Tea Reviews | It's All About The Leaf

Posts Tagged ‘Forefront’

East India Tea Company’s Director’s Blend came in a very attractive lavender tea tin with the picture of East India House on the front. The East India Tea Company held auctions in London, a grand tradition that lasted 300 years and controlled the monopoly for the import of tea and other goods from the Indies. The auctions were held at East India House and tea was sold “by the candle” – wherein a candle was lit at the beginning of the sale of each lot, and when an inch of the candle had burnt away, the hammer fell and the sale was ended rather than allowing the bidding to go on for an unlimited length of time.

I was excited to taste this tea as a “director’s blend” usually means higher quality tea. Director’s blends are the tea held back by the tea company for in-house use, saved for the directors and shareholders. This is why they are the best teas to drink.

As this is a director’s blend I wanted to get a true, thorough analysis of it. I originally was just going to review it as a tea drinker, therefore using steep time, temperature, and tea amounts as a tea drinker would. However I did not think this “tea drinker” review did it justice so I also reviewed the tea as a professional tea taster would. A professional tea tasting prepares a typically more concentrated tea, the flaws and qualities of the teas come to the forefront a lot easier and we can get a truer picture of the qualities and characteristics of the tea. This is also the case when milk is added for colour analysis.

Dried leaf of this blend shows orthodox, mixed with very little CTC, good roll and tippiness. The smell of the dried leaf is of malt, and this malty aroma becomes more intense once the leaves are steeped. Where I work, we would make blends for our own consumption using the same components as this director’s blend – Sri Lankan tea for its fragrant taste and aroma, Assam tea for the maltiness and body, and Kenyan tea for the strength. This is the traditional way of making black tea.

Review using a “tea drinker’s” steeping methodology, time and amounts:

This steeps to a very bright, beautiful dark orange to amber clear infusion. Interestingly enough the colour doesn’t carry through with milk added. The milk solution was a light brown, whitish, no reddish colour.

It is not very heavy or full in the mouth, rather it is a little light, could use a little more body. If this was an Assam CTC blend it would have more body rather than an Assam Orthodox. But then again you would not see CTC mixed with Orthodox on the market; it is just that this is a director’s blend so they can put in whatever they want, especially since this is a loose tea. There is some Kenyan CTC in it. At work we also drink our black tea loose mixing Assam Orthodox with Ceylon CTC and Kenyan CTC.

The “tea drinker’s” director’s blend is not very strong after a 3 minute infusion using 13 grams of teas and 1.7L of water. But it is very flavourful. I suspect there is a first flush assam in it on account of the peppery-ness, a high-grown Ceylon which gives it its flavourfulness, and if it weren’t for the description of the blend on the back I would not have guessed that there were Kenyan teas in it just by tasting it.

As it was not very strong, I let the tea steep an extra 2 minutes and now the tea is a bright amber colour and has a golden rim around the teas which was not present before.

Taste is stronger as would be expected but was not bitter even with more extended steeping. I think a four minute total steep would be ideal. I like to steep my black tea longer (maybe even 8 minutes) but I don’t drink it black. I just like the strength to go with the milk I add as it gives a little oomph to this light bodied tea. After I added milk to the 8 minute steep, it tasted interestingly like Hong Kong style milk tea (also known as pantyhose tea “si mut nai cha). Hong Kong style milk tea is usually Ceylon black blend with condensed milk.

Review using a professional tea tasting methodology, time, and amounts

For the professional tea tasting, using a scale I measured out 2.1 grams of tea and steeped it with 150ml of boiling water for 5 minutes. It is malty. From the cupping I found that the tea was a lot stronger, brisk and bold, and had more fullness than in the previous tasting. This tells me that the tea is actually a second flush, not a first flush Assam. Second flush Assam is the best Assam. There should also be high grown Ceylon in it because it is very flavourful and once again I would not have guessed that there was any Kenyan tea so the amount they used was probably not substantial. Steeped infusion is a lot redder than in the previous tasting. With milk added the reddish colour once again becomes more apparent in this tasting than the previous.

Overall as the true qualities of this tea show up in the professional tasting, I think this tea is excellent and of high quality. It is like an English Breakfast but really can be taken anytime of the day. It is fitting that this tea is a director’s blend.

You can purchase the Directors Blend directly from the The East India Company website.

This truly is a momentous day. Not for the fact that I slept in until 3PM. Not for the fact that one of my favorite restaurants brought back their three-dollar burger for happy hour. Nay. Today I finally notched off the last oolong offering from Middle-Earth.  (I mean, New Zealand.)

Zealong teas are a product of the Wakaito region of the li’l Kiwi country. They are prepared in a traditionally Taiwanese fashion – like Ali Shan or Bai Hao oolongs – but differ somewhat in their character due to the lower altitude in which they grow. The Zealong folks produce three types – Pure, Aromatic, and Dark – based upon how heavily roasted they are. I adored the Aromatic, liked (but didn’t love) the Dark, and now it was time to purse lips to the Pure.

The first thing I made note of was how green this oolong was. Sure, I expected it to be greener – given the emphasis placed on how under-roasted it was – but this was the greenest I’d come across yet.  The aroma also differed quite a bit with a loud floral forefront and a forest-like after-whiff. All in all, incredibly welcoming; I would even say it was more “aromatic” than the other Zealong with that badge.

