Upton Tea Imports

From Wednesday, this tea is larger in appearance than the Palkum tips, it also had a stronger aroma and was more shimmering when I rinsed the leaves, if that counts for anything. Two competing flavors on the first steep were a mild cocoa and melon, more specifically honeydew and cucumber. This however was not chocolate dipped honeydew. Second steep was a bit more herbaceous, can’t pin point the herb but there was also some hay and asparagus (like really fresh crisp asparagus, not overcooked soggy limp spears my parents used to over steam, which turned me off of asparagus until quite recently) but the melon stands its ground as well with cocoa undertones fading away in the third infusion. An enjoyable enough white, but special? Not to me.

Got this one from Tommy the Toad in a swap. The first time I had it, my water wasn’t hot enough so the leaves didn’t quite unfurl as much as they should have. But I noticed them sort of doing the same thing this time? It was a good, smooth tea, but it didn’t really have much of a character.

Meh. This did not impress me much. I had two or three sessions and now it’s gone and I don’t even remember much about it. Not melony as that’s what stood out about the white I drank immediately after this. I think it was vaguely sweet with a bit of spice in later steeps. And the tips were very very tiny, but not broken as far as I could tell.

I’m pretty sure drinking an old Darjeeling is a dumb thing to do. I thought I got these recently until I realized a) March was last month and b) it’s not 2012.

Oops. I drank another one before and it was alright but not my favorite harvest. Autumnal is second fave, so hopefully this goes better.

It does not taste a thing like my previous note. I get the impression it was average and nothing I really cared for. This time around… It’s SO sweet. Like nut brittle.

It’s also really good cold now, I thought it was going to taste terrible or turn bitter but I guess I did a decent job on protecting this one.

Also I am so excited because being an awesome person on yelp means I am going to the Ritz Carlton tomorrow! Super fancy, one day I would so love to do afternoon tea there.
Also their website gave me that feeling where you’re like wow I want to have a wedding. They have passionfruit filling for cakes! A dark chocolate cake with passionfruit filling, all of a sudden I’m like oh my god I want a wedding cake.

My 300th tasting note! Yay!

So I finally retook the test I missed 2 weeks ago today, and it had a lot to do with Brazil, China, and India, and I found myself really wanting tea in the middle of it. Then I got home and I’m faced with the decision of Chinese or Indian tea. Since I had some kind of jasmine tea ginger ale with lunch (they had a couple other bottled Harney & Sons drinks but this sounded awesome and it was), I went Darjeeling.

I think after this one I only have two more to try from my Upton order, yay. I’m on the fence about tasting everything I haven’t had or finishing what’s there. And now I feel like I’m making poor decisions but this is in the name of 300.

Autumnal Darjeelings are not my favorite I think. They’re good but I prefer just second flush ones. They’re bold and astringent, which I like but I’m not getting much else. Maybe it’s a bit buttery, but mostly it’s just kind of just…tea. I miss that muscatel taste that’s more prevalent in the earlier flushes.

This is nice right now though because it’s way cooler than I thought it was going to be today, so a more hearty tasting Darjeeling works out after all!

This was interesting, I couldn’t resist adding this sample to the cart with my husband’s British blends, as we had learned about the Sacher Torte feud in German class. I had one the Earl Grey Ceylon Select sometime with in the last week and this was definitely more mild. The Darjeeling wasn’t over muscatel, the Celyon not too winey, but it was nice, I felt kinda European drinking it. I tried a second steep and it was very light, but still drinkable.

This is such a well balanced cup, I get a bit of sweet cocoa from the Keemun, there’s a winey buzz from the Darjeeling, but mostly I get the high cider note from the Ceylon that unites the two. I don’t know where I get this cider Ceylon association, but I just finished my second steep and it was like a mulled cider, with just a bit of spice at the end. Going for a third! (Edit: didn’t translate well into a third, or a fourth, :shrug:)

Glad I read the description of the grading before I started commenting, helps me understand why I am looking at darker, more broken leaves. So I’m drinking this the day after Upton’s Pai Mu Dan and to be fair I should have done a 2 and half min steep but I felt like short steeps. When I brewed it up and couldn’t pin point what I was tasting I decided to do a 30 sec steep of Pai Mu Dan and the differences became very clear. Pai Mu Dan is all honeydew on the first steep while Shou Mei is all veg and pine and herb, more sipping back and forth narrows it down to rosemary and sage. Second steeps mellow out both teas a bit but adds a bit of cocoa sweetness to the Shou Mei while the Pai Mu Dan got less sweet and the third steep of Shou Mei is more cocoa and spice while Pai Mu Dan is like over ripe melon. I enjoyed the later steeps of the Shou Mei more than the Pai Mu Dan, even though its supposed to be a lower grade tea. Tomorrow Moonlight, just found out its Yue Guang Bai :)

Revisiting this nearly a month later with longer steeps, which interestingly enough makes the herbaceous notes take a back seat to cocoa and nuttiness on the first steep. It does make sense as I am basically drinking all three of the shorter steeps in one, I find it very interesting.

