Kent and Sussex Tea and Coffee Company

This is another fruit tisane from Kent&Sussex : I bought a pouch of 50g to try this as an alternative ice tea. First, I give it a try hot following K&S´s steeping indications.

From K&S website : “Cherry Compote Fruit Tea is a strong, full-bodied infusion packed with an unmistakably fruity punch. It blends the indulgent aromas and flavours of cherries with those of raspberries and bananas to create a match made in heaven.
Other ingredients include apple pieces, sultanas, elderberries, coconut pieces and rose petals, all of which have something unique, indeed extraordinary, to offer.”

Already strong in nose, which is confirmed in mouth at the very first sip : as no flavourings figure in the list of ingredients, I guess the elderberry is to blame. This even overwhelms the kirsh-y cherry (I love cherries but the kirsh-like smell and taste come through, I sort of lose interest)! Needless to say, the rest (raspberry, apple…) is lost in the hot brew.
But then I put my cup aside, and had half of it when it had already cooled down quite a bit…and then the volatiles of the strong kirsh-like cherries had gone, and the blend showed more harmony! So, I guess I will like this tisane much better as an ice tea, hurray.

I´ve been brewing this tea for ice tea about twice a week for the last month, and I think the subtleties of the rhubarb get through better when drunk hot. The ice tea is nice, but it seems it´s already diluted even when I make a point to cooling the brew overnight instead of adding ice cubes… imagine doing it the latter way! It would end up as water with a slight taste and a light colour.

As I just finished one tisane (for iced tea preparation), I decided to look through my tea cupboard and I still had this tisane unopened.
I first have it hot according to the instructions by K&S T&C co (steeping time of 10-12´), and although it takes me a while to find the rhubarb, I like the colour – like the liquid when making rhubarb compote, just less viscous – at once. Hibiscus and rose hip define the aroma´s, but the rhubarb comes through at the end with a not so subtle ;-) acid touch, which I really like. In a couple of days, I´ll test the tisane for iced tea, and I´ll decide which preparation I prefer from now on.

One of the things I really appreciate when buying teas from The Kent & Sussex Tea & Coffee Co is that trying out teas from lesser known tea regions doesn´t break the bank. This black tea from Nepal for instance.
From K&S ´s website : “Nepal Himshikhar Black Tea Organic consists of beautifully-worked, olive-coloured leaves with green inserts and a high proportion of silver tips. Its finer qualities transcend upon brewing, whereby it offers a flowery, fresh, complex taste rounded off with muscatel undertones.
Casual drinkers and connoisseurs alike are bound to fall in love with this infusion. We pack this leaf tea fresh to order here at our Kent-based factory.
It’s worth noting, too, that the caffeine content of Nepal Himshikhar Black Tea Organic is significant. This, of course, makes it a great choice for those needing an extra boost.”
And indeed, it´s a very robust tea. I tried steeping it twice, which can be done perfectly : the first brew is a bit more floral, even herbal in nose, the second one has subtle malty tones; in mouth the tea has body, the muscatel undertones gain strength in finish.
Not as elegant as a Darjeeling, but quite a bit cheaper as well, so very enjoyable overall.

The hot weather has arrived, and then I like to make iced teas.
Normally, I brew a pot of a dried fruit based tea to cool it then overnight, which I have started to do again now. In the last couple of years I´ve been very pleased with the teas I use for this reason, so I ´ve just bought more of the same blends. But my last order at The Kent&Sussex Tea&Coffee Co also included a few specific iced tea blends, which I hadn´t tried before. This is one of them.
On its website K&S says “Pomegranate White Iced Tea is a delicate infusion. When used as a base ingredient for an Iced Tea blend, it creates a wonderfully fresh taste with tart, fruity notes. Aside from pomegranate, other ingredients include the finest quality Chinese Pai Mu Tan Tea, Rose Petals and Cranberry pieces. Combined, these flavours create a brew well-suited to days out in the garden.”
It also gives brewing instructions : “Using 2 tsp of Tea per person, pour over water of 80 degrees in temperature so that it just covers the loose leaf. Following this, brew for 2 minutes, strain the leaves, and top up with cold water and ice cubes with any personal additions and decoration.”
I use an individual tea glass with glass filter which makes the process easy. The first time I prepared the iced tea this way, I think I added a bit too much hot water, which strangely resulted in an overall weaker iced tea. The second time, I just barely covered the tea leaves and the result was much better. Cranberries and pomegranate make for a beautiful and fragrant dry leaf, once steeped the tea gains in finesse and the iced tea is elegant and less subtle than might be expected. I think there´s no need to use ice cubes as you don´t want to drink this too cold (you wouldn´t taste anything).
As an experiment, I used the strained tea leaves for a hot brew, and this works as well, although one must be careful not to steep them too long, as the tea tends to increase in astringency quickly.

