TeaGschwendner

This is now my new favorite black tea! I have struggled for awhile to find a black tea that I can enjoy alongside other tasting. Unfortunately, my search has only yielded a few results (one being the South Indian Parkside). However, this tea can now be added to that category. It is a rich and smooth black that fills the mouth but does not overpower the taste buds nor linger too strongly. It is have a light tartness to it that is reminiscent to some citrus notes I normally encounter an Assam teas, but this is distinctly brighter. I definitely recommend this tea and will be having it often. A breakfast tea perhaps?

Also, if you might have any other suggestions for black teas that fit the description above, please let me know!

This is a lovely tea! If you like the idea of sweet strawberry with a bite you should try this one.
The strawberry taste is rich, sweet, and very authentic. The aroma is fully fruity and redolent of a strawberry grove in full season. The pepper comes out as a robust and pleasingly biting counterpoint to the sweetness of the tea.

I’m sure it could sustain milk and sugar but I did not need any.

I was disappointed in this tea to be quite frank. It is not bad by any means, but for me, I was not to fond. For me, the black tea was too mild and it could have used more robustness to pull me in. I think there are times in which I will be able to enjoy this tea; however, it will not be a regular staple for me. Overall consensus: some people will love this tea and instantly fall in love, but for the tea purist, it may take little while for you to appreciate.

Addendum: photos (http://twitpic.com/ri495 http://twitpic.com/ri4rp)

This tea for me is relatively plain. It is not robust in flavor; however, after savoring, this tea began to unfold in complexity (and definitely began to grow on me). As the description says, there is a certain truffle aroma to it. This tea is very low in astringency and briskness. It has a light body and lingers on the palate pleasantly with a certain dampness, as opposed to a dryness you may perceive with an umami type. The liquor is a bright orange and the leaves are tightly rolled with a golden brown color and, after steeping, unfurl to a larger leaf (similar to what I would see in an oolong).

Addendum: photos (http://twitpic.com/rh6qk http://twitpic.com/rhmr4 http://twitpic.com/rhmaj http://twitpic.com/rhn42) and video (http://qik.ly/sS1x)

This tea is harsh for sure, but in a freshly “green” way (as the description gives way to). You get the herbaceous aroma right off the bat on the front of the palate. Shortly followed with a sharp bite on the sides and rear, a heavy briskness, this tea lingers with an intensity that some tea drinkers may not enjoy. A light edge of muscatel flavor is also noticeable. I complimented this tea with a stronger, fuller bodied tea that provides a clean finish (South Indian Parkside http://su.pr/).

Addendum: Photos (http://twitpic.com/rcfxu http://twitpic.com/rcgq8 http://twitpic.com/rcgw7) and videos (http://qik.ly/sJ3W http://qik.ly/sJXv).

I had this tea alongside the Darjeeling Steinthal (http:/su.pr/), another first flush, for the sake of comparison; however, the ended up being very complimentary. This tea is going to give you a nice sharp bite on the front, providing a medium strength briskness while keeping the astringency minimal. Providing a nice clean finish with its full body, the South Indian Parkside helped to cleanse my palate after enjoying the herbaceous briskness of the Steinthal.

Addendum: Photos (http://twitpic.com/rcep7 http://twitpic.com/rcfot http://twitpic.com/rcewx http://twitpic.com/rcf7b) and videos (http://qik.ly/sJ3W http://qik.ly/sJXv).

This fruit tea is fantastic! The bitter almond is pleasantly present on the palate as well as the complimenting tartness. In the background, I definitely detect the apple; however, the raisins are tough to notice (especially on any infusion past the first). Overall, this holiday seasonal tea is a must, good hot and iced, and will compliment many holiday dishes as a post-meal desert.

Addendum: photos (http://twitpic.com/r7r7d http://twitpic.com/r7sm5 http://twitpic.com/r7srp) and video (http://qik.ly/sDhc)

This green tea provides a nice vegetal, grassy briskness right of the cup. As its (pleasant) harshness dissipates, it gently calms into a lingering butter finish. The lemongrass is so faint that it is hardly noticeable. I think it adds to the briskness lightly. Overall, I recommend this tea, giving it a 3.5 tea leaves (out of 5). Simple and enjoyable.

Addendum: photos (http://twitpic.com/qixzf http://twitpic.com/qiy5e http://twitpic.com/qiyc2), video (http://qik.ly/rZIx)

This tea gives a nice dark orange liquor (see picture and video below). Off the nose, I am getting a musky & bitter citrus aroma (the oolong is semi-fermented). This oolong provides a nice medium bodied tea that has a clean finish, lingering little (simply the woodiness of the oolong), and no briskness. It is not too bitter/astringent on the palate either. I am, like the description states, getting notes of leather and smokiness, complimenting the light woody notes on the leaf. Right off the bat, you get subtle notes of a floral orange that aren’t overwhelming at all. They compliment the oolong nicely. This is a superb blend!

Addendum: photo (http://twitpic.com/q9b0r) and video (http://qik.ly/rHxz)

I was brewing this tea the other day and decided to read the label on the bag to pass the time while I was waiting. The description said: “isolated within a pristine tropical rainforest” and it hit me – That’s it! – That’s where this weird musty scent is coming from. I couldn’t quite put my finger on the aroma and flavor before, it reminded me of something swampy in a good sense. Now I think it’s must be how a tropical rainforest smells like – damp wood and ferns.