This is enjoyable. I steeped it for the recommended 3 mins as I have a massive headache and was not feeling the gongfu mojo. As such this review shall be brief and edited over time (I have enough for one or two more samples).

Smell is very familiar, reminding me of the white Darjeeling, but I can’t be sure. Leaves are very unfamiliar, I really only have experience with variations on silver needle so very spring green leaves amongst the buds was most welcome though there are also brown bits and scraggly bits and choppy bits. Smell of brewed leaves and liquor is familiar as well, sweet artichoke, that is probably not at all close to artichoke but it comes to mind. Taste is all nectar and grain though after reading the brief description melon and but certainly fit the bill.

There is something similar to Upton’s Downy White Pekoe Yin Zhen which I did go ahead and finish up western style the other day, that says not quite top quality. Maybe it’s in the floaty bits or the dull brown bits but it translates to the cup and while it’s not poor quality and still enjoyable, I’m not blown away. But I’m cranky right now and am going to withhold rating.

Drinking the last of this nearly a month later: first steep is definitely melon with some herb, second steep is totally green beans, I should know, I’m eating some for lunch ;)

So this is actually from today. Dried leaves smell quite earthy and are smaller, green/grey/browner than the downy white silver needle I’m used to.  Rinsed leaves very winey sour, muscatel but a 20 sec steep renders them less so.  The glass infuser has lots of particles in it that don’t want to settle and pour directly into my bone china cup and only settle once the first cup is drained.

A lot going on taste wise but all of it subtle.  First sip is sweet and that’s nice but it doesn’t last.  There’s a nuttiness and flouriness, like dough.  There is perfume snd some later sour notes that come through more in the second steep which is override very flat and blah which is not to say that it’s flavorless, just nothing bright or deep or exciting, but second steeps tend to be my least favorite.  Still even the first was dry, not what I would call refreshing.

Third infusion leaves smell Darjeeling cup smells sweet, tastes like spicy cardboard, black pepper.  I think I may try a fresh brew as I don’t see how this could get any better.  Might wait to get some spring water though.  Ugh. Must not rate.

I’m new to teas with smoke, so I don’t think I can give this a proper rating yet. This tea is a bit peppery, and it has an aftertaste of smoke. I added milk and sugar, after determining that in no way am I capable of drinking this sort of tea black. It wasn’t bad though – I can see how you could get to like this kind of thing. I will keep trying!

I’ve actually ordered this a couple of times because it has more flavor and substance than most green teas I’ve encountered from China. Delicious chestnut and honey flavor with a barley/malt base.

The sun comes out intermittently and teases us with spring, but when it leaves it feels like March. I’m not sure whether to have a fresh or floral spring tea to remind me that warmer days are coming or a darker black tea to warm my core. I spun the wheel and ended up with the last of this very nice Assam—not too heavy, pleasantly fruity, easy to drink straight any time of the day.

Upton is pretty spot on with their descriptions. This tea has more body than some of the super Assams from Marangi; it’s neat and clean with almost no bitterness. A very satisfying mid-priced everyday Assam.

I’ve come to expect excellence from the Goomtee estate and this selection is a perfect exemplar of a top shelf second flush. It’s clean and dry, and the floral high notes are balanced by a deeper, toastier base. There are not a lot of pyrotechnics here like you might find in some Castleton or Arya teas but I prefer this deep, steady and classic muscatel cup.

I was looking forward to trying this tea, but I was a little bit disappointed. It was fruity, but not very buttery or sweet. I increased the amount of leaf, which helped some, but overall, a rather flat affair. Rarely am I disappointed by an Upton tea.

