Upton Tea Imports

Tried a 30 second steep after a 30 second rinse because of all the comments about it being strong. Seemed pretty mild to me. Wil try a longer steep for the next cup.

First cup I had put a little milk and honey into. For the second and third cups, I drank it plain after steeping for 45 seconds. The color is still dark, but I have to dash off to work. Taking the other cake with me to sip all day.

The flavor is very mild to me. Slight earthy tones that are pleasant. No bitterness or acidity, so no need for me to have doctored it in the first place.

Thank you to Shmiracles for the two cakes I get to sample!

This BA10 South African Rooibos from Upton Tea Imports is their entry-level rooibos. I’m no connoisseur of this herb, and truth be told, I rarely drink it. However, I found the remnants of a large envelope dating from years ago and thought that I’d brew it up to determine whether or not rooibos goes stale.

Guess not! This tastes as fresh as new rooibos to me! Bright red liquor—just as I remembered it—with a very light flavor of vanilla (not added, but a tasting note).

My order just came in! Decided to brew a cuppa of this Mao Feng and I was completely surprised. I’ve had some Bai Mudan and indulged with Silver Needle in the past but this tea was a first. Mao Feng did not disappoint, the sweet nectar aftertaste is my favorite. I’m sure this is one I’ll be ordering again.

This one came in the vast amounts of samples that MissB shared with me in order to take advantage of already paid for shipping weight when she supplied me with some Sleepytime Vanilla. I gave Husband a choice of two different samples and he chose this one that neither of us knew what was. I don’t speak any French and I think he’s got a little, but it didn’t suffice to translate the name of the blend further than ‘blend of dot-dot-dot’.

Turns out it’s a chai-ish thing with cardamom, cinnamon and cocoa. Probably not super-suitable for this part of the day then. Oh nevermind.

Chai and chai-ish blends are my one concession to the principle that any tea that requires additives in order to shine is not a good tea, because slightly milked is part of the very definition of chai, and so this is how we had it.

To me it tasted mostly like cardamom and with a cardboard-y Assam-y aftertaste. I couldn’t really pick up any cinnamon at all. The cocoa was also evident but in a funny way seemed to attach itself more to the milk than anything else. It felt like a cardamom blend with slightly cocoa-y milk added to it. I would not have thought that it was even possible to have such an experience, but apparently it is.

I thought it was quite nice. A chai light, nearly, since it didn’t have the large selection of spice in it that most chais have. I believe this is part of why it’s difficult for me to be interested in chai. There is too much going on and it sometimes testes like something that should be in food rather than drink. The fact that this had just a couple made it easier for me to fully enjoy it.

Husband is also not super-keen on chai in general, but he reported that he thought this one was very delicious and seemed to be a little disappointed that we only had a sample. He couldn’t put his finger on exactly why this one appealed to him so much though.

I’m thinking it should be worth a try to add a few cardamom pods (we always have some of those) next time I’m steeping an Assam for him and see how he takes to that.

It’s almost 5:00 in the morning. I’ve been awake since 3:30 thinking about the coming months. It’s looking more and more like the school buildings will stay closed and kids will have classes online. I am all for public safety, and if that’s what needs to be done so be it. I’m also exhausted at the thought of working full time (or trying to) and teaching my son full time. The idea of everything that will need to happen is overwhelming, and so I’m doing what so many overwhelmed souls have done for years and years before me, making tea.

Earl Grey is a comfort tea for me. It helps to soothe wounds and smooth away rough edges. This tea in particular has a nice amount of bergamot along with vanilla and lemon. There’s no astringency from the base tea, even with a five minute steep. It still reminds me of lemon pound cake, and that’s not a bad thing in my book.

This is also a sipdown, but this is going back on my wishlist. I have one other Earl Grey to enjoy, but then I’m repurchasing this one. That said, I’m also bumping my rating up (it was an 87). This is a true favorite.

A few sips in and I’m already feeling better.

Also, to any teachers who might read this, thank you. Thank you for doing an already difficult job under impossible circumstances. I appreciate you.

This is my reward to myself for a full day of house cleaning. It’s possible that I’m a wee bit high on bleach fumes, but I’m still enjoying this EG immensely. I like the lemon-y flavor combined with the vanilla and bergamot. It taste like grown up vanilla pudding. I like.

This tea was a HUGE hit at the tea party I hosted on Saturday. Several of the older ladies commented on it, as did one of the five year old girls. She called it, “the bestest”. A few minutes ago one of my closest friends texted asking for the name of the company that sells this, so I’d definitely serve this at future parties.

After my friend’s text I decided to make a cup of this for myself. It really is a nice twist on Earl Grey. I still think it has a lemon pudding flavor to it, but the bergamot is still there. Yum.

Since I still have over 200g of this I think I’ll tell my friend she can have half the bag. Even though I love it, and I’ll definitely drink it, there’s no way I’m going to get through all of this tea before it starts to lose its lovely flavor.

