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Not my favorite example of Golden Monkey, but still very drinkable. The first steep got more chocolatey with each sip as it cooled. The second steep is a bit disappointing , its still smooth, malty, and chocolatey, but its just a muted version of the first steep. I’ll try using more leaf and see if the second steep holds up, this doesn’t seem like overleafing will become a detriment to taste. While this tea is quite good, I might try a taste test beside the SV Tippy Yunnan to see which I prefer more.

This is a fair example of an Assam. A smooth metalic, coppery taste without a lot of bitterness or bite. I may have under leafed this for a morning cup, but I’m not sure it would get very much bolder with more leaf . I don’t mind a bit of an aftertaste in an Assam, so this one seems a bit bland to me. I have been blending tea lately, a scoop of this and a scoop of that in a cup. I might try this with a bit of honeybush next.

I am always looking for a bagged tea to add to my travel stash, it’s just so much easier to brew on the go with a bag. And I try not to sacrifice taste too much. This Chai is very heavy on the clove with a second note of cardamon. I prefer more cinnamon or ginger in my chai, this one just seems a bit harsh and heavy to me. I do like that it is very forgiving, I can throw it in my travel mug and not worry about it getting bitter. I’m not sure that makes up for the overpowering clove, but maybe I should add another flavor teabag to make it more interesting.

Sipdown! Somehow I saved one of these mini tuo cha and I pulled it out of my cupboard a few weeks ago. I wondered if I should gongfu this last bit of tea, but decided on grandpa style brewing in a double walled glass mug to watch the brew darkness level. The first few steeps were harsh and earthy, but as the steeping session went on, a creamy vanilla tea emerged and I remember how good these little tuo chas were when I brewed them in a clay pot. I’ll keep these little creaminess in a cup in mind when I need another shou fix.

Smells like pinesol tastes like limeaid. Don’t really taste the black tea, but I know it’s there as I see the bag expand in size. At least its not bitter, and I think this would actually be a good candidate for grampa style brewing. Maybe throw in a bag of ginger(which typically disappoints as a solo cup). I am always looking for bags that taste good as they travel much easier than loose leaf, but I’m not sure I’d purchase this again. I’ll experiment with iced tea, but as hot tea the lime taste seems decent up front, then lingers into meh as a chemical afterthought. A small dollop of honey makes it a little less aftertasty and more limey.
It’s nice that there’s a best before date on the box as I’m not sure I’ll be drinking this all that fast.

FIrst I must say this tea is quite old, I’m sure it would have tasted better if I had drunk it all long before now. But I do like this tea, and I tend to put tea I like back in the cupboard and ‘save it for later’. Even if this batch is past its prime, I like the roasty hay taste with a sweet nutty finish. Some grassy notes are showing up in the second steep, but on the whole an enjoyable light cup.

The appearance of the long and flat dry leaf is the most interesting thing about this tea. The wet leaf smells like tobacco and camphor, and the brew is golden. The first few steepings were quite light in taste and color, the later steepings start out light and sweet, then end with the tobacco and camphor notes present in the wet leaf. Overall its not unpleasant but not really interesting enough for me to purchase again.

This is actually ‘Seeyok Classic Autumn flush’ according to my package, but this seemed like the most likely place to review it. Also it doesn’t look like Vahdam carries the classic version any longer. It’s about time I started sipping this one down, darjeelings are not a favorite of mine so I tend not to reach for them too often . I don’t think I’ve had a bad darjeeling from Vahdam, and this one is okay. Its nutty to start and floral to end, a rather light cup but still enjoyable. As it cools, its becoming a bit more floral, but not cloying like some darjeelings taste to me. The second steep adds a bit of bitter dark chocolate aftertaste and is less floral. On the whole, its a nice cup of tea, I might add a bit of assam to my next brewing to make it a more interesting blend.

This tea brewed up rather weak the first time I drank it, so this time used double the leaf and it had a lot more taste. The tea can be steeped for 5+ minutes without getting bitter, but I’m not sure steeping longer makes for a better cup. There is definite smokyness here, not sure about the Assam or Yunnan. Sweet, burnt brown sugar lies under the smoky Lapsang Souchong; it reminds me of the top coating on a creme brulee or the sauce in bananas foster. While the caramel taste is interesting, it really doesn’t add much to the tea overall. I wanted to like this tea as it sounds yummy, but even adding honey to the second steeping didn’t change my opinion here. I won’t be drinking this again.

This tea is very interesting, and I’m wondering if I should try blending fennel with some of my other teas that are less than complex. The tea is bright and citrus, but still tart. Its making me think of a favorite apple salsa recipe that uses green apples. I like the salsa with lime tortilla chips, and maybe that’s what this needs, a splash of lime.
For me, this smells better than it tastes, I guess when I use three times the recommended leaf I expect a bit more flavor. Perhaps this taste is a bit too subtle and delicate for me. I’m liking it better as it cools, it seems a bit more balanced, the fennel is more pronounced, and there’s even a slight hint of the black tea base. I have enjoyed all of the sample pack, but I’m not sure I’d purchase this again.