Tealuxe

All throughout Shakespeare I was craving this. I had a cup of Golden Monkey, and this is absolutely the opposite. Smooth and sweet and scented and buttery… ohhh I’m in tea heaven right now.

Smells more strawberry than it tastes. Very broken. Still, sencha is silky smooth and sweet, and the strawberry provides a nice compliment to the “buttergrass” flavor. Pale yellowgreen liquor.

Eh. This is decent. I wanted a morning tea, and when I think “morning tea,” it’s not a straight black. I want something with a little flavor. Best with sweetener (I use agave) and a little milk.

I don’t really get the Earl Grey in here. It’s a bit perfumey, especially in the smell, but when brewed with milk it tastes sort of like any other perfumey black blend. It’s good, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t get anything specifically bergamot or jasmine in it.

Absolutely delicious. It smells like butter cream frosting and tastes like everything that is good in the world.

Out of the 4 blends I bought at Tealuxe in Cambridge, MA last sprig, this one has to be my favorite. It’s a nice blend of fruits, and a balance of sweet and tart.

I don’t know why I got this tea. I picked it up the last time I was at home, but it took me about a month to get around to trying it.

It’s good. Oh, it’s good.

The leaves smell kind of musty, like opening up an old book. It actually kind of smells like a library, in a way.

It’s so smooth. I poured the water over the leaves, and as it passed through the strainer it immediately turned gold. I worried a bit – was it going to get too strong? My morning teas usually end up with about a 7 minute steep because I brew them on my way to class.

It wasn’t astringent at all. It wasn’t even overly malty, which can turn my stomach if I’ve not eaten anything. It was strong, but really, really smooth.

After that class, I filled the mug up with hot water. I wanted to resteep the leaves, but I didn’t feel much like drinking it during my next class. So I left it there, and let it steep until lunch (~3 hours). I know that the water I resteeped it with was less than boiling, maybe 180 or so.

And it wasn’t astringent at all. In fact, there was a beautiful sort of honeyed sweetness that came out of that.

I really regret only getting 25g. The next time I’m in Boston with Boy, I’ll make him stop in so I can get some :)

Nom noms. Deep and rich and hearty.

I’ve spent all night touching up the photos of my school’s winter show, and they’re finally up! :)
http://on.fb.me/15I7CKr

(this post more an advertisement than an actual tasting note XD)

Strong, full-bodied cup. Really good cold-brewed. You can’t go wrong with the IB :)

I stopped in at Tealuxe and puzzled over their tea menu for a while before this one was suggested to me. I was so happy to see that they had a coconut pouchong! I want to try as many as I can get my hands on. So, I got a cup to go and 50 g. It smells, predictably, divine. It’s also tasty, but I find it tends to brew up bitter so I have to be careful with it. It’s delicious but I don’t think it really stands out from the pack, so I think Tealish is still my pick for a good balance of quality, accessibility, and price.

Tealuxe’s tea room and sitting area were lovely, just for the record!

LOVE THIS. It’s refreshing – like an herbal lemonade, but you definitely feel that distinct zing from the ginger! It smells like a melted lemon drop candy and would probably taste great iced and with honey. However, I enjoyed this hot with no sugar. Absolutely divine.

Agreed with previous notes about bergamot in this particular tea, it really does shine through. Brisk but smooth in flavors and somewhat (surprisingly so!) fruity, I enjoy that this tea is so drinkable and yummy yet not overly complex. A solid tea for pretty much any time you’re hankering for a quick cup.

This is one of my favorite teas.

It’s bright and slightly citrusy and the floral notes all balance each other out very well.

This is my favorite of all the EGs I’ve tried! The flavor is smooth, creamy and only slightly acidic. The bergamot is a little sweet and full of citrus fullness and blends with the creamy tea flavor perfectly for me. I love it plain in water, I love it with creamy plain soymilk, I love the smell of it in the tin. Beautiful from beginning to end, in a to-go cup or fancy tea cup.

Found this in the back corner of my parent’s pantry. Not sure how old it is so I’ll try to review it with a grain or pound of salt. Its a pretty basic Ceylon with some kind of dried cherry pieces but sadly it does not taste like cherry. Its more like cherry Robitussin that’s been forgotten in the bathroom. I rarely like flavored teas due to the unpredictability of flavorings. Once again this could have been amazing when it was fresh, but then again it is a black tea and shouldn’t age too much. I’ll put it back in the corner of the pantry and it will probably be forgotten for a while.

I think this one works pretty well both unsweetened and sweetened. Not too strong, and great smelling. It was a present from my little sister when she went to Boston.

They market this as ‘Birthday Cake Tea’, and that’s not far off. A bit of milk, a bit of good honey, and a good book are all you need to enjoy this one. Definitely my favorite Earl Grey.

This s the first pot I tried while I was there. I was looking for a lighter, sort of malty black tea to accompany my Dostoevsky, and not having tried any of Tealuxe’s teas before, I took a guess on this one.

It wasn’t bad, per se, but I don’t think it was prepared properly. It was far too astringent for me, and I think that was due either to a longer steep time than necessary or too many leaves in the pot. They provided me with a timer, but I didn’t ask how long it steeped for, and I neglected to taste the tea as it was brewing. I also didn’t see the milk counter until it was too late.

Not to say this is a bad tea, just a bit too astringent for my taste. I may try it again in the future, but I think for now I’m going to explore some of their other offerings!

Starting off, sorry for the huge mass of backlogs coming up. I’m currently without a computer – or, I have a computer, but I have no idea where the charger is, seeing as I can’t find it anywhere in the bags and boxes currently sitting out in the garage. If this is what I bring home from college, I’m a bit frightened for when I ACTUALLY move into a house or something. All the stuff!

So anyway, I’ve been sitting on my copy of The Idiot for awhile now, and I really have to start reading it, because I’m coauthoring a stage adaptation of it, and, well, there’s a lot of work to be done. I wasn’t getting anything done at home, so I took a trip into Harvard Square – been meaning to give Tealuxe a try for awhile now.

Anyway. On to the tea. This was actually the second pot I had, since I was unsatisfied with the first (and because the pots are tiny). I really like how it’s just a little more grassy than some of the other Dragonwells I’ve had, while still retaining the sweetness. I wanted to ask for more water to try a second steep, but I didn’t see a bathroom anywhere…so maybe next time :)

Tried this with honey & milk… and realized it tasted just like Fruit Loops! :-)