English Tea Store

I’d say this tea is a nice, nondescript smooth fruity blend. Sometimes there’s just not much to say. I’ll drink it but I won’t get excited about it.

This is a second tasting note. My first was for the hot preparation. Now I’m taking another step in my iced tea exploration. This time, I didn’t use a SBT but brewed a loose-leaf tea I picked out of my cupboard!

So arctic raspberry is a real winner iced. I didn’t even have to sweeten it as much as I did for the SBTs. I was so proud of myself for making it all on my own and having it work out. I recommend this fresh tasting raspberry tea for any iced tea enthusiast.

I was apprehensive about this one, considering another “flavored” berry tea from the same place seemed to have no flavor beyond the black tea. But the dry leaf smelled pleasantly like raspberry and there were raspberry chunks in the blend, so my hopes were raised a little bit.

Once steeped, this hot tea tastes quite naturally like raspberries. In fact, I almost don’t get the black tea background flavor to it; there’s really no depth. Only until it cools down a bit and I’m halfway through the cup do I get the full flavor of the black tea plus the arctic raspberry. All in all a nice enough cup of tea. I bet an iced tea enthusiast would like this one.

Just got my order in from the English Tea Store, so I’m excited to have so many new teas to review. This morning I tried Angel’s Dream, which is one I was very excited about.

In the package, it smelled strange, like there was this weird artificial odor to it. I think it might have been from the plastic bag it was in, because when I stirred it around, the smell dissipated. When I brewed it, it smelled fine. No obvious scents other than a slight fruitiness.

After I tasted Angel’s Dream, I had to look it up online to see what flavors I was supposed to be getting. Maple? Really? Blackberry I can see, kind of, but to be honest this seems more like a nice, smooth, slightly fruity black tea. It’s closer to an English Breakfast than to a flavored tea to me. I definitely am enjoying it but I wouldn’t seek it out again because I have plenty of fancy plain black teas.

I am on a chocolate kick lately. This tea i received in a swap. It is a nice black tea with a decadent milk chocolate scent. The taste is delicious! There is a little artificial tinge to it but it is mostly chocolate that i taste. I love this tea with milk and sugar. Delicious treat!

I really loved the tea of the same name by Darlene’s Teaport, but I didn’t feel like committing to a full order there just yet. I was, however, about to place an order at ETS with the free shipping coupon (thanks for posting it Azzrian!) and noticed they had an identically named tea. Now, it seems like several of the ETS blends can be found elsewhere (though usually for more) so I thought it was possible that they had the same distributor and whatnot. And for $4.20 it couldn’t hurt trying! I needed one more tea to round my cart out anyway.

I did a short cold brew on this and indeed, it is the same tea! Or it’s awfully damn close. Sweet grassy green, hints of juicy strawberry, and a slight hint of tropical pineapple goodness peeking through. The strawberry is just right in this blend, not overpowering or artificial candy-tasting either. It’s such an amazing iced tea! I’m so happy that I found this, since I really do enjoy it! In fact, I’m liking it more now so I’ll up the rating a little bit from my original tasting. Yum!

This tea was brutalized in shipping. I have not had this tea before, so I cannot say whether this has affected the flavor.

This is only the 2nd Scottish Breakfast tea that I have tried-Upton’s being the first. I bought a 4 ounce pouch. The pouch is a re-sealable and made out of a plastic-y film and not foiled-lined on the inside. Not sure what teas are in this blend, but it doesn’t taste like Asssam, Ceylon, and Yunnan. Maybe just Assman and Yunnan? Keemun? The dry leaves are full and have a malty and slightly smoky aroma.

The liquor is more brown than orange in color. This flavor is malty and really peppery (black)-especially when the tea is hottest. No smokiness in the flavor, so probably no Keemun in it. It’s somewhat lively, and although not weak, definitely not “smash you in the face” strong. An acceptable first cup-but I have better options. The level of tannins is surprising low. Not bitter or astringent.

I want to note about the shipping here. The box was literally beat to hell in shipping. The top flaps of the box were peaked up almost like an A-Frame house and there was a big dent in the side. I realize that UPS/USPS etc, handle the packages and not the tea shop. However, I have placed dozens of tea orders by now and have never had a box like this show up on my door. My orders from China and Taiwan have never looked anything but great.

The packaging issue is ETS fault. The cardboard was not sturdy and the box was too big for the order. The box had only some brown kraft paper on one side for “cushioning”. This did not work at all and the pouch of this tea had a gouge in it about one-half inch deep and 1.5 inches long (although the pouch was not actually punctured). If this had been an expensive signature tea instead of a ridiculously cheap $1 an ounce blend I would have sent it back un-opened. This company has several other online businesses and I picture all their stuff at a big warehouse-not stored properly and obviously not packed by people who know and/or care about tea. This tea is okay, but not good enough to make me ever want to buy from this company again.

