Upton Tea Imports

Richly fragranced reddish liquor. Strong tea taste but not bitter. It is nice, but there are black teas I like better.

The brewed tea is a pretty yellow color. This is the first green tea that I’ve actually perfectly followed the directions regarding both time and temperature while brewing. The flavor is mild and sweet. There is a slightly nutty fragrance mixed with something else, something slightly weedy. It smells the way dry flower-filled fields in Colorado smell.

The smell of apricots wafts from the tea lazily like fragrant blossoms on a summer afternoon. It is gently flavored and quite nice. The underlying tea is a good quality tea with no bitterness. It is decaf, but flavorful. Underneath the apricot scent the tea has a slight floweriness, like a Darjeeling. Good for before bed. The sweetness of the tea would be enhanced by adding a small pastry.

Full-bodied, mouth-filling, smooth. A piquant nip at the start quickly gives way to gingery notes over a caramel base. The finish is both sweet and slightly astringent. My second choice to accompany dark chocolate, the first being a Darjeeling.

I tried this as a sample tea, when last I ordered from Upton. Now the sample is almost gone. Time to order in a larger quantity.

This is the last few leaves in this sampler. It has a delightful jasmine scent and flavor, like being surrounded by flowers.

Very nice. The white tea is present and not overpowered by the Jasmine. The jasmine fragrance itself is very fine with subtle floral nuances. I accidentally over-steeped it and it was still lovely.

Rich vegetal flavor. First steep was quite sweet and mouth-watering. Second steep was less sweet, more piquant with floral notes.

Years ago I used to sit in a sushi restaurant, eating small morsels, writing, and drinking mug after mug of bancha tea. This bancha is similar to that long-ago brew. It brews up with a lovely red tan liquor. The roast is not as powerful as the bancha I used to drink, but the flavor and fragrance are more complex. The tea retains a bit of vegetal taste in addition to the comforting roasted flavor. Nice.

There is a strong cherry fragrance that is slightly artificial but it is primarily a fragrance and not a taste. The tea is nice without much vegetal taste.

It is very nice once it has cooled and would make a good iced tea.

A nice tea with a wine-like scent, nice flavor, and very little bitterness. It is a slow-sipper. It would probably go very well with a croissant or toast and pleasant company. It has very little complexity or drama. It is comfortable, like sitting down with an old friend.

Refreshing and clean. The perfect thing to curl up in bed with a book with.

I’m continuing with my tea drinking instead of food to prepare myself for an evening of riotous pleasure. Chai Agni is perfect since it is decaf, which means that I won’t be up all night if I have it late. I wish I could find more decaf teas (not rooibos or honeybush) that tasted as good. It is, of course, delicious and warming with its lovely peppers, spices, and chocolate notes.

It must get dull to see me drink chai agni night after night. It really feels like the perfect evening quaff to me, though. It is warming, sweet, dark, and homey.

Remember when I said that the Chai Agni was a bit disappointing since it didn’t have enough heat and spice? Well that was apparently due to the sample. Perhaps it didn’t come with enough chilis. I ordered a full sized tin of it and the chilis are warming the cup quite nicely. It is a wonderful chai that balances the various spices perfectly. I can see that this will become one of my favorites.

I’m pouting over something cruel someone said to my beloved. Chai Agni is helping me sulk in comfort. It is a very warming tea.

It’s a nice, warming chai and it goes well with the Vegetables and Seitan in Indian Tamarind Curry Sauce we’re having tonight.

I must admit I’m disappointed. I expected more flavor and a sharp bite from the peppers. Perhaps I need to steep it longer. Don’t get me wrong, I like it and I need a good decaf for evenings. I will probably order more of it, but it could be so much more. I will have to try a longer, more intense steep next time.

Welcome back to my cup, sweet Bohea. We’ve been too long apart. I’d forgotten your raisin sweetness, your handsome golden tipped leaves and your pretty copper liquor. Let’s just sit here for a while and get re-acquainted.

This is one of my very favorite teas and this morning it didn’t disappoint. I love its rich cocoa flavor, its refusal to turn bitter, its willingness to comfort as it energizes me in the morning.

My beloved and I are both tired and achy this morning (hopefully we didn’t catch something in Chicago) so I had this nice mellow black tea to wake me gently and persuade me to get on with the day.

I love this tea. I drank a few cups today and was pleased to note that the second steeping was also quite nice. The leaves are also pretty both wet and dry.

It is my second experience with this tea and I’m struck by how ordinary the dry leaves smell and even the brewed tea smells ordinary. But then I taste it and it is out of this world. I brewed it stronger this morning and that gave it a little bite to go with the buttery smoothness. Mmmm.

What an incredible tea! As advertised, it has a lovely buttery flavor and no bitterness. There is a flowery note that is very similar to a Darjeeling. It claims to have smoky nuances and I can smell that in the dry leaves (which are truly beautiful with the little golden swirls) but it disappears once the tea is brewed.

This is going on my have to have list. It is one of those, “I didn’t know tea could taste like that!” teas

Second Steeping: It is still good (though weaker) in the second steeping and still no bitterness even though I had to steep it longer. It takes on a slight caramel taste in the second steeping.