Upton Tea Imports

Tonight, youngest and I shared a tea supper of chicken soup with slices of freshly made buttermilk bread for sopping the broth. I asked her to select the tea, and since she has recently become addicted to the Sherlock Holmes stories, she was eager to have this one. Last time I had it, I said I thought I preferred it with additions. Well, I guess I must be fickle, because tonight I took it plain and we finished the 22 ounce pot in no time!

When my daughter opened the tin, she exclaimed at how much tea there was, knowing this from a swap. Then she paused and said, “Oh, you must have gotten this from DOULTON!” indeed, I got this delightful, delicious tea from Doulton!

My afternoon cup, and very yummy indeed! Nicely smoky, like a favorite grandpa with cherry tobacco in his pipe.

I knew it. I knew it yesterday when I had my first pot. This morning I was going to try something new from the big box o’goodies sent by Doulton, but Baker Street had its hooks in me. I tried to turn away, but like magnet and steel it pulled me over to the kitchen island, away from the other tea. I tried to resist….well, not for long! And it was perfect this morning with my cheese toast and mustard. This is labeled afternoon tea, but just like Queen Catherine, I love it in the morning with milk and sugar. The level of smoke is just right for me. The first time I smelled a dry lapsang I was horrified and said I would NEVER try that. Then I tried one and found it sweet and light, then I tried another…Is this something that escalates over time, and eventually you love more and more smoke in your tea? This is is smokey, but not over the top smokey, though not light on the smoke either. It is just right for when I want smokey tea! Thank you, Doulton! I will spend many a morning tipping my cup to you with the generous portion you sent!

Oh my! Oh my! Doulton’s tea arrived today and I have never seen such a box of tea! It felt like Christmas in July! And since my daughter just left London, and sent me photos of Baker Street and of Speedy’s from the new Sherlock Holmes, I decided this had to be the first tea I try!

Since there was darjeeling in the mix, I decided to go with a slightly shorter steep time. The steeped tea smells sweetly smokey. The smoke is not too strong – definitely smokier than Queen Catherine but not as smokey as Wuyi Shan Lapsang. The tea is sweet and smooth. I took part of it plain, and since youngest and I were having it with grilled cheese I also tried it with milk and sugar. I think I like it best with additions and it was a wonderful complement to the meal. The brightness of the darjeeling is there, with the slightest, and I do mean SLIGHTEST, tingle to the tongue when the tea is plain. This was not noticeable with milk added. I can see how someone could easily crave this tea. It has body and presence. Thank you, thank you, Doulton, for all the excitement that is buzzing in my house today!

Even youngest tried it and liked it fairly well, and she really doesn’t do smokey tea.

I was reminded that I had this sample by LadyLondonderry and her review a few days ago. (Actually, I put it in my cart at the Upton website and read the description…and then I realized I had purchased a sample previously.) I have to say, it was the ‘biscuity’ reference that drew me in.

I am not an avid drinker of straight Ceylon. I am sure I have had it in flavored teas and blends, though. This one is very good. Definitely ‘biscuity’, malty, and very smooth. I like it, but I miss my China blacks with the cocoa notes when drinking an unflavored or unblended tea. It might be a great addition to my stash, though. I think I need one more test….. And I had the famous cheese toast as a side (notice the tea was the ‘main’ course). :D

This was a free sample from Upton! The packet said that it made a good iced tea, so I decided to prepare it as a cold brew to accompany our picnic for our day at Winterthur http://www.winterthur.org/

Delicious and refreshing. Great classic tea flavor. I was surprised how strong it was as a cold brew! I only added a touch of sugar, but I think a little lemon would have also complimented the classic flavors. A great treat.

Upton has several teas that they highlight for being good for iced tea, and I am now going to take closer note of their recommendations! This was excellent!

Thank you, thank you, thank you Organic Ginger Root! I’ve been drinking this tisane non-stop for three days straight. It is the only thing that comforts me during the day when I have a cold (I will admit that my all-natural preferences go right out the door at night. Give me Nyquil, and give me lots of it! If any of you have a good substitute for Nyquil, I’m all ears. I am up all night aching and coughing without it).

I don’t like the way plain water tastes when I’m sick, so drinking cup after cup of this keeps me hydrated. It tastes wonderful (if you’re a ginger fan), keeps me warm, and the honey is so soothing for my cough.

I seem to only drink this tisane if I’m not well in some way — stomach ache, cold — but for those days it’s indispensable.

I prepared this with a little honey and a slice of lemon, and it sparkled! I love it this way. A bit of sweet/tart bitey goodness on a cold night. I now understand why ginger, honey, and lemon is such a classic combination. Delicious.

This tisane was wonderfully comforting last night. I think my cold is actually a flu … sigh. In any event, I felt great relief after having a cup of this with some honey. Warm, and my breathing improved. Good flavor and not “bitey” – I love that it’s organic, too.

Another very much enjoyed tea, all gone! I really enjoyed this slightly tart and green apple-y incarnation of a monkey. It especially reminds me of the summer because I made so much delicious iced tea with it! We are having a strangely warm and sunny January day here on the East Coast, so I thought it appropriate to bid this one adieu as I dream of visiting gardens and having picnics.

