Upton Tea Imports
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An absolutely delightful caramel-flavored black tea. This tea has just the right amount of sweetness (it doesn’t taste sugary), and has a distinct caramel flavor, which doesn’t obscure the flavor of the tea itself. I have purchased this tea several times, and continue to keep it on my shopping list.
Fragrance of cloves and a note of apples. It tastes primarily of cloves but there is a sweet mixture of tastes below that strong note of cloves. It is, overall, an average chai. I like it but there are chais I love. This one may improve by being prepared in the traditional way: simmering in milk or by being steeped longer.
A slightly cloudy green-tan liquid with the hypnotic smell of rose petals. Despite its sweetness it has a slight bitterness that is unpleasant. I think the bitterness is actually coming from the rose petals rather than the tea. The tea itself is submerged under the rose petal taste. Not one of my favorites.
It sounded so wonderful in the description but it is disappointing in person. The tea is harsh and, while the spices are fragrant in the bag, their flavor rapidly falls away once the hot water is poured upon the leaves.
It’s a “be brave” day. I’m trying pu-erh again. This time it’s the cute looking little tuo cha nests. I have followed the directions rigorously. I’ve boiled my water to 212 degrees. I rinsed it in boiling water then steeped it for six minutes.
The pu-erh tea is thick and black. It smells of leather and grass with a slight sweetness. I added creamer to it as I do to all of my black teas. It isn’t too bad, which is not to say that it is all that good either. Still, it doesn’t smell or taste like dung, which is my previous pu-erh benchmark. There is a slight saltiness and the leather smell carries through to the taste. It still turns my stomach over, though.
I think this is a pretty definitive test. I am a failure at pu-erh appreciation. Does anyone want the rest of the pu-erh sample?
It took me some time to get used to pu-erh, but now I quite like it. You might want to try something that’s got some other flavor to it – I’m a big fan of Samovar’s Blood Orange Pu-erh, myself.
boiling water is only 212 degrees.
Puerh definately takes getting used to. Try skipping the creamer next time though. What did you brew it in? I prefer making my puerh in a gaiwan so that the steep times are much shorter.
Sometimes the problem with a pu-erh is that is has not aged long enough. Throw it on your shelf and come back to it in 5 years.
No, I’m not kidding!
http://teamasters.blogspot.com/2006/02/what-pu-erh-will-age-well.html
P.S. Good pu-erh will not take getting used to. :)
Ones I’ve tried and would recommend include Rishi’s Green Pu-erh Tuo Cha, Pu- erh Ginger, and their new Pu-erh Vanilla Mint.
Pu erh I have found is def. hit or miss, and once you find one, savor it all you can, you may not be able to find it again!
Thank you all so much for your advice. This latest pu-erh tasted ok, but I had the same problem I do with almost every pu-erh: I drink it and then I throw up. The only one that worked out ok was a pu-erh combined with black tea, cocoa, and spices. My guess is that the quantity of pu-erh was small enough that I didn’t react that way.
If I am to throw the remaining pu-erh on a shelf and come back to it in five years, how should I store it? Does it want to breathe or be sealed up tight?
Thanks for the advice Oh Cha. I may try the Pu-erh Ginger since I currently use ginger tea to settle my stomach. So maybe the combination will work well together.
The fragrance is marvelous, like mulled wine. However, the tea itself is somewhat weak with more tannin than I like. I probably won’t be getting more of this one.
It brews up with a red-black liquor that has a complex fragrance of tea, grass, chocolate and toast. It has a nice sharpness that I don’t mind. I’m not sure whether that is because it is not just sharp but that the sharpness is part of a pleasant package of aromas and flavors or whether I am just in the mood for a sharp tea today. I don’t taste the hints of nutmeg, but it is a very rich tea.
I ran out of Silk Creamer last night so I whipped up my own creamer from raw cashew nuts, coconut milk, soy milk, and a drop of honey. It turned out quite nice. It made a thick soothing cream. The overtones of coconut complement the tea nicely.
VERY aromatic, very tasty, good plain or with honey — all the good cooling volatiles remain in the leaves. Wants a full 2 teaspoons to brew a full-tasting cup. Doesn’t get bitter if left to steep too long, as some peppermint teas do.
2tsp/212F/to taste