The most amazing looking tea I’ve seen so far. It has huge brown leaves with bright yellow, green and red mixed in. It reminds me of autumn.

The smell is very unique as well. It’s strong, aromatic, smoky and fresh at the same time. Very hard to describe actually because it’s the first time I encounter tea like that. Again, autumn forest comes to mind. I mentioned it being smoky and yes, it’s a very prominent note but it isn’t Chinese green or Gunpowder smoky, more like Keemun smoky without any sweetness.

The brew is amber in color and has exactly the same aroma as the dry leaf. The flavor is strong, somewhat dry but very refreshing. I can even catch light lemony notes in the background.

I really am impressed with this tea, it doesn’t even get close to any of the whites I tried before and I tried a lot. It’s totally unique and absolutely delicious. I can easily get 4 infusions out of it and they all are very consistent if flavor and color.

The recommended steeping temperature by TeaGschwendner is 160F but I experimented with it for quite a bit and found it to be too low.

This is a GOOD tea. This is one of those really unique blends that should have been put into the classic tea lexicon a long time ago. Imagine how much more sensual and interesting the world would be if the British were drinking this instead of Earl Grey!

The black tea is standard TeaGschwender fare, the same good quality tea they use is most of their flavored blends. There are a lot of chocolate-flavored teas out there, but the American trend is to do it with chocolate pieces…that is: chocolate chips or flakes of a chocolate bar. While that adds a little creaminess, it also adds sugar and milk to the extraction. TG uses cocoa bean giving the extraction a much more pure chocolate flavor without the extras. Because of this, this tea is for real chocolate people. Its not bitter or harsh (but gets that way quick if you steep it too long).

The best part? The chili. If your liquid is still too hot It doesn’t hit you right away. Of course, if you are scalding your tongue with the liquid, the heat from the chili is reduced. Wait a few minutes before you drink it. The chili snaps out at you fairly quick and lingers through the after taste. Great stuff here! The chocolate and chili compliment each other fantastic way.

This is not a weak or mild flavored tea at all, this one is strong and satisfying. For a tea time that almost qualifies as a meal, drink this tea along with one of the great chili-chocolate bars that have been popular in recent years.

Tea Gschwender has some of the best and most detailed brewing instructions in the industry. Each tea has its own recommendations – this comes as a result of the enormous amount of testing the company does in their labs. This company is a favorite of the Leafbox staff because of this, we’ve found no other company that prepares and tests their products as thoroughly as TG does.

This tea should become a staple for chocolate and chili lovers. Keep this one handy for those mornings when something exotic is needed.

This black tea I’s good with a great pineapple taste with a slight mango taste.

This is my first time having the Genmaicha. After having many Japanese teas, I finally decided to give it a try. The story of how it started reminds me a lot of the legend of the Lapsang Souchong and its origins (they both were never intended to become the worldwide success they are). This is a mild tea with a light body, lingering little on the palate. It’s light enough that the lingering is very hard to tell and dissipates quickly (as it spreads across the palate). The sencha is concealed by the toasted rice; however, not to the point that it’s gone. You miss out on some of the less popular subtleties of the fine Sencha—e.g., briskness—and are able to enjoy a little extra something alongside the roasted rice. At first sip, I thought it was like a toasted piece of thinly sliced whole grain toast. After further savoring, it’s easily distinguishable from that. The Sencha provides a “green” flavor to it, giving you a simple, flat vegetal flavor to round out with the starch. I recommend this tea. It’s a good afternoon snack for sure!

This I’s a pretty good white tea with a bite.

Excellent for the morning. Immediately after waking up, I prepare it quickly. Reviving a very tasty tea.

A deliciously refreshing tea with the fragrance of the tea bushes in the spring. Fine taste with a full mouth feel. Wonderfully umami

Video clip (31 sec): http://qik.com/video/3537887

As I said in the video, this bright first flush Darjeeling provides a bright and slightly unsettling Muscatel edge. However, accompanied with the woody, wet stone aroma, the appeal is great. Complete with all that you would expect, this tea gives a fantastic presentation of sharp edges and deep, subtle roundness, all at once. Notes of light apricot also come forward from the background of the Darjeeling tea as you savor this blend.

This Japanese green tea is pleasantly grassy with creamy, medium weight body that lightly lingers on the top of the palate (cf. umami). Alongside this briny grass-like flavor comes a nuttiness resembling almonds. Adding more complexity to this cup, there is light cut on the back end that is reminiscent of a mellowed, bitter orange citrus (similar to the peel, but not as harsh). Complex in flavor, but simple in it’s description, this tea provides a very good warm cup on a cold day that can help intensify the mind’s introspection and, like any tea, the calmness to approach what you discover (paraphrased from Jason Witt).

This has black tea with carmel pieces. You can see the carmel pieces in the black tea. I steeped I’t up. I smell the black tea and a buttery carmel note. This tastes like a nice black tea with some buttery carmel. This I’s pretty good.

This really tastes like tiramisu.

The chocolate in this was nice. See more on blog.