I made this hot brewed for our weekly iced tea. Since it’s a Chinese tea that resteeps well, I did 2 steeps of the “double strength” leaves (4 tablespoons tea, 4 cups of water, 4 minutes each steep) and put about 4 tablespoons of organic sugar in the hot tea (easy to remember: 4,4,4,4!). Delicious! The sweetness of the GM makes a lovely iced tea. A nice change of pace from the Earl Grey iced tea we’ve been drinking for most of the summer, and I don’t feel toooooooo bad about using all those leaves when I can do two very flavorful steeps of them.

This is a lovely Golden Monkey. Flavorful and balanced, and I really do taste what the description refers to as “apple skin” – specifically granny smith or another kind of green, tart apple. Second steep very good, a little sweeter and less tart but extremely flavorful.

Delicious, but different than the dulcet honey of Harney’s GM, which remains my Holy Grail (did anyone else hear that this year’s is not as sweet or did I imagine that? Has anyone tasted it since it has come back in stock?)! This is a very close second, and I’m actually quite pleased to have something a little off the beaten track to drink for a few months (I purchased 125g but I tend to drink these Goldens quick!) :)

Nice! This ginger is perfectly spicy – it builds a warmth in your mouth, but it is flavorful and does not spread to your lips and overwhelm you like some other ginger teas I’ve tried. Wonderful with a little honey as a warming evening herbal, and I bet it would do the trick if you had a cold or upset stomach. This is going to be my go-to ginger tea – just pure organic ginger, and no black pepper or other things obscuring that nice ginger flavor!!!!

This was from my latest Upton order, and I have a tale of kind customer service for you! I sent in my order on a form with a check enclosed, and at the last minute decided to throw in a case of small tins for samples, since I was out. I quickly re-added my total and threw the envelope in the mail box!

When I got my order today, it wound up that in my flurry I got my addition wrong, and was short 2.50! They still sent my order (and a free sample!) and just noted on the bottom in the calmest fashion that I had a balance of 2.50. I of course immediately wrote another check – but in this day and age – it seemed so old-fashioned and trusting and lovely (they even took time to thank me for my return business) to still send the order.

I already thought Upton had amazing customer service, and just the fact that they offer 4.4 oz of Rose Congou for a penny over $7 makes my world a better place!!! but they are now held even higher in my esteem!

I love teas that are consistently and predictably good every time. This one is. Still getting the mildly spicy, appley hints alluded to in Upton’s description…and craving a piece of homemade pie.

l like the “hints of apple skin” in the product description … this is light, lip-licking tart, and dry. Not enough left in the cup to ice down, but I bet it’s good cold.

Many thanks to Lady Londonderry for this tea!!!!!

I had a wee bit of this before with Rose Scented, but this morning is the first time I’m tasting its true character.

It’s really nice! Wine-y, a sweetness – I’m getting that pastry cinnamony flavor I get with some teas – but it’s a little thin. I think I was wimpy with the leaves. I also let it brew a little longer than I usually do (5 min) and I’m getting the teeniest bit of astringency.

I need to make this again with a bit more leaves, and stop the steeping at 4 minutes. If I can preserve the pastry notes – mmmm! This would be a super bargain, and it’s organic to boot! I could see this as being a wonderful everyday drinker!

Oh! And before I forget – completely unrelated to tea – I have another guest post at the blog I wrote the Bronte tea post at. This one is about John Adams and…mushrumps!

http://unputdownables.net/2011/06/10/life-liberty-and-the-pursuit-of-mushrumps/

Last time I reviewed this was—good grief—six years ago? How forgetful I am…didn’t think I’d ever tried it. Oh, well, I liked it then and I really like it now, although I’d use a different set of adjectives this time around. Such as crisp and bright and peppery and I need more than a sample size.

This one has such a nice, strong, bright character on its own I believe I made a mistake by adding milk this morning…it didn’t clash, but it toned down all the nice kicky stuff. Ah, well, live and learn.

I love the deep dark Assam taste paired with the brassier Yunnan. Nice match, and the combination is stout enough to take ice really well. Huge improvement over the from-the-tap restaurant tea I had earlier today.

This is smooth and excellent; nice and thick and hefty. I prefer breakfast teas minus milk and sugar, and, straight up, Mincing Lane needs none. I’m not sure if it’s the Yunnan that keeps the Assam from biting too much or the other way around, but in any case, it’s a wonderful morning tea.

A post-storm gift from SimplyJenW that was much appreciated on my new, hopefully very temporary, 40-mile commute. I don’t know if research can confirm that trauma messes with your taste buds, but I’ve been having trouble picking up subtleties in what I’ve been drinking. Can sure tell there’s some Assam in here, which was a real treat.

I am not very good at picking out the flavors of Darjeelings, yet. It may be getting close to time for another round of palate training! I do think the bergamot is light, and there might be a light hint of vanilla. It is good, but not a keeper for me.

Not great, but not terrible. I think I have come to the conclusion that Upton is not my first choice for flavored tea. Hot it was a fine berry tea. It was kind of nice to have both blueberry and strawberry flavors going on. By the time it had cooled enough for iced tea, it had turned slightly bitter. I guess it could have been my brewing.