Tea Reviews | It's All About The Leaf

Posts Tagged ‘Medium Brown’

Upon opening the package, you are hit with the most incredible, rich, fresh scent of blood orange that smells it has been freshly squeezed. The dry leaves are thin and wiry with the beautiful red-orange leaves safflower leaves mixed in. I measured out 2 tsp of tea and steeped it in boiling water for 3 minutes as directed on the package.

As the tea is steeping, the scent of the blood orange intensifies but still does not smell artificial. The tea pours to be medium-brown in color with just a hint of orange thrown in. When you take a sip of the tea, you’ll first notice the smooth and flavorful black tea base followed by rich, juicy orange. The orange flavoring is so natural that you will begin to wonder if someone put a small splash of blood orange juice in your black tea while you weren’t looking.

This tea does not need any additives. This is big for me. As a general rule, I add milk and possibly sweetener to just about every black tea but this tea doesn’t need any of that. There is a natural sweetness that makes the tea very enjoyable to drink plain. For my personal enjoyment, this tea receives high marks. It is nice to have a black tea without having to worry about fixing it up before it tastes right.

You can purchase the Blood Orange Black directly from the Drink The Leaf website.

I’ve never had a plain Assam before. The closest I’ve come is the Irish Breakfast by Twinings which is a blend of Ceylon and Assam. I’m always fascinated by the string of letters found in the names of many teas, but I really have no clue what they were supposed to mean for me. I did a bit of research and apparently STGFOP stands for “Special Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe.” Since that still doesn’t tell you much, I continued to peruse the internet looking for more information and from what I have read the letters refer to the leaf size. With STGFOP being the second largest leaf behind the FTGFOP designation.

I expected the dry leaves to be plain black leaves, but there is a fair amount of golden hay colored leaves as well. The scent of the dry tea is earthy and malty. While steeping, the aroma takes on a heavier malty aspect which I love. The brewed tea is a medium-brown in color.

I tried the tea plain at first and was surprised to find a very robust cup with little astringency. The additions of milk and sugar were handled nicely and encouraged the malty aspect of the tea to shine. As the tea cools, a slightly sweet honey flavor creeps in for a pleasant surprise.

This is a great example of what a plain black tea should taste like. Smooth and bold with a bit of sweetness thrown in.

You can purchase the Rani STGFOP 1st Flush 2010 Assam directly from the Lochan Tea website.

Product Description: Real chocolate draws your eye. The scent of exotic spices pulls you closer. By the time you taste this rich and complex black tea, you’ve already fallen in love.

The first time I tried a tea from Talbott Teas was last year and it was their Chocolate Almond Allure and I instantly fell in LOVE.  Not too long ago I was corresponding with Dr. Steven Nakisher from Talbott Teas on Facebook and he ended up sending me a few samples to try and possibly review.  I was so excited!  This was the customer service all other companies should take notes on!  They are so nice to customers and potential customers!  AND they have some really awesome ways to promote their products!  Their website is wonderful and their labels and tins are clean, crisp, and tastefully done!  Overall, Talbott Teas, is probably one of my favorite tea companies!  They seem to have the complete package!

One of the teas that I have tried from them recently is their Cocoa Cardamom Seduction.  I must say I was ‘taken’ by the name… does that mean “Mission Accomplished?” Perhaps.

The first cup I had of this I could clearly see ALL described ingredients! I couldn’t stop sniffing it!!! It was an AWESOME Chocolate Peanut Butter type smell.

The first sip I really did notice the cardamom but I think that was the idea of the whole thing, right!?  I continued to sip and certainly picked up on both the Almond and the Cocoa.  The cinnamon and cardamom pair together as they should and the pairing jumps up in front of the line but the Chocolate/Almond taste isn’t fair behind. The color of the tea liquid is a light-medium brown.

Now… the 2nd time I tried this tea… I purposely chose the loose leaf with less cardamom in it to see if there was a difference and there absolutely was! LOVELY! I enjoy it both ways, but now I LOVE the fact I can taste the difference with ease based on how much cardamom I choose to add or not add for my liking or tastes based on my mood!

So far… my favorite Talbott Tea is the Chocolate Almond Allure but this Cocoa Cardamom Seduction is a near second.

You can purchase the Cocoa Cardamom Seduction directly from the Talbott Teas website.