There were no brewing instructions on the Tula Teas site, but that was okay. I didn’t plan on following their approach anyway. I had a customized gongfu-ish method that worked quite well for me. I used a gaiwan, 1 tsp. of leaf-balls,  and 190F water with four steeps – the first two at thirty seconds, the last two at forty.

First infusion (thirty seconds):  The liquor only brewed to a white tea-ish partial yellow. Finding an aroma from the cup was also difficult. I thought there was a floral presence, but I couldn’t be sure.  The flavor came out like a band of ninjas carrying a bouquet of flowers, though.  Shades of milk and syrupy sweetness also came through.

Second infusion (thirty seconds):  The leaves in the gaiwan had unfurled finally. Liquor color echoed this with a somewhat deeper hue. The scent reminded me of bold osthmanthus blossoms with a hint of jasmine. Not sure how, but the flavor took on a grassier profile.  Thankfully, not vegetal.

Third Infusion (forty seconds):  Same liquor color, but this time a mineral nose came to the forefront.  The flavor was incredibly pleasant, though, reminding me of a high-altitude Ti Kwan Yin – slightly roasty but botanical. There was a minor mineral note toward the finish but not unpleasant.

Fourth Infusion (forty seconds): The color faded a bit, but the aroma actually took on a sweet note – something I’d hoped for but didn’t expect. On the flavor front, a melon-noted white tea sensation came through. Again, unexpected but not unwelcome. This was the lightest but perhaps my favorite infusion, highlighting the purity of this offering.

It lasted a good two more infusions before tasting like warm water. Still, quite a strong oolong for one so green – low altitude especially. And while I’ve concluded the “Middle-Earth” tea trilogy, I would gladly re-rea…-er, re-steep these in a heartbeat. Zealong Pure is the “Two Towers” of the Kiwi tea-fecta.

You can purchase the Zealong Pure directly from the Tula Teas website.

Bamboo Shoots from TeaFrog…one thing that NO ONE can take away from this blend is that it is unique.  The first thing I could smell with the dry leaves was a sugary type smell. Once infusing began I could smell the Genmaicha and after the infusion was complete there was a funky smell – almost sour…on the verge of sour milk.  This scent somewhat threw me off – I’m not going to lie. Taste-wise I could taste the Genmaicha first then the peppercorns, then the fruit and then the peppercorns again.  I give TeaFrog an “E” for Effort on this one. It’s not my fave but it’s not bad either. The sour-type smell is freaks out… thank the tea gods it doesn’t taste that way!  I guess moral of the story is… don’t judge a tea by it’s smell.  I found that I didn’t like this one cold but this tea hot isn’t bad.  The spices – Ginger and Cardamom – aren’t really in the forefront but the pepper is noticeable but tends to jump on and off my taste buds so it’s not overly distracting.  I think the Pineapple and Papaya SAVE this tea for me.  As for the Coconut – I couldn’t even really tell it was there, taste-wise.  Like I said… this is a VERY unique blend!

You can purchase the Bamboo Shoots directly from the TeaFrog website.

Hmm, the scent of this dry rooibos is legit. And by legit, I mean it legitimately smells like vanilla. Not fake vanilla like is used in various desserts, but real vanilla. Adding three teaspoons of this tea and steeping it in two cups of water for six minutes, I was left being tantalized by the aromas of vanilla wafting from my teapot as I waited. The tea smells sweet, but not in a fake sweetener way. It is more like the sweetness that comes from plants like mint or various fruits. The liquor is clear, yet a very dark red-brown.

My first cup smells warm. And not just from the hot tea. It just has a warm, and soft, aroma about it. It softly caresses the senses and lingers in the nose. Eagerly, I take my first sip and am immediately surprised by how sweet it tastes. The sweetness is very passive, but it is definitely there, and a quite pleasant surprise. This tea’s mouthfeel is thick and smooth. The flavour of vanilla is, of course, at the forefront. The rooibos, sadly, seems to have taken a backseat in this brew, as it does not show its head much, except in the aftertaste.

The flavours do not change much throughout the rest of the pot. I very much enjoyed drinking this tea. It is good, it is unique, and it is well worth a taste or two. I give it a 77/100 on my personal enjoyment scale.

You can purchase the Vanilla Rooibos directly from the TeaFrog website.

Vendor Description and Ingredients: One of our most flavorful teas. Light fruity grenadine lifts exotic caramel vanilla creating a unique heavenly flavor. Excellent smooth and mellow finish.

Review: I recently received this from a friend.  Apparently she lives near the Tea House where this came from.

The Pre-Infusion/Dry Loose Leaf smell is like Vanilla, Apricot, and a hint of chocolate… which is interesting because I don’t think 2 out of those 3 are even in there! But it smells really nice!  My nose can also pick up on a slight cookie or pastry speck of something, too.

While this loose leaf tea is infusing I can smell a little caramel, a little vanilla, a little grenadine, and of course, a little black tea.  The aroma is quite unique and the more I breath in the scents the more intrigued I am by it.

After infusing the wet leaves smell almost candied.  They also smell a little bit like wood.  The liquid itself certainly hits me as grenadine and black tea.

Organic Monks Sacred Blend by the Path of Tea has a handsome medium-dark brown color to it.

Much of the actual ingredients seem to play nice with each other and there isn’t any one ingredient that seems to be too over the top.  As far as I can taste – the grenadine – is in the forefront a bit more than the other ingredients – but it’s sweet and juicy and a great contribution to the flavor instead of being distracting.

You can purchase the Organic Monks Sacred Blend directly from the The Path of Tea website.