Metropolitan Tea Company

Definitely a new favourite, but this one absolutely makes it into the day of Perfect Black teas. I’m running a little low at the moment so I haven’t been drinking it daily anymore, but it had to be included. Just had to.

It’s lovely and sweet and just ‘mmmm’, and if I had my way I’d share it with everyone because it’s kind of one of those teas everyone needs to try.

You know, the problem with drinking tons of tea is that quite often you really have to pee at very inopportune times. For example, I’m nearly done watching The 10th Kingdom and currently I’m at a very dramatic part – but no, apparently it’s time to use the washroom instead.

Also, I really should have bought more of this because it’s become a staple tea for me. So sweet, and so good. After reading “VariaTEA’s” tasting note I just had to make myself a mug of it. Mmmmmm!

I’m gonna be out really soon :(

I was craving something sweet, and fruity like grenadine but also a softer strawberry/milky chocolate combination and since I couldn’t think of a single tea that fit that description, I decided to make two teas instead! It was a great ‘compromise’.

Parameters for this blend were 1 1/2 tsp. of leaf in 10 oz. of boiling water steeped for 3 min. and 45 seconds. Turns out, that just happened to be the perfect steeping parameters for this blend! It’s sweet, with balanced grenadine and vanilla notes and not a single touch of bitterness or astringency. Just smooth, sweet, Monk’s Blend!

It’s really going to take me no time to finish up the 50g of this that I bought while on vacation. At least I know where to get more, and it’s not too unattainable…

Made in my timolino and left to sit for probably six or so hours while I was out today. Parameters were 2 tsp. of leaf, 12 oz. timolino with boiling water steeped for four minutes. This time I didn’t add anything to it at all.

I was actually out today doing some shopping; and one of the places I went to was Cuppa’T Specialty Teas. They have a cool store with lots of neat teaware – my Dad even purchased a Gaiwan for himself, but decided against it ultimately because he didn’t like the handle. They also had a really large range of tea tins with all different designs. The customer service was great too.

I ended up getting a cumulative 200g of tea; 50g of four different blends. My Dad purchased 50g of straight ginger as well (yuck). Sadly, the one blend I was more interested in wasn’t in stock, but I’m feeling really good about the four I did settle on. And, with the exception of the RiverTea order I’ve mapped out, I’m now on tea buying hiatus (tea tins don’t count) until probably March (my birthday)…

Anyway, back to THIS tea! It’s not as good as last night’s cup – the grenadine taste is still there but milder (reminds me a little more of cherry tonight), though I think I’m getting the vanilla a little more this time around. However, ultimately the black tea base is quite strong and quite astringent; way more than it was last night and quite close to crossing the line into unpleasantness. I’m thinking this was just oversteeped or this is a result from sitting for around six(ish) hours today: it’s possible some finer bits made it through the mesh strainer and have just been sitting all day getting bitter.

It did get a bit better as it got colder, though. And it’s not like it was undrinkable.

I’ve had this tea a few times before during prior trips to The Vintage Tea Room back when I still lived in Regina. I enjoyed it then, but I don’t think I appreciated it nearly as much – probably because I was relatively new to tea and didn’t have anywhere near as varied a pallet as I do now.

I purchased 50g today, and today is my first time making it at home under my own parameters. So, I steeped up 1 1/2 tsp. of leaf in boiling water for four minutes. I then added in some milk, because that’s how I’ve taken this every time I’ve had it at the tea room. I do plan on enjoying it straight soon, though – to see what the difference in taste is.

Dry, this has an almost overwhelming smell of grenadine with wisps of black tea and fragrant floral and vanilla notes. It’s very sweet smelling. Steeped, this is much the same; strong notes of sweet grenadine, and floral notes that are stronger steeped than dry. The vanilla is still there, but not as much so.

Taste wise; this is very rich and full bodied with a nice Ceylon base. The grenadine in this is the most prominent flavor and definitely takes center stage; it’s very sweet and kind of fruity, reminding me of a mix of maybe pomegranate and raspberry. The vanilla is very mild and definitely sits comfortably in the background. The floral notes I pick up in the dry and steeped smell don’t come off as strongly in the taste – a little less present than the vanilla, but still just noticeable.