Every year I look forward to the second flush season with eagerness and trepidation. I’ve always found it a challenge to find that full-bodied, fruity tea that distinguishes itself from the more flowery, delicate first flushes. I’ve had some luck with Thurbo and Castleton, but in the middle price range I don’t think I’ll do better than this selection from the Goomtee Estate. This is definitely not a shy tea or a late bloomer; from the first sip you’re hit with classic Darjeeling flavor in the old school manner. It can turn a tad bitter if it sits too long, but the tea is so delicious, it usually doesn’t sit around too long!

Last tea of the morning and I’m just not impressed. While this is certainly different from English and Irish, possibly more pungent, but still not malty, I’m not really getting the honey notes from the Yunnan and it lacks smoothness. I feel like this needs a rebrew but I’ve had too much caffeine for the morning. Sugar only intensifies the sharpness while cream does smooth it over, I don’t care for it as much as the two Irish blends. Will withhold rating for now.

Edit 2/15/12: really this is just intolerable for me but will not rate due to the fact I haven’t had another Scottish blend and I don’t care much for breakfast teas but I’d take River Shannon or even Bond Street over this any day. So much tannin, bleh! It stands up well to milk but not even that makes me want to drink it. Best thing about this tea is the gorgeous red hue of the straight liquor.

My order of samples from Upton came this morning just in time for breakfast. I ordered mostly white teas but also two Lapsang Souchongs, the much acclaimed Baker Street Afternoon Blend and some breakfast blends for comparison, because for a dollar each why not?

Now I am not really not a breakfast tea person, I don’t drink much black tea in general due to caffeine sensitivity but if I do it is one type of whole leaf tea. So my only point of comparison before this tasting is Teavana’s English Breakfast, their now retired Assam Gold Rain and Celyon from a gift set.

So I brewed this in cast-iron with filtered water at the recommended 212 for 3 mins. The smell was not as strong as I expected and the taste certainly not as malty. This tasted like a nice clean non-China black like you would use for ice tea and I will probably end of let my husband use the rest for that purpose.

I didn’t get much Assam from this (but remember I don’t have a whole lot of experience with Assam) but the high notes I would assume are from the Ceylon, they were very “bright” though probably grounded and mellowed a bit by the Assam. I wouldn’t call this a complex tea but it wasn’t a singular note either.

I decided to try it with some cream and sugar (I’ve honestly never had tea with cream and sugar with the exception of random mate lattes our barista makes at work- Teavana that I only have a sip of) but figured this was part of the experience and would be part of the evaluation. I can see why folks take Assam and blends this way, it was pleasant though I think would have been better with rock sugar (but I was adding it to the cup not the pot). The other teas I sampled (Irish, Scottish and River Shannon) actually took better to the cream, so I think I shall give this to the husband to do what he will.

Its definitely not a bad tea, its neither bitter nor bland, its just not what I look for in hot tea, like the hint of butteryness I got from the River Shannon blend. I am really looking forward to the Baker Street blend tonight though with the husband while we watch Sherlock (new BBC).

Edit to add: made this tea for my husband this morning, his reaction as expected- “it tastes like regular tea” which is not to say he didn’t like it, Teavana does not carry a good “regular tea” for him to make iced, though he loves his now retired Nine Dragon Golden Needle, we have over 2lbs stocked up. He also really like the Baker Street Afternoon blend which I need to revisit and review but first impression is it was quite good bit it didn’t wow me.

Tea of the morning……

Thank you to Amy Oh for this one! I had really been wanting to try this one in my recent quest for a new breakfast tea!

Well, I cannot seem to drink this one without milk! Hello, robust tea! It has a very strong malty flavor, and this one is a bit too strong and brisk for my tastes (I seem to be kind of a wimp when it comes to hearty teas…who knew?) Since I like adding milk to my tea only on occasion, I am pretty sure this is not the breakfast tea for me. However, for those of you who enjoy a good hearty, malty, brisk tea that stands up very well to milk, this is a good one for you to try. I do have some more left and might try a light on leaf cuppa to see how it goes.

Thank you Charles for sending me a sample of this tea. I wanted to comment on it this morning while I was drinking it but my computer at home is acting funny.

I don’t believe I’ve had a Kemmun before. I brewed this in the tetsubin which I am using for mostly black tea these days. I think I erred a little too much on the side of caution and did not add enough leaf. I liked this though. It was a light brown, woody and smooth tea with some smoke in the aftertaste. I’m not a huge fan of smoke but I didn’t mind it here it seemed very unobtrusive. I tried adding soymilk and that was not a good idea, I preferred the taste of it plain.