What a wonderful tea this is! In nose it is slightly smokey, its colour is bright coppery (have it in a glass cup!), and in taste it´s elegant, not at all astringent, with a deep rich flavour…just what I appreciate in a nice cup of tea!
According to K&S Tea&Coffee Co the taste is “winey”, maybe what I understand as elegant ;-)
As I just finished the pouches of both K&S first flush Darjeelings I bought last year, this is definitely one of my new favourites.

After two more or less unconvincing tea bags I made the good decision to open the sample I was sent with my last Kent&Sussex tea order.

Online at K&S it is described as follows :
“Blue Lady Tea is similar to Earl Grey but bigger, bolder and, arguably, better. This loose leaf tea is a Flavoured Black Tea blended with ingredients such as grapefruit, lemon, lime, orange, mallow flowers, rose petals and sunflower blossoms.
Such a combination is a match made in heaven. Every sip boasts delectable citrusy notes with floral undertones, a truly refreshing tearefreshing tearefreshing tea. We pack it fresh to order here at our Kent-based factory.”

Indeed it is similar to Earl Grey, indeed it is bolder…which makes it a fine tea to have hot on a hot day because of the citrusy boldness! However, I think I still prefer a (good) classical Earl Grey the rest of the year because the bergamot is usually more subtle, while the citrusy action is now mainly refreshing. Lemon tea lovers might think differently, of course ;-)

Iced tea season has started once and for all now (a bit late this year, but for other reasons that´s quite OK), and I still had enough of this tisane left for 2 batches of iced tea.
By the method I use to make iced tea (brew a pot, leave it infuse quietly – I honestly don´t count the minutes, or even hours ;-) – and cool it overnight in the fridge), this tisane is fresh and tastes more of peaches than the nose detects at first. Definitely a good pick but I think the blood orange tisane I used before (and I ordered more of) I like even better.

As I have been travelling a lot recently, trying out teas wasn´t really on my list…but once home again, with these high temperatures, I needed to prepare my proper ice tea. I know I had ordered more of the blood orange tisane I used last year, but I don´t know where I have put it, so I decided to try this peach tisane instead.
I had a sip after steeping the tea hot, which was OK, but I really like it cold. Yes, the tisane includes hibiscus, rose hip and apple, which make up the bulk of a lot of all similarly tasting tisanes, but the peach comes through in a balanced way, making it really enjoyable to have over Summer.

This is the 2nd first flush darjeeling of my last order at Kent&Sussex. Oh boy, what a treat! More intense in taste, if you can say it this way for an elegant tea like a first flush darjeeling. Even the dry leaf looks very nice, green and more homogeneous in size, and it opens up nicely as well during the steeping process.
I tried to steep it a 2nd time, and then it definitely is worse, less forgiving as well concerning the bitterness, but it still is a good tea, although not as great as the first steep ;-) I guess I might try steeping it less at first, and then the 2nd steep is possibly better, but then again, the first one might not be so nice…loads of options here!

A bit of extra info from K&S :
Established in 1871, the Chamong Tea Estate takes its name from the local Lepcha people, who once called a vocal bird living nearby “Chamoo.” Tea covers 132 hectares (330 acres) of the garden, located at altitudes between 1,150 to 1,850 metres (3,770-6,070 feet) above sea level.

In my last tea order at Kent&Sussex I included two 2021 first flush darjeelings. This Balasun Tea Estate one is the first one to try.

From K&S website :
Darjeeling First Flush Balasun 2021 is a Loose Leaf Black Tea from the Darjeeling District of West Bengal, India.
The Balasun Tea Estate was founded in 1871, its name deriving from the river that flows at the bottom ridge of the garden. It lies at altitudes between 1,600 and 4,600 feet above sea level, near the town of Sonada.
An estimated 100,000kg of Organic Darjeeling Tea is produced from 181.38 hectares (448.2 acres) of Tea-growing land annually. This particular Tea was plucked and processed in late March.
The Balasun Tea Garden has an excellent reputation for producing full-bodied infusions with grassy undertones.

Fortunately, these grassy undertones are quite subtle, at least in mouth as they are definitely there in nose (of dry tea leaves). The tea is indeed full-bodied, but I have the impression it´s slightly less complex than other first flush darjeelings. I steep it twice for 4 minutes each, with a similarly good result every time. Also it seems a forgiving tea, as I once forgot about it (and so it steeped for maybe 8 minutes) and the brew hadn´t turned bitter.

How I love the sweet aroma of elderflower! And I was looking for that aroma in this tisane, when I decided to buy it. Although the tisane is nice enough, with lemongrass coming through in the first place besides lemon peel, it´s clear that the main fruit used is apple which sort of mutes what one can smell and taste here. Also, I see now in the list of ingredients that elderflower is not listed, elderberry is, and that makes a huge difference! I used to pick elderberries to make a syrop, but it´s difficult not to obtain a dense texture, so I stopped making it; what I still prepare is an elderflower cordial (great with gin tonic!!!), and when I´m in the middle of making this cordial, my kitchen always smells so lovely of elderflower and citrus fruit, a great combination. A shame. Over the Summer, I need to give this tisane a try when iced.

