Upton Tea Imports

Nice black tea base with delicious mango flavor. Great when iced.

I may have a bias because I generally don’t like tisanes, but this particular tisane is so cloying with its over-the-top flavour. I mixed it with a basic black tea to bring down the syrupiness a notch, which generally helps, but the cinnamon in this tea overpowers everything else.

Reasonably strong black tea with pronounced apricot flavor. Great iced, and especially mixed with Upton’s peach tea with flowers.

Basic black tea flavor with a good amount of peach. Superb when iced.

Basic black tea flavor with a good amount of peach. Superb when iced.

Full 5 minute steep in boiling water. The dark liquor is rich in notes of vanilla and caramel. Flavor improves upon cooling. Like mine with little raw sugar or honey.

Water – fresh from city tap, Brita filtered, just off boiling.
Pot – white Chatsford Bone China 2-Cup Teapot
Leaf Quantity – 1 full teaspoon
Steep Time – 4.5 min.
Very good cup with good malty charcater, not fruity. Takes a little mike + raw sugar well to enhance a smooth maltiness in the cup. Keeps well in a covered pot fo up to 90 min.

4 gm tea, 8 oz water 190F, 2-8 min, steeped 5 times. I like this one more than most dark oolongs I’ve sampled. That it’s not too costly is a factor. The flavor is rich and well-integrated. No single one jumps out at me, but the effect is deep and satisfying. It’s going on shopping list; may buy, after tasting one other sample I’ve received.

Resteep 212F water 5 min, covered infuser. Drank this plain, just as the first steep. ‘Plain’ does not apply, though, to the liquor color, aroma and flavor, which are still quite good. And a resteep certainly wasn’t necessary in order to place this extraordinary Yunnan gold at the top of my list of self-drinking blacks.

Big bold dry tea, well twisted whole leaf, brown and gold, spicy sweet aroma. 2 tsp in 10 oz 212F water 5 min, covered infuser. Liquor is slightly hazy amber-brown. Smooth, rich nutty flavor, slight tannin dryness, full-bodied self-drinking. I’ve been seeking black teas with outstanding flavor but still mellow enough that I can enjoy them unsullied by milk or sugar. Happily, this Golden Tip Yunnan fits the description.

A fresh cup of bitter frustration. Out of respect for the complexities of white and oolong teas, I’m willing to check temps with the thermometer. But as demonstrated with this cup, it is guesstimates for the greens, which arguably are less forgiving of poor technique. As I ponder, this oyster of irony emits pearls of wisdom. So far though, I evade them, sensing they do not apply solely to tea.

Resteep with cooler water gave a less flavorful, but smoother, brew. Light yellow liquor, faint sweet aroma, thin mouthfeel. Greens are challenging for me, despite wanting to find some I really enjoy. This one seems barely worth drinking. If that is the most I can say, perhaps this sample will be the last of it.

This Ceylon Green is small curls, not as tight as gunpowder. 10 oz 180F (guesstimated) 3 min as recommended turned out brisker than I wanted. Serious existential question: “Will a green tea ever inspire me to get out the thermometer?”

3rd steep continues some wood & moss, 4th too faded to be satisfying. This tea’s simpler flavor profile (compared to some I’ve had) may be related to the fact that the wet, unfurled leaf lacks reddish edges or spots, being an even dark, glossy green. Good tea but not thrilling.

2nd steep, 4 min with a few leaves still balled up afterwards! Aroma a little less woody and more green, hinting of roasted chestnut. Flavors are smoother and better integrated than in 1st brewing. Fresh, medium bodied liquor carries a subtle sweetness. I’m definitely forming a positive impression.

Dry tea fragrance is very sweet but not floral. This China oolong wasn’t rinsed first, so the initial steep was 5 min, 190F and didn’t fully unfurl the leaves. Liquor is light gold with hint of green and aroma of wood rather than nut. Flavor is wood and moss, not astringent, with a lingering sweet finish.

4th or 5th steep on these leaves. Went off and forgot steeping, but no problem. Light but still complex flavor, somewhat lacking floral notes of first cups. Were I to presume to judge this tea, based on my limited experience with light oolongs, it would get 4 out of 5 stars.

Dry leaf: green tips with whitish fuzz over many, and accumulated in the package, much like white tips.
Aroma: vegetal, slightly sweet, mild.
Liquor: medium-light golden, like a moderate white tea.
Body: medium-full
Flavor: sweet, smooth. Faint vegetal undertones, but very satisfying. Not astringent.

Conclusion: why is this labeled “China Green Tea” when it basically seems like white tips? Distinguished, if anything, by creamy/fuller body.

7g/pot, 3 mins @ 175°F.
Dry leaves: long, dark green-grey withered leaves. Not closely inspected, but didn’t notice fuzzy down noted by some.
Liquor: Pale golden, slightly cloudy.
Aroma: Sweet, moderately vegetal.
Body: Light, but slightly astringent/dry.
Flavor: Slightly sweet, solidly vegetal (roasted?) through the middle. More complex floral finish that mixes with the astringent feel to leave something like a jasmine or osmanthus tea.

A crisp white tea with a gentle taste. Very refreshing.

7.5g @180F. 45 sec pre-rinse. 20oz pot brewed as 2x 10oz infusions of 3 mins each.

Aroma: somewhat vegetal, slightly grassy, sweet undertones
Liquor: golden, slightly cloudy
Body: medium; warm and present mouthfeel, no dryness/astringency
Flavor: smooth, floral

6g/pot for 3 minutes at 175°F.
Aromas: sweet, semi-light honeysuckle.
Liquor: golden, slight pale pinkish cast.
Body: medium. Surprisingly rich for the liquor’s appearance and light aroma. (Much more aroma in the wet leaves.)
Flavor: much less dramatic honeysuckle sweetness than in the aroma. Like white tea. Impressive body and endurance with mild sweetness create a creamy experience. Surprising contrast with the mild/pale-looking liquor.
Dry leaves: darkish brown-green with spots of light khaki down (otherwise smooth and hard).