Azerçay

This tea is just black tea and thyme, and you can really tell. I shared it with someone else, and they were super not a fan. As it cools, the thyme comes out even more. It’s just so savory. Unnecessarily savory. I’m sure this black tea is fine quality, but it’s difficult to tell with the strength of the thyme, which I love in food but really not in tea. We couldn’t finish our cups.

This tea is amazing. Oriental yet down to earth. Very comforting, warming and relaxing. Leafs are beautiful. Big, firm and meaty. Smell like tobacco, raisins, honey, dust. Amazingly found no astringency, no bitterness. Actually this tea is naturally sweet with a raisin aroma.. I recommend it to everyone who wants to try something different than regular Indian/Chinese teas.

This is an interesting tea. I decided to gongfu it solely for my own curiosities. Needless to say, this shouldn’t be gongfu’d. The tea is oddly sweet but rough at the same time. I noticed a lot of bitterness, and an overpowering taste of dust or dirt. This drink was filled with malt and astringent flavors. The aftertaste included an underlying stevia sweetness. I liked the experience, but I didn’t finish the session. I’ll be sure to just western brew this if I ever acquire more.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BAFRyvuTGfp/?taken-by=haveteawilltravel

Here’s Hoping Traveling Teabox Round #3 – Tea #6
I thought I’d give this one a try! The leaves are long and dusty black, kind of folded in on itself. I risked the odd steep suggestions and went with two teaspoons at boiling for ten minutes! It was supposed to be 7-8 min but I accidentally went over. This worked out well. No astringency at all. A lovely black tea – malty, raisiny, bready, sweet. Everything I love in a delicious black tea. The second steep was nice as well. I hope someone else gives this tea a chance.. there is a little left in the box!
Steep #1 // few minutes after boiling // 10 min
Steep #2 // just boiled // 8 min

From the Round 3 Here’s Hoping TTB

I have to admit that the steeping instructions on this one scared me. It calls for 2 tsp. of leaves for a 6 oz. cup, 212 degree water, and a steeping time of 7 – 8 minutes. Yikes. Fortunately, Awkward Soul, who added this tea to the box, posted a nice review of it which allowed me to set my fears aside and steep it according to the instructions. The resulting tea is thick and strong, full of malt and raisin notes. There’s also some astringency but not as much as I was expecting and no bitterness. I’ll definitely resteep the leaves later today as I’m sure they have more to give.

I have to say that I love additions like this to tea boxes! Chances are I would never have had the opportunity to try this tea any other way.

I got this tea from my inlaws, who purchased it while they were on a river cruise through Russia! They had a tour guide find a tea shop and translate to get good loose leaf and this is what they reconmended.

So, this is a black grown in Azerbaijan. The instructions state to steep in 200ml of boiling water for 7 to 8 minutes. It surprisingly did not come out like thick bitter death, but a raisin, honey, malty and coppery flavor with lots of dryness. Very dry!

Overall, it was really cool to try a tea like this (I couldn’t find it for sale on amazon or ebay). It’s too dry for me, but I’ve been putting samples in all the traveling tea boxes I’ve been participating in for others to try.

Full review on my blog, The Oolong Owl http://oolongowl.com/azerchay-black-tea-oolong-owl-tea-review/