I´m not a huge green tea fan, but I keep on tasting green teas, in the hope I´ll be able to be blown away by one ;-) …and this might well be the one!
Wow, green tea alright, but with so much complexity, good mouthfeel, nothing too subtle for me to appreciate (it has happened to me before with superb green teas, where I cannot “get it”)! The leaves are narrow and bright, and allow for a great second steep as well.

When I was deciding on the teas to order from this great tea company, I was looking into the Korean teas they offer. For a few years ago, I had a tea after my meal in a Korean restaurant, and although that one was a red tea, and in a teabag, it was great (must have been the best tea ever for me in a restaurant), but at the restaurant they couldn´t give me more information about it, so since then, I have this fascination to try out Korean teas).

This is the info on K&S T&C co :
It is widely known as ‘sparrows tongue’ for its small, sharp, pointed leaf which is a vibrant, bright green in appearance. The term ‘Woojeon’ literally translates to ‘before it rains’ as this second flush green tea is picked before the rainy season.
It is grown on the volcanic island of Jejudo which is the only place that has won a triple-crown – Biosphere Reserve in 2002, World Cultural and Natural Heritage in 2007 and Geological park in 2010 – from UNESCO in the natural environment field, making the most of the salty sea breeze and the fertile volcanic soil.

From Kent&Sussex Tea&Coffee Co website :
Sikkim 1st Flush Tea is a rare, fascinating Indian Black Tea FTGFOP1 from the Himalayan State of Sikkim. The area lies near to Darjeeling district, hence why the taste of this infusion is somewhat comparable to that of its neighbour.
It consists of a well-made leaf with ample tip, which, when brewed, boasts a bright liquor with a beautifully rounded floral character.
Only two Tea Estates lie within Sikkim. Our Sikkim First Flush Tea comes from the Temi garden, the oldest and most prestigious of the two.

Indeed very similar to a Darjeeling, but this tea already stands out when looking at its colour (copper), and in nose it seems sweeter. In mouth, it has a denser mouthfeel (I don´t really know how to describe this, but it seems you´re also eating something at the same time), which gives it a definite “morning cuppa” character ;-) .
I gave it a second steep as well, but it seems to lose quite a lot of character, so won´t do it again.

Kenya teas tend to be strong and malty, and when smelling the aroma´s of the dry leaves this is confirmed. Also steeped the strong fragrance keeps on, but in mouth it´s far less strong than what its fragrance makes you believe! The maltiness is present (it even reminds me a bit of some pu erh teas), which makes it – for me at least – the perfect breakfast tea, but it´s lighter than what I expected (from experience with other Kenya and Tanzania teas), more adapted to Summer, I can pleasantly add.
Unlike the recommendation (see below) of having it with milk, I always drink my teas black and this is a wonderful tea to enjoy black, as it seems more delicate and complex than standard breakfast teas.

Info on K&S C&T co website :
Kenya Kaimosi GFBOP Tea
The Kaimosi Tea Estate is situated by thick forest, on the edge lies the Sirwa river and the South Nandi Forest. This tea echoes that of an Assam but with less bite, it makes a perfect Breakfast Tea. Sunny warm mornings paired with regular rainstorms creates a briskness in this tea which is light and enjoyable.
Type of Tea- Orthodox Black Tea
Origin- North Nandi Disrict, Kenya, Africa
Leaf Grade- Golden Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe
Altitude- 6000 Feet Above Sea Level.
Harvest- 2015
Brewing Guide- Use boiling water (100 degrees) Infuse for 3-5 minutes
How to Serve- Serve best with milk.

Another breakfast tea by Kent&Sussex I only opened when finishing my previous breakfast tea (Tanzanian BOP).
Very enjoyable breakfast tea, malty enough to have a real wake-up call, but more elegant (better balance between Assam and Kenya teas?) than the standard breakfast teas. The loose leaf is less cut up, which also might add to this impression.

From K&S tea&coffee co. :
Welsh Breakfast Tea BOP (Broken Orange Pekoe) is a Black Tea Blend that goes hand in hand with our English, Irish and Scottish Breakfast Teas.
It consists of leaves from the Dufflaghur Estate in the Sonitpur District of Assam, India, as well as Kenya in East Africa. Such a combination is, put simply, exquisite, providing a deep malty aroma with distinct nutty notes.
Then there is its caffeine content, which amounts to around 45-mg per 8-oz cup. Better still, according to evidence from countless scientific studies, it comes with Black Tea benefits.
Regardless of whether you’re Welsh, our Welsh Breakfast Tea BOP is bound to impress from first to last sip. We pack it fresh to order here at our Kent-based factory, ensuring quality and consistency, time and time again.

