Steven Smith Teamaker

Thanks so much to Tea Brat for sending this as a swap. It has been on my wishlist of things to try. The aroma is slightly malty and seems brisk. The liquor is reddish. First sip – this was not what I was expecting. It is more to the mellow than the brisk side. There is a slight malt and somewhat toasty note with a winey, almost grapey flavor wafting around. It is not as astringent as I expected, which is a plus for me. Overall, this is a nice tea, but I don’t think it is something I would need to have on hand. I’m really glad I got to try it. Thanks again Tea Brat.

Thanks to boychik for the sample! Brewed it western style. First steep was with water just off the boil for 3 minutes. I prefer my teas plain without milk or sweetener. This steep was bitter but not entirely unpleasant, with some sweetness and fruitiness (as best as my palate can make out) as the cup cooled. I tried the next two steeps at 195F (3:30 and 5:00 minutes) and enjoyed them more since the bitterness was gone and the sweet/fruit aspect was more pronounced. Next time I will try 195F for the first steep to see if it reduces or eliminates the bitterness there as well. Overall a very nice Assam, more complex than the one in my cupboard from Upton.

Very nice bergamot flavour. It is distinct, but unlike some of the bergamots I’ve tasted, this one doesn’t smell like some cheap but concentrated cologne. It smells sweet and fresh and mellow. And it tastes likewise.

This tea did not have as much bergamot as I would like. I know many don’t like bergamot but I have become totally addicted to it. I would choose Double Bergamot and a few others that go heavy on the bergamot. All in all, a nice tea but nothing for a bergamot lover to get excited about even though it is named Lord Bergamot.

Another tea from the BBBBox Grab bag, provided by Tasty Brew.
This darjeeling blend started out with a pleasant toasty & fruity taste, & at first I was like, “maybe I do like Darjeelings more than I thought…”, but as it cooled it took on an astringency & tartness that reminded me of why they aren’t really my favorites. Still, not bad, & very drinkable, provided it isn’t allowed to cool down.

Was prepared not to love this, thought it might end up a little too brightly Ceylon-forward a la Red-Tailed Hawk for me to consider drinking regularly. But the balance of smooth deep Assam and bright coppery Ceylon is really good here, makes a splendid first-thing-with-food tea, flavorful and bold but smooth, just bright enough to wake you up and cut the greasy starch in your pancakes, and interesting thanks mostly to the depth in the sweet Keemun and malty Assam but not so complex or busy that you’d feel bad drinking it while still waking up. A+++ would drink again! Reminds me vaguely of The Black Lotus (less complex though), with Ceylon instead of Darjeeling playing the part of the bright sparkly note.

As always with SST blacks, I cut the steep time way down, only 3 minutes compared to their without-fail recommended (hair-raising!) 5. Funny, they’re one of the only tea companies whose directions I always automatically disregard with no reservations or regrets.

Ohmygoodness I forgot to review this!! Had it awhile back but I was on a conference call… and then had to dash out the door. Sorry TeaBrat, and after you were nice enough to send me a sample!
Anyhow, I am very particular about my chai and this one did not quite fit into my ideal. I remember trying to figure out why, and I think it was just a mix of spices that don’t appeal to me as much as others. There was a sweet note in there as well, that I found odd. Ginger perhaps?
Milk and a dash of sugar certainly helped of course. Overall, a pleasant cup!

TTB #21

Another tea sample swiped from the Traveling Box! It came in a nice, individually wrapped pyramid bag.

It’s a holy HOLY asparagus in my mouth… No, no, no. Stop that.

It’s a pretty decent vegetal-tasting green. Now, that’s better.

I do like it. It’s definite, categorical flavor. It’s taking names without necessarily kicking ass. Not sure if I would go out of my way to buy it but I would be extremely happy if anyone served it to me.

