House of Tea

Strong tea, I have to be more careful not to over-steep in than with some other blacks. The smoke is the strongest flavor, but I can really smell the bergamot. I do not get the vanilla they mention but I like it just the same.

To this day this is one of my favourite oolongs and teas full stop. It’s the first oolong I ever tried, and has single-handedly solidified my love of oolong processing, as well as high quality tea. I’m not sure if it’s actually soaked in milk or just has a natural cream flavour (will have to ask next time I pop by the tea shop this is from), although I suspect the latter.

I actually love making huge Western batches of this oolong in my large teapot, it handles long steep times very well with hardly any puckering astringency. I usually use 4 to 6 teaspoons with 90°C water, no idea how big my teapot is though. Steep time is anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes.

The soup always becomes thick and nutty like almond milk, but with an unbelievable toasty sweetness that I’ve rarely found in other oolongs. Usually roast/toast flavours dominate everything else. I think the sweetness and rich, complex flavour is what astounded me the first time I drank some. There was a moment of “What? Tea can taste this good without sugar or blended ingredients?” Needless to say my eyes had been opened wide from then on.

The flavour is very similar to freshly made candy coated nuts (like if you’ve ever driven past a nut processing factory). Lots of sugary notes like honey or sugarcane, toasted but not heavily roasted like a charcoal oolong, as I said very nutty, creamy like butter or whipping cream, and just an utter joy in every sip!

This tea makes me warm and fuzzy inside, perfect for rainy days or long winters.
I’ll upload a photo when I buy some more, I just used the last of what I had in stock.

Upon opening the box the bergamot aroma is very fresh and strong. Unfortunately, it doesn’t transfer to the brewed tea. There, the bergamot is barely noticeable, you can smell only bland base tea with slight generic flower notes.

The taste is very bland, very watery, with almost no Earl Grey character whatsoever.

Yes, Netto teas sold under the “House of Tea” brand are nothing special, but they are generally quite drinkable. Their “Earl Grey” is an exception… The good news is, it cost me only 3 Danish kroner (promotional price) ;)

Really strong black currant aroma, faint traces of strawberry and raspberry aromas.
The taste is also dominated by black currant, other fruits are barely noticeable. Base black tea is malty, earthy and solid.

Strong aroma with plenty of quince.
Quince is dominant in taste. The black tea in background is plain and generic, but thanks to quince the tea is quite good.

I wasn’t feeling too excited about another holiday spiced tea, but this is actually really good. The flavouring is cinnamon and orange, both well balanced – distinct but not over powering. And then, unlike many flavoured teas, the base tea is really lovely. A hint of bitterness and astringency and lots of malt that doesn’t get masked by the flavours.

Quite delicious.

I really liked this tea! I added milk as well as honey to sweeten it and they were a perfect addition to this spicy tea. This tastes like christmas in a cup :)

I got this from a little tea store up Yonge quite a ways north of Bloor that I found by accident a while ago. It was a bit pricey tea wise but I think good quality and they had a wide selection of teaware! I think 100g is the smallest amount they usually sell at once but I talked to her awhile and got her to sell me 50g of this and she even gave me a sample of some sencha too!
This tea smells milky and toasty and brews up a beautiful orangey gold colour. There is a cozy sort of sense to it. I find the taste initially just mildly grassy, then I get the same toastiness that’s in the smell. It feels very smooth and just a little creamy. Overall very enjoyable! I would like to try this gong-fu style as soon as I get a decent gaiwan.

Thanks SIL
This sort of tastes like Cinnamon Water. The black tea is gentle, not strong. The Cinnamon is that of a cinnamon powder type cinnamon. And maybe Clove. The aftertaste lingers a little funky but it’s ‘ok’.

Might be good to add to something – a food – maybe another tea? It’s a good starting point but was left a ‘tad’ wanting…

Glad I got to try it tho!

this tastes much less delicious than it first did. It appears that my tastebuds have moved on since i first had it. Dropping the rating as this is much as TEB described it – cinnamon water, with a dash of orange. booo

mmmmm another christmas blend – this one from a local tea shop that doesn’t really sell online. this one has a bit more of the cinnamon and clove that i enjoy. Less of the orange/citrus flavour than the other which is a little disappointing. funnily enough…i might actually really enjoy missing the two that i have for the ultimate blend. :)

Pleasant, but uninteresting.