Another tea from this morning. I continue to be a fan of the lemony note added to this Earl Grey. Between the lemon and vanilla notes this comes close to being a dessert tea. It reminds me of lemon pudding with a bergamot-y kick. Yum.

I’m a big fan of both Earl Grey and lemon, and this tea combines the two in a unique and delicious way. The bergamot is present but it’s not super strong which allows the lemon flavor really sparkle and shine. Then, there is the vanilla note which isn’t a flavor as much as a creaminess added to the tea. The result is a lemon custard-y Earl Grey, and I throughly enjoy it.

In fact, I enjoy it enough that I purchased 250g of it over the holidays. Yeah. If you’ve ever been curious about this tea let me know. I have enough to share. :)

Also, bumping my rating up. The previous rating was 82

Love this EGC. There’s a hint of bergamot, but it’s mostly lemon with a smooth creamy note. So, so good.

Although I’m happy to have another sipdown, I’m really sad to see this one go. It’ll definitely make a reappearance in my cabinet!

September Sipdowns: 7

This has become another favorite. I really like the lemon pudding flavor this tea has. It’s light but full of flavor while keeping it’s basic Earl Grey feel. Good stuff. I realized I’m starting to get a set of favorite Earl Greys in my cupboard, and I am very happy with my selection. I have everything from Twinnings Lady Grey, to this lovely, to Zen Tea’s EGC, and I adore each one for different reasons. This tea I like because it has a great EG and lemon flavor. It seems like there are a million lemon flavored teas out there, but most of them are too harsh/bitter for me. This one has a softness and a great creamy note from the vanilla that makes it a winner in my book.

Yay for Earl Greys in all their lovely forms!

I’m liking this Earl Grey more and more. The bergamot is there, but it’s not perfumy. The lemon flavor blends so well with the bergamot. Add the creaminess and the vanilla, and this tea is a winner. Really, what’s not to love about a lemon pudding EG?!

I’ve been organizing my tea stash for most of the morning and early afternoon. My new goal is to drink each tea I have at least once a month. I stole the idea from Terri because it’s brilliant and will (hopefully) keep me out of my tea rut. After finally getting everything the way I want it I decided to celebrate with a cup of Earl Grey.

This EG is good, but it’s different. There is a strong lemon flavor, and the bergamot is fairly weak. The vanilla is present in the form of a creaminess to the tea, so the result is a tea that taste like lemon pudding. While this was not what I was expecting I am really enjoying my cup. Good lemon teas are hard to find, and this one is very nice. Next time I’m going to add a bit of milk to my cup. I’m thinking that will make this even better. Also, iced! Oooh, I’m going to have fun with this tea.

Thanks Dinosara for introducing me to this one!

Tea of the morning….

Another sample from my last tea adventure from Upton. Originally, I was not going to take the time to add it to the database, but then I got further into the cup. Rich and complex taste. Deep. Kind of a coffee drinker’s tea. It does remind me quite a bit of Black Dragon Pearl tea. But with a hint of chocolate and roses. Yes, this one might need to make a home in my stash for a while. More data needed!

Usual mug method.

And the last of the comparisons. The smell is odd – I think that just means that I can now cross off bourbon vanilla from my list of things I might like. I have tried it in several teas now and not really cared for it. The flavor of this is slightly chemical and off to me. Adding sugar and half-and-half to this makes it very desserty and covers the chemical taste, bringing more vanilla to the forefront. But sugar and half-and-half would likely make just about any vanilla tea more desserty. :) Good with the additions but nothing to make me keep this on hand over any other vanilla tea.

The second of the EF samples, this one is definitely maltier but again, not overly so to my taste. It’s certainly smoother and with less bitterness than the BOP version.

Got this sample to try next to two other EFs. This is malty but not overly so, fairly smooth but with a bit of bitterness to the cooling cup. I added some half-and-half to the last portion of the cup and it was good but nothing exceptional.

This is a very nice blend of teas, perfect balance of the keemun. The fresh almost green taste of the darjeeling and the classic honeyness of the ceylon tea. This is a most try for all those that enjoy black tea!

Well, a second tea from the Steepster Select that I haven’t been impressed with. I love the idea of Select, but I think I’m going to wait a little longer until it gets teas more to my taste.

Now on to this tea, I got the mahogany taste, but that was about it, smokey, paprika, leather, almost like the burnt ends from BBQ. Really not what I think of for a single estate tea. I haven’t really had many Indonesian teas that ‘wow’ me, and this is no exception.

Caffeine Free Tea Box

Mmmm this one is like a warm cup of vanilla milk. Very tasty :)

I received this tea in the Tea and Yarn swap over on Ravelry, and I’m so glad I did. This is delicious!

The tea is light with a sweet hay and wood note – I want to say it’s cedar wood, but I don’t think that’s it. The muscatel notes are present from start to finish but are also light. Everything seems to float and blend together with no rough notes or sharp astringency. This is a great afternoon tea.

I’m so glad I can add this one to my cupboard. Good stuff.

Bad MissB, oversteeping a perfectly good chai! This was lovely and wonderful, however 4 minutes is too long – it gets a touch bitter.