This is very good hot or cold, and I find it very smooth and clean with no bitterness or astringency. Drinking it now, I definitely have more of an appreciation for it than I did previous times when I wasn’t as knowledgeable of “experienced” of a tea drinker. I will happily finish off the rest of this – but maybe not too quickly; I don’t know when I’ll next be in Regina to pick up more of this, if necessary.

Met up with Lala today for tea The Vintage Tea Room! It’s super cool meeting people from Steepster in person; I’ve met Kittenna and Janelle for swaps, but this was the first time I really got to sit down and have an extended conversation, and it was just a really fun, good time.

Of course, Lala brought samples – some from 52Teas which I was expecting, and then lots of neat extras including what will be my first Pu-Erh, and what will be my first teas from Nina’s Paris and Fauchon. So much kindness! My mom keeps snooping through the tin she brought them in smelling things; right now she really likes the smell of the Dreamsicle Pu-Erh and to be honest so do I.

I wasn’t super adventurous in what I got to drink and eat, and I stuck to the same flowering tea and sandwich as I had earlier this week; but that’s because it was delicious! This time around, the tea tasted a little bit greener and more vegetal, and I did pick up some lavender which I struggled to pick up earlier in the week. It was nice getting a whole pot to myself, and the blossom was just beautiful like usual.

I should really get a clear teapot…

I met up with a friend today for tea at The Vintage Tea Room! We split a pot of this tea upon my insistence; I never have bloom teas because I don’t have a teapot that allows me to appreciate their beauty at home. Though – the older sales lady gave my friend and I a “knowing” look after ordering a love themed tea, prompting both he and I to insist we were just friends.

I didn’t realize upon ordering that this was green tea (for whatever reason I was thinking it was white), but it was pretty apparent after my first sip because this had a strong grassy taste to it. Despite that, which is typically a turn off, this was very enjoyable. The jasmine was the most prominent taste in a very real and natural way – not at all perfumey. I actually struggled a bit to taste the the lavender, which is one of the advertised flavours, but the lily was very noticable to me.

This was a very enjoyable sweet, floral tea and I was quite happy to enjoy several cups of it while catching up with my friend. I had somehow blocked out the fact he’s so much of a conspiracy theorist – but hey, at least the conversation was always interesting.

And the tea was just beautiful after it had fully flowered!

I also ended up purchasing 50g of Monk’s Blend and 50g of Prince of Wales after inquiring as to where they get their tea from (mostly so I could accurately log things – turns out it’s from The Metropolitan Tea Company). Both smell incredible, and I can’t wait to try them!

PS. If you’re ever in Regina and go here for tea I highly recommend the cucumber cranberry cream cheese sandwich as the perfect food to enjoy with your tea!

It is creamy and it has a good taste of bergamot orange in it…not my favourite, but I enjoy it with breakfast…it is strong enough to taste when eating a hearty breakfast.

I just submitted this tea and I’m amazed it has thus far been overlooked on Steepster, considering how well represented Metropolitan’s offerings are here. I wish I were as expert as many here, so I could wax eloquent on the subtleties of this tea; I’m a relative novice, so this note will be pretty basic.

I am basically a drinker of black teas mostly, which I take with milk and sugar nearly all the time — a breakfast drinker, as it were. But hey, I live on the Manitoba prairie where the weather is so severe that, except during our pitifully brief summer, it’s like “breakfast” conditions all day. Take today: temps of -30C, NWly wind at 20-30 km/hr, high humidity so that cold really bites hard, and windchill so low you don’t want to think about it. Under these conditions, every mug of tea is like an emergency blood transfusion!

Of all the black teas I have drunk thus far, Metropolitan’s version of Scottish Breakfast blend is the winner, hands-down, no contest. It’s a beautiful tea with large, handsome leaves, none of your chintzy CTC stuff; these leaves are so nice I often just eat the few that find their way into my mug. The flavour of the brew is full and robust but not harsh; it’s a natural for milk and sugar. It stands up well to long steeping times; I’ve indicated five minutes, but I often steep it for seven, and I tend to be with the quantity of leaves.

I’d be lost without this tea. There are others I drink and enjoy, but every pot of Scottish Breakfast is a treat to be savoured. By comparison most others taste thin and uninteresting. This tea has a rich, full, friendly, comforting character that — at the moment, in my limited experience — seems unparalleled.

