Upton Tea Imports

I felt a keen need for a cocoa-infused chai this morning and this is a glorious one. It is sweet, spicy, and dark with a strong taste of chocolate.

I’m tired and achy so this tea is perfect comfort tea.

Another soothing cup of my favorite chai blend. It looks like I will soon be out of it. I’ve learned that when I experience a pang of fear at the thought of running out of a particular tea, that means the tea is one of my favorites.

I know. Today was supposed to be Oolong Day. I was supposed to sit and experiment with steep times and temperatures of the various oolong teas. It was supposed to be a sophisticated, elegant day. I’d even though of planning our trip to the Art Institute of Chicago as I sipped.

What happened? We decided that today would be a good day for a hike and geocaching adventure through a swamp. That’s what happened. My beloved said, “Don’t worry. It’s been cold enough to kill off the mosquitos. Besides, it’s mid-October there won’t be any mosquitos.”

No mosquitos, hah! I am covered from head to toe in little itchy bites. I don’t want to appreciate my tea while reviewing artistic possibilities. I want my tea to appreciate and love me. If it could kiss my mosquito bites and make them better, that would be ideal.

It is worth it. It smells warm, creamy, spicy, and sweet. It smells like it wants my mosquito bites kissed. Made this way the cardamon comes into its own with a sweet fruity smell. The cinnamon makes it taste like a cookie, the perfect emotional salve. And the taste? Divine! Each layer of cocoa, cardamon, tea, and cinnamon takes over my palate briefly revealing depths within and then retreats for the next flavor star.

I’m drinking the last of my Mélange de Chamonix. Fortunately I’ve ordered more. I really love the cocoa/tea taste and the delightful smell of cardamon and cinnamon.

I didn’t sleep much last night so I’m hoping that Mélange de Chamonix will awaken me and sooth my distressed mind. I am almost out of the sample I received from Upton Tea Imports and the tightness in my chest when I contemplate living without this lovely tea tells me that I must order a full sized canister very soon. No more dilly dallying!

A very nice blend of spices, cocoa, and tea. I drank it with Silk creamer, which married to its flavors to quite well. This tea has a stronger cocoa taste than I expected, though it does not taste of chocolate. It is full-bodied, but without the sly, sweet, creaminess of chocolate.

The first few sips feature the cardamon and cinnamon most prominently. In subsequent sips the cocoa begins to come into its own and it dominates the taste, though it is a benevolent tyrant that allows the other flavors to add their notes as well.

The tea is black with a whisper of floweriness in the notes that comprise it. But it has a hard time getting a word in edgewise compared to the cocoa.

Since I love cocoa, spices, and tea, I love this one. I will be buying a canister of it very soon.

This is a nice, sharp Ceylon black tea with a strong scent of caramel. It is sweet in the cup, almost like candy. I drink my black teas with Silk Creamer and this one complements the Silk extremely well.

Like all Ceylon blacks I’ve had, it has a bit of tannin to the tongue, but it is not objectionable. That dryness is a welcome addition to the sweet. I can’t see drinking this over and over. I think it would become cloying in time but it would be particularly good when craving sweets in the afternoon.

Probably the most robust tea I have had the pleasure of drinking. You want strong and flavorful ? You’ve got it with this one.

Shorter seeping time to gain more of the citrus notes.

Assam is one of those teas that you can drink anytime. It always gives a smooth finish. Very enjoyable

I like this tea especially on a chilly, “ugly,” overcast or rainy afternoon. It is a nice, strong, tea to sip in front of a fire. The “Sunday” blend with vanilla is also quite nice.

It actually took me a few tries before I was sure that I did like the tea. It is best prepared when you want something light; it is not, therefore, a good tea for breakfast or with a heavy-with-flavor meal.

Quite possibly my favorite tea.

I cannot say enough good things about Upton Tea imports. Huge selection, and extremely reasonable prices. Generally much lower (in my experience) than Peet’s, Teavana, etc.

The leaves look a bit like coarsely ground coffee, and as such they can hold up to scalding water and long steeping without leaving a bitter aftertaste. A superb alternative to standard breakfast teas.

The delicate scent and taste of the rose petals enhance, rather than mask, the taste of the tea itself. Can be saved for special occasions, but easy enough to drink on a daily basis.

One of my personal favorites – very delicate, and slightly sweet. Almost straddles the gap (cup?) between budset white teas and greens. Upton often carries both this version, which is grown in the PRC, and also Taiwanese teas in the same style (which are cheaper, and typically good, if not quite as good by my standards).

Supposedly even better for us than red rooibos, this unoxidized version is mild-tasting and faintly grassy. I like it, but I prefer red rooibos, all in all.

Delicious stuff – quite a bit like a white, but subtly different. Rare primarily because it requires very special preparation, and number of tea masters who have the skill is dwindling.

This was Chairman Mao’s favorite tea, allegedly.

I don’t generally like flavored teas, but I’ll make a small exception for this one. The base tea is undistinguished, but the osmanthus would overwhelm anything it was paired with anyhow. It makes me think of the huge osmanthus in Portland’s Classical Chinese Garden, which is so fragrant when it blooms that it scents the whole neighborhood.

Nice black tea base with strong tropical fruit flavors. Great when iced and mixed with Upton’s Mango Indica.