Upton Tea Imports

I don’t usually drink my black teas in the evening, but today I made an exception. I hadn’t had any caffeine since breakfast and was really looking forward to a satisfying cup when I got home from work. I chose this reliable tea, and it didn’t disappoint.

This tea seems “just right” on so many occasions. Sometimes it replaces my usual Assam at breakfast, and it’s often my first choice for afternoon tea. It has both strength and clarity of flavor. As Upton’s notes say, it’s like an unsmoky Keemun, which I have come to recognize is my favorite kind.

I like this tea. I would describe it as a mellow chai, not lots of cinnamon and not lots of cardamon flavor but really nice. I only purchased a sample of this but I think I would be willing to purchase a tin.

This is still not my “perfect chocolate” tea – maybe Florence will be the one?

I took a better look at the leaves this time – it’s and interesting mix of broken black leaves and golden tips. I love the color of the liqueur, a really vibrant red. The taste isn’t wowing me this time though; the malty baked assam flavor is trending a little bit towards… sawdust. Sadly :( Even with a generous dollop of milk it’s drying my tongue out a bit. I have enough left in the sample for another cup or two though, so I’ll have to play with the steeping parameters (less leaf, maybe?) and see if it was my fault.

Got a sample of this from JacquelineM, like everyone else it seems :) This is a good breakfast blend: strong, dark (nice dark red color in the cup), takes milk well. There’s a bit of a chocolate-y aftertaste, and it’s fairly smooth relative to the strength, but I do like it better with a little milk. Without, there’s a bit of a harsh bite, though that could probably be avoided through steeping conditions. As is, this is just right for a kick in the morning, and I may be buying more when the sample’s gone.

This is a very nice tea with citrus notes. It has no bitterness that I can find and only a slight astringency. The tea has plenty of tips in it. While this is not a brisk robust tea, it would make a very nice afternoon tea.

This is a smooth, mellow, aromatic tea. The smell is like sugary raisin and sweet smelling. I don’t get any bitterness and only light astringency. Lots of tips in this tea.

This is a very nice tea whose flavor reminds me a little of Lifeboat Tea. Its much more refined as it is whole leaf and has nice citrus notes. You can even smell it in the dry tea. The tea has a nice flavor and a mellow taste. Lifeboat would be considered harsh compared to this tea. Very light astringency and just a touch of bitterness on the back of the tongue.
Easy to drink and I like it.

I logged this one pretty early on and have learned more about teas since then so I thought I’d log it again. I have gone from loving this tea, to being disappointed after discovering pure Lapsang and craving that, to appreciating this tea again. I’ve begun tasting the different dimensions of this tea. The Lapsang is pretty easy to pull out but the Darjeeling and Keemun are there too. For the last two, I can detect 2 other teas presence but right now I’m still unable to definitely say “yes, that it the Darjeeling or Yes, that is the Keemun”. I did want to note a discovery I had with this tea. It seems to be possible, depending on the steeping process, to make one of the teas come out more strongly. A couple days ago I brewed this and was impatient so used water a touch under boiling and brewed for 2 minutes. The Lapsang was stronger. Today I used boiling water and brewed about 3 minutes (I was busy when the timer went off) and one of the others is stronger (still can’t separate them very well yet). I remember always liking this tea better with shorter steeps. I think because the Lapsang came out more. Interesting… I’d really like to learn to differentiate Keemun and Darjeeling better though.

This tea is different today. I’m not sure what I did. It has more of a vegal smell (thankfully that hasn’t appeared too much in the taste…) Hmmm.

I loved this tea from the first time I tried it. There is a distinct smoky quality (especially if not left steeping too long. It’s not the smokiest I’ve tried but rather leaves me feeling relaxed as if I’m sitting next to a fireplace.

This is a really tasty black tea that has a fresh, light taste. Brewed well, it made for a great daily drinker that literally gets gulped down.

OP (Orange Pekoe) teas are pretty much the most basic form of black tea. It is pretty much a medium grade of tea, making it affordable. Upton is charging only $5.20 for 200 grams for this tea. A good deal on a tea that makes a fantastic breakfast tea. There is nothing remarkable about this, but at the same time it manages to satisfy in a way that some better teas cannot. There is some special about “normal” teas like this that we find particularly satisfying.

We drank it plain, without milk or sugar and found it very refreshing. Drinking a pot of this was a great way to start the day.

For an inexpensive, everyday tea with a very fresh taste, this one is recommended.

This tea tastes as great as it looks. This tea has chocolate and raisin notes with a slightly peppery finish. The taste is malty and bold. Excellent tea.

After Angrboda’s post I just had to have some Lapsang Souchong. This tea is smoky, smooth, and delicious with sweet undertones.

This tea is smoky, mellow and smooth. Hands down, this is the best Lapsang Souchong I have drank. I love smoky and I have drank quite a few Lapsangs. This one smells like a forest fire and the smell lingers over the kitchen and living room. It has a sweetness under the smoke. This one I will reorder.

This tea looks like green gunpowder tea only black and glossy. It has its own flavor and scent…nutmeg. This is my first tea that had notes of nutmeg in it. Its also in the smell. The tea has a light astringency and a full mouthfeel. No bitterness and smooth, it really has a taste all its own. Not a tea I want to drink all the time, but nice once in a while.

This is a lovely tea. It is light in color but has a full-bodied taste. But not too strong either – this is certainly no Breakfast Blend. There is no bitter tannins at all so milk is not needed. This was included in Upton Tea’s Premium Darjeeling sampler and I would definitely recommend this as a way to compare 1st flush and 2nd flush darjeelings. Of the teas included in the sampler, this was the best…

This tea tasted better this time for me. I let it cool a little and the earthy smell and taste came through. The tea has fruity notes and is mellow and smooth. No bitterness or astringency in my cup. Nice tea

This tea has a slightly sweet taste and is very similar to Keemun. I consider it a mild tea with a little astringency. There is a fruity note to it but I can’t place it. The tea leaves my mouth dry after drinking. I received a lot of samples from Upton Tea but this is not one of my favorites. I will experiment some with the variables and see what I end up with.