Surprise! Maple syrup taste is found in this black tea…it is best straight, I tried it with milk and I prefer it plain. Not too shabby.

Compared to The Assam Tea company’s genmaicha, Metropolitan’s is lacking in flavour and aroma and colour…no comparison.

Crunch time for Christmas! I have a scarf to finish crocheting so I decided I would go for a black tea to accompany me on this journey. Thanks to JennyFur for this tea :).

I steeped this for 3 minutes at boiling. I actually didn’t forget about my tea this time! Also, the leaves in this one expanded very nicely.

First sip:
Hm. It tastes a bit bitter to me, but not too bad. I better look up what is in this blend. uh, natural flavors. I taste some flavors in there, haha.

Finishing off the cup:
I don’t think it tastes too bitter anymore. It is more of a sharp taste. It isn’t my favorite, but it isn’t bad. It is just different. It is a tea I would drink again, however.
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Overall, not bad. I’ve had better, I’ve had worse. I don’t think I would crave this, but I will have it again.

I am not sure if I taste the vanilla or not…it definitely could be spicier…does not rate as high as other Chai teas I have had.

Not a bad tea, I can taste the vanilla and it definitely has the taste of cream in it.

Peppery and flavourful, so yummy with sweetened condensed milk in it…I use 1 teaspoonful per cup.

This is a fun tea, but it is hard to get just right. There is a lot of hibiscus in it so I find if you steep for too long it gets way too tart. With a shorter steep it is quite identical to bubble gum/gum balls. I usually add a bit of sugar. It is not too bad with milk added either. I have never steeped one of the gum balls. I usually end of eating them but I am sure it would add sweetness to the tea.

Sometimes I feel like I need a strong cup of black tea to cleanse my palate, just like any “normal” person would need a glass of water. I am much more a lover of straight black teas than I am of flavoured teas, although I do like flavoured teas. I am trying to trim down my cupboard before I order any more tea. So that has left me with a lot of flavoured teas to drink. So today, after drinking a lot of flavoured teas, I felt like I just needed something “normal”. Ha ha. The only problem was I couldn’t decide what I wanted. I found this in my cupboard a few days ago. I thought it was long gone. I am excited to still have some but I know it has been in my cupboard for a long time.

This one is smooth, there is a little bit of astringency in the aftertaste, which I do not remember being there before. It is sweet, without having added anything to it. It is malty and thick. I feel like I am getting notes of dark plums and a bit of cocoa beans. Its delicious and hitting the right spot.

This one used to be one of my favourite teas. But then I stopped drinking it for some reason. I think I just had so many other teas to drink. This one is thick and bold and malty. It is definitely distinct in its flavour. Very slightly sweet on it owns. It is suggested to drink with milk but I actually prefer it without. It very easily becomes astringent but it is not the bad stringent.

Tea #7.

This one was actually on my shopping list, because it sounded really tasty. Chai, with rose petals? Yes please.

I was disappointed to find that one of the spices is not quite to my liking. I was going to say fennel, but apparently there isn’t any in the blend. Coriander, maybe? It’s hard finding a chai with the right balance of the right spices in it. Maybe when I figure it out, I should just get some rose petals to add in, and see if I like that better…

First time to taste this rooibos. I felt it the minute I opened it, this was going to be one on my fav list. Added a bit of honey then settled in for a nice relaxing warm-up on a cool night. I am so ready to add this tea to the shelf in my shop! Love it!

This is a pretty dull tea. I put in a small amount of rock sugar and steeped it for a while (10 minutes?) because I read that it could be a bit flavorless. My first few sips tasted like bitterness and rose petals, which was not a great combination. I added some half-and-half, and now the rose petal taste is gone and it just has an earthy black tea taste… which I’m not finding pleasant.

Sipdown! Thanks, Heather!

This tea is definitely berry. The berry flavour, especially after adding a tiny bit of sugar (1/8 tsp for 1 cup), is nice and juicy. I don’t really get maple from it, but that’s OK. I’m sure I could have brought it out by adding maple syrup to the tea instead of sugar. :)

While I’m enjoying this cup, I’m not sure I’d go out of my way to get some. There are other fruity teas I prefer (Fruits D’Alsace) to this one, as the base teas are more in line with my tastes.