NB – Rating number is for the tea alone. The other issues did not factor into the number.

Brew temp 208

I have no idea why I am buying a decaff Irish Breakfast tea.

I guess it’s for those days when I want to chain drink tea. I pretty much limit myself to 4-6 cups of caffeinated tea a day (depending on how caffeinated they are). When I have a high quality tea that re-steeps multiple times (like a Dian Hong), I can hit the 4-6 cups ceiling really fast. My herbals and other decaffs are all sweet in one way or another and I like a more traditional option such as this.

Anyhow, this is just okay. It’s not bitter or astringent. It has a reasonable, but not tremendous, amount of flavor. The first Irish Breakfast I ever had was Ceylon and Assam and I pretty much expect them to all be that way, but of course this is not the case. This is Assam, Kenyan and possibly others. To me, it doesn’t taste a lot different than an English Breakfast with Assam and Kenyan such as PG Tips. Another strike against this is that the bags are only 2 grams-PG Tips and Taylor’s Yorkshire blends have 3 gram bags. I’m not excited about this, but still, I think this will do on one of those days when I really NEED a lot of tea, but need to watch the caffeine and don’t want lots of sweet herbals. However, I think I will look for a higher quality, loose leaf, decaff straight tea like an Assam in the future.

Sipdown! And what a sad sipdown it is, too. I really enjoy this blend – perfect for a treat that’s sweet but not sickly, and not astringent or bitter as black blends can be. I will require more of this in the future, so if I ever swap with you (yes you) and you feel like sending me some, that would be awesome.

I think I brewed it a touch strong today, as I used up all the leaf instead of leaving behind a 1/2 tsp, which would have been silly, so it’s a bit overpowering, but still very enjoyable. Bumping the rating a touch because this is definitely a tea I’d like to keep around in my cupboard. I seem to have a soft spot for flavoured pu’erhs, haha. But not like, ginger pu’erh, we’re talking dessert ones. Nom nom nom.

Thanks again for introducing me to this one, Azzrian!

I am so disappointed. This one did not work well in a travel mug for me (or I screwed it up). I thought this delicious earthy caramel tea would be fabulous, but I tasted mostly a sweet, somewhat caramelly but fishy flavour. It certainly wasn’t terrible; I finished it before I finished my mug of Della Tera’s Eight Candles. I wonder if this tea needs to “air out” after being brewed, or something?

I still think that this is a strange combination, but it really works so deliciously well! Enjoying a cup of this again tonight courtesy of Azzrian! I have enough to take to work in a travel mug, so should really do that sometime, because it’s quite the caramelly treat.

ETA: This one made it through 3 very tasty infusions! The caramel flavour was retained through all three, which was awesome. I probably could have had another infusion as well, but really wanted some new teas, haha.

Thanks for sending me some of this, Azzrian!

Probably too late at night for this (oops), but oh well. It smelled delicious and I wanted to try some! I didn’t rinse this one as I figured I might lose the flavouring if I did.

The aroma is sweet and toffee-like, with just a hint of pu’erh fishiness. Completely tolerable though, and quite yummy-smelling!

The flavour is rich with delicious toffee, complemented by a pu’erh base that is dark and earthy and perhaps the slightest bit fishy. A strange but surprisingly delicious combination! I will definitely be having this one again, and thoroughly enjoying it!

I really, really like this pu-erh. It has the full musty body of a pu-erh without being too harsh. I can usually only do a small cup of the straight stuff, but add some toffee and caramel and I break out the giant Disney Goofy mug! It’s lovely. I take it black but it would hold up well to milk and even a little sugar.
My ONLY complaint – and this is only going to affect those who decaffienate by pre-steeping – is the toffee melts quickly and is pretty much gone by the second steeping. Not an issue if you’re only going to steep it once, and still very yummy.

This was one of the first blends with which I ventured away from straight black tea. It just sounded interesting. And so….PROPER. Sure, I had tasted mango tea, and almond tea, and vanilla. But this was something totally different. I didn’t have a wide-brimmed hat but I figured I would try it anyway.

It is incredibly light and fragrant, but it still tastes like tea. Some fragrant teas taste overwhelmingly like their fragrance, but this one does not. I like this in the afternoon or the evening. The smell always brings a smile to my face, and I can picture myself sitting in a manicured garden sipping in the sunshine and eating little lemon cookies. Even though I’m usually just sitting on my couch watching junk television.

