Ashby's of London
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Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Somehow I don’t think I have any Irish teas? How is that possible… so the last couple days I’ve been majorly soaking the kettle and infusers - meaning microwave tea. Time to get to a few aging teabags. This was from a teabox ages ago, the packaging is just too cute… maybe I didn’t want to drink it because the wrapping was too nice. Now this isn’t a fair review, because I know I’ve had this for ages (also, microwave tea) but I was tasting hardly any cinnamon, maybe only a hint of tartness from “plum”. Somehow if I had to guess, I would have thought this was a mildly vanilla black tea. It was a decent cup. Now the tea kettle is clean and I’ve already brewed up some FRANKENBERRY. Also from another teabox…
Oh, the agony!
For two days in a row now I have forgotten to bring tea into work. I used up all of my loose leaf and keep forgetting to bring more in. So I am relegated to the tea stash of unwanted teas that are sitting in my drawer for this specific occasion. But being two days now, I have used up all the kind of unwanted teas and am now using the really unwanted teas.
This tea is VERY old. Like two jobs ago, 9ish years maybe. I specifically remember buying this tea but I can’t remember why I bought it. I also specifically remember not liking it at all. And I have a memory of spiking it with Splenda but that being a disaster.
So this is all I have and it is better than no tea at all.
This is not as bad as my memory indicated. There is a moderate black base, it is getting bitter now that the cup is almost done. There is a light raspberry taste at the beginning of the sip. It is a cross between artificial raspberry flavour and raspberry leaf. I think the flavour it is quite muted being as old as it is.
It will suffice for now but I am going to the drugstore to see if I can find some somewhat more suitable tea for the unwanted tea drawer.
Preparation
Bought from Julian tea cottage.
Oh yeah! This is the stuff! My first Lapsang Souchong and it’s brilliant. Lovely woodsy, Smokey, tobacco, Whiskey aroma and taste. This has just become a staple in my cupboard and apart of my morning routine. I like everything about this tea; everything.
Preparation
Another teaspoon taken from the HHRound#2 teabox. No blueberries in the dry blend and really no flavor of blueberry to speak of. But the white tea itself is alright. I wouldn’t usually choose to steep up a white tea unless it is something special (like the California Tea House – Melon Yogurt I sipped yesterday). This is okay – maybe too much traveling in the teabox, since someone else could actually notice the blueberry. Hints of cucumber in the first sips. Not terrible but not much to say about it either.
From HHTTB2
Huh… I’m not getting any berry from this. I just get generic sweetness. I thought about adding a little sugar to see if that would bring the berry flavor out, but this tea is pretty sweet on its own. I’d have no problem drinking this if someone gave me a cup, but if we played a guess-the-name-of-this-tea game I’d lose.
Preparation
Tea #37 from HHTTB2
First impressions: There’s a lot of stems in here, and I wish I could see big chunky blueberries. But alas.
The blueberry flavor is mediocre. It’s definitely blueberry, but it’s also just a little floral, bordering on soapy. The base is very faint, but definitely has a pretty typical White Peony type flavor — a little sweet, a little hay.
Definitely drinkable, but not preferable.
Preparation
There hasn’t been much love for this one in previous reviews. Perhaps mine tasted a little better because I was being carolled by a bunch of really talented fifth-graders who came to our offices. I defy you to improve upon the buzz you get when you listen to children sing at Christmas.
The tea. Mostly cinnamon, maybe a little plumminess that has kind of faded away now that it’s cool. But nothing to pitch down the sink.
I went to the mall last night (bathing suit shopping…don’t wanna talk about it, UGH!) and noticed a NEW little locally owned coffee/tea shop with cute tea pots in the window! So of course I had to check it out ;)
Anyway they had a bunch of VERY reasonably priced bulk looseleaf teas so I picked up a couple. I got this one and also a “wellness” herbal blend with chamomile, mint, echinacea and licorice root.
This tea looks like a kinda stemmy white peony tea. The blueberry flavor is not bad! Not miraculous but very drinkable. I’m planning on making this one a regular iced tea staple over the summer since it was so cheap! I’m drinking it hot right now but I think it’d be really good over ice :)
Wow! I really got a hit of cinnamon with this one, plum less so, and actual tea even less so. I like cinnamon, but I also like tea so I’m a bit split on this rating. When I purchased this tea, I was in a cute little tea room and bought the individual bag, which didn’t have the ingredients listed. As I was drinking it, I thought it was a tisane (herbal). Really no taste of the black tea at all. Drink it again for the spices though.
Preparation
Thanks Josie Jade for this tea!!!
This tastes delish! After steeping is smells delightful and the raspberry isn’t a major player…just really light. Then after having it sit awhile (while I was making deliveries around the hospital) I came back and the pomegranete flavor came through…kinda tart but really good. I want more!
A good solid darjeeling. I need to look up how much these cost, because it’s a pretty nice no-nonsense tea.
I find with some Darjeeling that it is too bitter without milk and yet so weak that the flavour gets drowned by any milk you add. This tea seems to get a compromise so that it works with OR without milk, amazing!
It’s actually an excellent Earl Grey, especially considering it comes out of an ordinary-looking teabag. I’ve had it sat around for a few weeks because I wasn’t expecting much from it.
It’s a nice fruity Early Grey, without the tendency of some Earl Greys to have a hint of dishwater in the flavour. If anything, the bergamot flavour dominates a little too much, but I don’t mind that when it’s fruity like this. It’s quite warming and gives you a cosy feeling inside
yeah. shesteeps was practically right on. the teabag itself before steeping smells fragrant and delicious, but after a few minutes, the tea simply tasted bland. i’d say there are equal parts cinnamon and plum, but neither stand out in the least. the flavoring is far from overpowering, closer to water if you ask me
Preparation
I just recently had Twinings’ English Breakfast tea and I found it much richer and more savory than this one. I don’t know exactly how to describe it. It just wasn’t as good. Unless I make a cup of each, though, it’s a bit hard to compare them.
Ooh, Frankenberry. I chanced on that into my recent 52teas bin foray, but didn’t pull it out. That will be April’s task, haha.
For whatever reason, I didn’t even think about drinking Irish teas. This in spite of having pulled out one a few days ago, by chance. Maybe I’ll pick that one to brew up if I make more tea tonight, which is not likely, it’s almost 1am.
Frankenberry is old but still delicious! I forgot how I once would steep the older 52Teas at one minute for the first steep… somehow one minute results in much more flavor than I’d expect. I should remember this for more of my flavored teas.