Thanks for the sample TeaBrat!
I don’t think I’ve ever had a tea quite like this before. Hot, it was so dynamic and complex, and yummy! I coulda sworn there was yerba mate in there but nope it’s myrtle masquerading as mate. Ha!
Anyhow, now that it’s cooled I can really taste the lemon. Interesting. I still prefer it hot though.

I received this tea thanks to the wonderfully generous Scribbles Thank you so much.

I was drinking this at work this morning. I was really quite impressed. Not at all what I was expecting from a Ceylon blend. Light and bright without being too astringent. There was a bit of a fruity note. I really liked it, and this isn’t in my normal favorite flavor profile. If Steven Smith can do this with a Ceylon, what can he do with teas that I really like? May have to pick some others up and check it out. In the meantime, I’m going to enjoy this one.

Another from the generous ifjuly! :)

This was very nice. A good combination of flushes, it was a nice deep golden color and all the good characteristics of a darjeeling while skipping a few of the not so nice ones. It was well balanced, thicker than a first flush but not extremely dry. In fact, not really dry at all but oversteeping could lead to bitterness – there was a faint hint of it in my steep. This one needs to be watched closely, but in my experience, a lot of darjeelings need to be watched closely. They are sometimes sneaky and finicky.

I don’t know that I would replace this one but if I were on the cusp of free shipping I might throw this one in the cart, knowing it would be enjoyed. Or if I ran across it locally on sale I might grab it.

I was just about to watch out of Chapters when I realized they’d started carrying Steven Smith again. Only two blacks, two greens and two herbals, of course. But they had Kandy, which they hadn’t had the last time; I almost walked out with another box of Lord Bergamot too, but decided I didn’t feel like dumping ALL my money on tea and books today.

Hadn’t had this one yet, though it was on my list. I do occasionally like plain Ceylon blends. I still miss Tealicious’ Scottish Delight. This one isn’t quite as strong as that, and and I amused myself while sitting it and thinking that it reminded me more of Murchie’s Uva Highland, before realizing that’s one of the teas listed on the back. Probably a coincidence, because I don’t ACTUALLY have the ability to tell the difference between Ceylon growing regions.

It’s not quite as sharp as some Ceylons can be. Light, but definitely still strong, but sharp, honeyed. Kandy aint a bad name.

Thanks, Sil, for this sample! I kept resteeping this at work today. It has a sweet, full-bodied fruity flavor with a spicy knock in the aftertaste. I could see how this one could get addicting.

yumm spearmint!
yumm lemon!
requesting this tea in a swap with jump62359 was a no brainer.
this bright floral green with a citrus flair is best very hot and any time of the day.
i know i have a few bags of this, but i still just re-steeped the teabag trying to get as much as i can from each taste.
easy peasy lemon squeezey.

A fantastic, sweet green tea! This was very light and definitely brightened my day during the “after-lunch lull”. A definite new favorite!

Peppermint! I am a black tea personal all the way, but this is a wonderfully refreshing tea! If you steep it too long, it is way too strong…

The malt and caramel flavors of this tea were more subtle than I was hoping for.

Brewed loose in a 17 oz porcelain teapot.

I got this sample from one of my Steven Smith orders. Ever since I got the electric tea kettle I have been drinking tea like mad as long as I’m at home. I guess that’s okay, it’s fun to have a new toy to play with, right?

This isn’t much to write home about for me… chamomile is something I drink when I have a stomachache or I can’t sleep but I’ve never been drawn to the flavor of it much. The blend does have a nice flowery taste and a bit of lemon which is nice. As far as herbals go, I guess I am more of a ginger, lemongrass or tulsi type of person but this is nice to wind down with and seems very soothing.

A little too mild for my taste – I would probably enjoy this if I had an upset stomach and couldn’t have a stronger tea and needed the mint. Not an “everyday tea” for me.

WOW! This is a bold and dense black tea! A definite favorite. Tried as a sample in a sachet, I very much look forward to getting this in loose leaf form!

A bold but not too strongly flavored Earl Grey. Not typical, even down to the name. This was a sample, I need to get some loose leaf to try it out.