Special thanks to Alphakitty for this one!
I’m fairly certain the English Tea Store version is the same at the Metro’Tea Company’s version of this. I really like that one so – of course – I like this one, too! Maple, Berry, Vanilla flavors…all subtle but lovely! Thanks so much for this, Aphlakitty!

This was another sample I specifically requested from miss Azzrian. Thanks again for the swap.

I like the darker notes of roasted oolong here. I think dark oolongs are my favorite, so far. So I tend to think of tea as vegetal when it’s not flavored because I feel like I get a bit of “plant” taste. I feel like it’s happened right after a heavy rain. You know the way the yard smells after it’s just poured down and the sun pops out. Every thing is clean and perky, that is what I get with this.

I tasted the plain liquid in my mug.

Was it…caramel?

What did I taste?

It was…vanilla? cream?

What was it…licorice? Yes.

And what else….flowers?

Yes It was like drinking nectar from…what kind of flower…

Honey Suckles, like the ones back home in California…yet these suckles were made with licorice…

Red or Black…black licorice for sure…

Sweet and cream were added.

What was it…Creamy? Caramely?

It was…light…bright…yet heavy like twilight…

What was that flavor…Licorice? flowers? creamy caramel? All of the above, I think.

The flavors were wet and heavy in my mouth with an aftertaste of…cream? No…more like melted caramel…

It was like laying in a pasture of colorful flowers, petals tickling my nose and scattering over my body…The aroma of nectar…The hum of bees over my head…A gentle breeze…

Then I swallowed.

Everything vanished.

I took another sip…

I was back in that pasture, full of delight.

I swallowed and it vanished again.

I had no choice but to keep sipping away at the sweet liquid until it was gone…

This tea was very calming and just perfect for a boring and hazy night on the couch all alone.

Azzrian sent some of this to me and it smells AMAZING! Thanks so much!

I can’t get over how much I am mesmerized by the aroma! Ah!!!

This has just the right amount of strawberry and the green tea base is sweet and even.

It’s fruity without that dreaded hibiscus! YAY!

This is really wonderful! Both hot and cold!

Today I’m going to try some samples Azzrian sent me. Thanks! She was very considerate in her choices. Now I get to try another pu-erh. :D

Caramel and toffee are right up front. They are balanced by a salty flavor. The contrast is balanced really well and is quite pleasant. Underneath, I taste leather and horses. This tastes like my grandpa’s tack barn used to smell. Since that was one of my favorite places to be as a child, this brings back many happy memories. I learned to catch critters and snakes in there. I learned how to ride and befriend a horse there. I just had some quality time with my grandpa. I think pu-erh and I shall be friends. Thanks again Azzrian.

I’m not quite a fan of flavoured blends, but this one is a great experience. The caramel/toffee gives a nice twist to the pu-erh base

It’s a little late to be drinking something this strong, but oh well! I only had a few options today since I am visiting my aunt and I brought a handful of samples with me. This was one of them, and I read “caramel toffee” and was sold!

The smell in the bag is very caramel-y and dessert-y, but steeped it smells more like a normal pu-erh. I was kind of expecting this to be a “light” or wussy pu-erh like companies often use for blending, but this has that nice earthy smell and a rich, forest floor taste. Hay, dirt, musty… but you know, in a good way. The caramel is sweet and subtle. This brews up as dark as coffee, and it also tastes a lot like coffee—or rather, like some sort of fancy latte. Rich, dark, malty, sweet, a very nice tea though not one for every day.

Thanks to Azzrian I was able to try this one!!!

I’ve had Metropolitan Tea’s Angel Dreams before and really liked it. I think the reason I enjoyed it was the Maple paired with the (Black)Berry. I see by this description this is similar. It DOES taste different, tho! I can taste more Berry…and it looks like it’s WILDBerry and not necessarily BLACKBerry-specific. I’m ok with this. The berry flavor is yummy. I’m not tasting as much Maple – hardly any – in this one…but I’m appreciating the differences in this tea. The Berry is moreso the focus. It also seems to lack the cream and smoothness that I remember from the other brand. Again, that’s ok…I treasure the difference. I don’t want to compare – because they DO taste quite different – but can’t help it because of the word-association with the name, I suppose.

This black tea base is stronger, too! After some extended thought…The Black Tea Base and the Wild Berries really make this tea it’s own! It’s a great morning tea that happens to be flavored…but it could make a nice kick-in-the-pants tea if you need to get up and moving in the middle of the afternoon, too! ALSO…as this cools, naturally, at room temp, I’m finding it would make a darn-skippy iced tea, too!

Thumbs UP on the cup and a smile on my face!