This has a really complex profile. Marybong, on the other hand, was more even tempered. It was mellow and was a consistent drink to the bottom of the cup.

Up until now, I had always considered myself a first flush kind of guy. Margaret has changed my mind. I really enjoyed the fragrance and complexity of flavor it offered over Marybong. However, Margaret might be too aggressive for some. For them, the consistency of Marybong would be a better choice.

I just received my first order ever from ESP Emporium. It happened to include two different varieties of Darjeeling; Margaret’s Hope (SF) and Marybong Organic (FF). I thought it would be a fun experiment to prepare them side-by-side and compare and contrast them in my reviews. The text of my reviews for both teas will be the same but the score reflects how I feel about this particular tea.

First, let’s talk about initial fragrance. Margaret was clean and crisp with notes of pepper and grapefruit. (This is a second flush?) Marybong leaned towards being sweet and biscuity.

Margaret’s leaves were dark and crumbly while Marybong’s were a mix of older and newer, bright green leaves.

Both teas were prepared at the same time using the same steeping parameters.

The fragrance of Margaret was bright, crisp and citrusy while Marybong wasn’t very fragrant at all. I detected a bit of hops but not much else.

Finally, the taste. Margaret was initially very smooth but then you get this final punchy astringency. Quite a pucker! This has a really complex profile. Marybong, on the other hand, was more even tempered. It was mellow and was a consistent drink to the bottom of the cup.

Up until now, I had always considered myself a first flush kind of guy. Margaret has changed my mind. I really enjoyed the fragrance and complexity of flavor it offered over Marybong. However, Margaret might be too aggressive for some. For them, the consistency of Marybong would be a better choice.

Tried this again today and I will say I really did taste the flavors. It is a nice light chocolate flavor. I think the coconut really adds to the flavor. It is naturally sweet but not overly. It is slightly creamy. Overall a decent cup.

I won’t rate this tonight. I feel like my taste buds weren’t working. I just wasn’t tasting the ingredients. Here is to better luck tomorrow.

Iced/cold-steeped rose black tea is awesome. This one in particular. That’s all. :D

Before my package from JacquelineM, this was the only rose black tea I had. Since I haven’t had a cup in quite a while, another was in order so that I could compare it to the other rose blacks I’ve had recently. Previously I steeped this for 4 minutes, but I dropped it to 3 minutes this time to match up with the others.

This one definitely has the sweet-rose aroma, but it seems tempered by the black tea. A taste confirms that it seems to fall between Harney’s Rose Scented and Upton’s Rose Congou in that the rose flavor is sweet and floral like the Rose Scented (not herby rose like Rose Congou), but it features equally with the black tea base like Rose Congou (not overwhelming it like Rose Scented). This black tea base is malty, and almost bready, which plays well with the warmth of the rose florals. I think a four minute steep is probably better for this one since it seems a touch weak, but it’s still tasty.

All in all, this tea holds up well to both Harney’s and Upton’s, actually, and it seems like it might be what Harney’s would be like if the rose wasn’t so all-consuming. ’

Side note: I really wish all tea companies would list the origin of their black tea bases. All black teas are not created equally! I always assumed this black tea base was Chinese given the name, but it’s possible it’s only referring to the Chinese process of scenting the tea, not the origin of the tea itself, and honestly it tastes more like a Ceylon than the various Chinese teas I’ve had. Not that I can be totally sure because most of the time I’m not sure exactly what kind of black tea I’m drinking! I guess I really am going to have to break down and go through samples of varieties of plain black teas so that I can start identifying them better myself.

I really love rose-flavored candies and such, so I didn’t hesitate to get some rose black tea when I had the chance. The dry leaves of this tea have a rose scent, but it’s not super powerful. The instant you pour hot water on the tea, however, a much stronger rose aroma is released. The tea brews up with a dark liquor and smells of rose and the Orange Pekoe base. The tea itself is quite lovely… the black tea doesn’t have any traces of bitterness, and it has a pleasant, slightly malty flavor. The rose is well blended with the tea; it neither overpowers it nor fades to the background. This is the flavor of rose water, rose baked goods, rose loukoumi (turkish delight). This tea actually reminds me of Paris as much as Paris tea, eating rose macarons and rose candies from Fauchon. If you’re a fan of rose-flavored foods and drinks, this tea would be a good one to try.

Nice, not at all tart. Even with a sore throat and stuffy nose I could smell this one before and after steeping. Well balanced. I can taste the raspberry and rose very well. The vanilla is tying it all together but isn’t as noticeable. Overall not bad. Can’t wait to drink it when I am all better.

This is another flavored oolong, although this one does have that formosa base. It’s not as roasty as some of them, though, making for a very mild background to the mango/tropical fruit flavors, and of course rose. This one isn’t super rosey, partly because it’s got a lot of other flavors going on that are really the stars of the show, but a little of it peeks through. Today the oolong base (apparently I brewed it hotter than I usually do) is a bit nuttier than I remember, which is pleasant. This is a blend I always enjoy and today is no different.

I have drank this tea after having fantastic plain oolongs, but I haven’t had it since I’ve really become obsessed with oolongs. This is a kind of generic formosa oolong base, neither green nor particularly roasted (though it is dark in color). I still really enjoy this cup even though I can tell the oolong base is nothing fancy; it’s still dark enough to add some heft and body to the sip, but still light enough to play well with the fruity and floral notes. I’m not big on plain “formosa” oolongs, just like I’m not big on plain black teas, but I do really like them as a base for flavorings like in this tea.

Cold steeping this one really brought out the earthy leafy flavors of this oolong. The other flavors are more subdued, but definitely present: hints of lovely rose, a bit of berry, some tropical fruit. It’s more rosey than when brewed hot; I’m starting to find that cold steeping seems to draw out some flavors more than others (florals and vanilla flavors seem to come to the forefront with cold steeping). Overall I’m really enjoying this one cold steeped, and it just adds to my appreciation of this tea. Every time I drink this tea it endears itself to me more.

Initially when I brewed this cup I got a ton of rose flavor, which was kind of surprising given how many berries and mango cubes ended up in the infuser. But now that’s cooled a bit I get much more fruit flavoring, and the rose is a nice supporting note. This is one of those teas that I’ve noticed shows up from several retailers; at least I don’t have to worry about it disappearing, unless the wholesaler stops making it!

This cup is more floral and rosy today for some reason, though there’s definitely tropical fruit (primarily mango) underlying it all. It’s fitting in well with my recent kick of floral teas. I’m really liking this one, so I’m going to bump it up a few notches on my rating system. I like that it’s an Oolong because I think it goes well with the delicate flavors; a black tea might overwhelm it.