So, there we are, trying this tisane iced…and I like it even better than last year´s summer iced tea (jamaican rum iced fruit tisane, also from Kent&Sussex), so I change its rating ;-)
The way I prepare iced tea is as follows : I put on a pot of tea, leave the loose tea infuse for hours (overnight ideally), and I then put the liquid in a soda bottle in the fridge. This way, you only need a small amount of tea to get a strong taste, and a bag of 100g normally gets me through the season alright (and the season for iced tea is long in Madrid!) Almost no fuss to make it, which is absolutely fine by me.
The blood orange comes through very nicely in this iced tea, which makes it a citrusy lemonade without the over-the-top acidity or sweetness (for those who generously add sugar to their home made lemonade) and the added bonus being the definite taste of blood orange. Love it!
And Bird&Blend just mailed me to say that it is National Iced Tea Day in UK, so isn´t that a nice coincidence!!!

Last year´s fruit tisane I use over Summer to have iced tea is almost gone, so I made sure I ordered a new variety from Kent&Sussex Tea&Coffee Co to try out this year. So far, I´ve only had it hot, and I must say it stood the test. I love blood oranges, and we´re still in season, so I am currently enjoying them fresh. However, their season is short and it is hard to find a tisane with a true to taste blood orange addition. This one performs quite well, and I´m eager to try it out in iced tea shape! The rosehip and hibiscus don´t overwhelm the rest, which is great.

Orange and eucalyptus rooibos, and that´s not only the name, also the perfect summary of the experience of having this tea : menthol and fruity in nose and mouth with the rooibos taking care of the texture and body.
As I´ve been spending quite some time o my terrace the last few days, this is a perfect companion as it is summer-y and fresh.

I was very curious about this infusion, so I decided to buy a pouch. Of course, preparing this tisane is a treat for the nose, as especially the dry buds smell wonderfully. The steeping takes longer with this tisane (5 to 10 minutes is recommended by Kent&Sussex Tea Co.), and the colour changes throughout the steeping process : surprisingly, it starts darker blue and ends up clearer near colourless. The typical lavender aroma´s change as well and I even find myself noticing a sort of antiseptic smell, which I´m not so fond of. Maybe 10 minutes of steeping is too long, as in mouth a definite wood taste comes through. Will try to steep only 5 minutes next time, to compare.

The last time I ordered at Kent & Sussex Tea Co., I decided to buy a few new (for me) teas to try out, and amongst them this Nepalese tea. I´m quite sure I´ll order more of it!
Very good quality loose leaf, black tea which has a definite green appearance. In nose dry and brewed a sweet touch is the first to come through, and then a minty freshness, all very subtle and what I often describe as “elegant”. I should take it in china cupa, really ;-)

A small pouch of this tea came as a present with my last order at Kent&Sussex Tea co. It looks autumn-y with the red streaks running through the tea leaves, which already put me in the mood ;-) I needed to think a bit before I could name the main aroma coming through : not redcurrant so much as cassis! Not too fond of the taste of cassis, I was thrilled to note that in mouth cassis had made place for redcurrant, yes, giving a crisp zing to the tea. I really like it, and in no time I will run out of this sample, I think!

Since a few years, I get a Belgian caramel pu erh in a tea shop in León, Spain, but when I was there about 2 months ago (just before the town went in lockdown because of covid19), I couldn´t get more of that particular blend (I had a wonderful almond pu erh though), and I decided to include a Scottish variant in my last order at Kent&Sussex Tea Co.
The loose tea definitely smells caramel like, a bit sweeter than the Belgian caramel pu erh I´m used to. Once brewed, the sweetness has made place for
spicy notes which makes it very enjoyable at this time of year. A very nice afternoon tea indeed.

This is a (generous) sample The Kent & Sussex Tea & Coffee Co sent me with a previous order. They write about it on their website :
Oolong Formosa is a Speciality Tea which originates from the mountains of Taiwan. After plucking the loose leaf teas are fermented to approximately 50% and then wilted in the sun. Frequent turning of the tea in bamboo baskets during the drying process allows the Oolong to develop a mild aroma and large wild curly leaves. This Loose Leaf Tea is a real treasure.
Brewing instructions: Brew for 2 – 3 minutes with water just off boiling ( 80 – 90 degrees ).

When brewed, it smells like a good “English” tea (i.e. how the typical black tea brewed and served in England – before adding milk to it, of course – smells) to me. Fortunately, in taste it doesn´t disappoint : it´s mild and easy to drink, while having a solid body and mouthfeel and little bitterness. I have tasted better oolong teas, but this is probably one that can please even the people who aren´t into tea.