McNulty's

I seem to be a little flip-floppy with this one…I decided to decrease the rating a tad because today’s was quite bitter. It’s a touchy tea – just fyi.

Had a nice cuppa this this morning to start my day! Can’t believe it’s been 5 months since the last time I had it! Eeeeek!

This has an unexpected nutty cocoa scent to it…not sure if I am picking up on other teas surround me or if that’s truly what it smells like but it smells YUMMY!

It’s a nice semi-dark brown color post-infusion.

A great even taste, fairly smooth.

I’m getting a slight garden-E type taste WAY-WAY-WAY underneath…can’t quite put my finger on it but it’s tasty.

Nice Cuppa!

This really doesn’t smell like anything, however, it’s VERY dark in color post-infusion.

At first I wasn’t crazy about the flavor – or lack there of – it was very pale and mellow especially for a loose leaf black…

After it cool at room temperature for about 2 minutes – the gentle black tea flavors started to eek out.

This isn’t a bad tasting tea just very mild for a black.

First cup of the day! It’s a little sweet and a little bitter. The sweet and bitter seem to even each other out a little. It has a woodsy-cologne type after taste/thought…

not too shabby.

I had a cup of this last night and it’s been a while. It’s starting to lose the flavor. I do have more left but am afraid to pass it on to anyone…sigh…

I’m hopping thru my stashes and going a little crazy – but that is a good thing! LOL :)

Same infusion as the first logged attempt but iced not hot. This is very nice ICED!!! :) YUM! Upped a few points!

This has a sweet Apple Pie smell…nothing too over the top before infusing. After infusion is complete the aroma intensifies! YUM!

I think I over infused either by length or amount of loose leaf…I’m thinking amount. It’s still good just a little bitter but nothing that I couldn’t get past. I am sure the rating will increase next time I try it…

Tastes like baked apples, indeed! Ahhhhhh! NomNomNom

Not my favorite McNulty’s Blended Tea but still decent. This is very bold. The color is tremendously dark! There’s a bit of bitterness along with a bit of sweetness to it. Altho I’m drinking this in the afternoon I think it would be a great morning tea! A nice wake-up one!!!

This is kind of a “Part 2” to my notes on McNulty’s Golden Nepal, I am comparing contrasting the two right now.

So from what I can tell, it seems like this tea is just all around a higher quality than the Nepal. The leaves are more uniform, the taste is less generic, and the flavor lingers a bit longer. It doesn’t strike me as outstanding, and it definitely doesn’t leave me wanting more the way a good Darjeeling does… (Obviously; It’s an entirely different cup of tea.)
I am not really a good one to ask when it comes to India/Sri Lanka style black teas, they just aren’t my favorites. I probably crave them once for every twenty times I have a craving for a Japanese green or a Taiwanese oolong. Anyways…
I’ve never been to McNulty’s in NYC so I’m not even sure what else they have there, but if anyone else is familiar with the shop and what they offer, I’d love to hear about it!

So, a friend of mine gave me several teas and herbal infusions from McNulty’s shop in NYC. Honestly, none of those that I have tried are stellar or outstanding. But they aren’t bad either!
This one, Golden Nepal, is a pretty solid black tea that is very similar to a strong blended black tea from India or Sri Lanka (Assam, and Ceylon blends come to mind). Compared to McNulty’s own “Golden Assam”, the leaves are much less uniform in the Nepal. The flavor seems to follow suit. There is a slight, but noticeable astringency that makes this a nice breakfast tea. Nothing fancy, but nothing I wouldn’t drink!

I’ve just finished McNulty’s Vanilla and the best thing about it is a top-note after-taste of vanilla. It’s a decent “basic black” over all with hints of vanilla that start to emerge as the tea cools. They decided to very very slowly come out and play on my tongue. The taste is there; it’s just subtle. And nobody accused me of being subtle or of truly appreciating the subtle.

Overall, I like a stronger vanilla flavor. I would recommend this for vanilla junkies who are fond of nuance, understatement, and insinuation.

I picked up this sample from the marvelous Travelling Tea Box and am eternally grateful to Angrboda for getting it started. I think that Vanilla by McNulty’s has got “a good beat and you can dance to it” but it’s not balletic.

sugar brought it up to 50%

Steep Information:
Amount: 1 teaspoon
Additives: none
Water: 6 ounces filtered boiling
Steep Time: a little over 2 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: Vanilla
Steeped Tea Smell: Vanilla, black tea
Flavor: bitter black tea, but creamy
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: slightly sweet vanilla
Liquor: deep translucent brown

A Steepster Traveling Teabox Tea

I was expecting more vanilla flavor, and less bitterness.

Post-Steep Additives: 1/2 tsp German rock sugar, bring out the vanilla, and of course makes it sweeter. still a bit bitter

Resteep: 2 minutes, 1 tsp German rock sugar, very sweet, vanilla, same dark coloring, and bitter black tea

kinda feeling ‘meh’ about it, if it were a cheaper bagged tea i would find it acceptable, but I have higher expectations for loose leaf teas.

images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/03/mcnultys-tea-and-coffee-loose-leaf.html

Steep Information:
Amount: 3 scoops
Additives: none
Water: 12 ounces filtered boiling water
Steep Time: a little over 6 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: strawberry, floral
Steeped Tea Smell: citrus fruity
Flavor: sour berry hibiscus
Body: Full
Aftertaste: citrus sour berry
Liquor: deep dark opaque red

This is my first tea from the Steepster Traveling Tea Box!

This was the first interesting herbal I came across while unpacking the box and decided that I needed to be trying a tea as I selected my new teas.

I was expecting much more strawberry and kiwi and less hibiscus based on the name, luckily I like hibiscus because the tea was a hibiscus tea with strawberry and citrus flavors. I didn’t really get the kiwi flavor, but I am also recovering from a head cold.

Post-Steep Additives: none

Resteep: weaker, less sour, but still a strong hibiscus and berry tea, I won’t try another steep though.

I’m finishing up my sample from the TTB and this cup is better than the first attempt…therefore, I am upping the rating. I really wish I lived near McNulty’s…I’d go NUTS…and visit often! Is there only 1 location? sigh…I need to move closer to a tea place…any tea place…but this one would be great! :)

This is ok. It’s not overly strong or overly vanilla. I have enough for 1 more cup and will have to remember to infuse longer to see if it helps with the boldness.

As much as I don’t usually like tarty fruity herbals this isn’t too shabby. Not something I would order but I loved trying it. I can taste strawberries AND kiwi…

It’s much better than the Strawberry Kiwi I had from Teavana a while back…thankfully.
Thanks again guys for putting this in the TTB!

Would probably be better iced but I had it hot and it wasn’t too bad…

Man, huge disappointment. I used to drink pu’erh very regularly, and tried a few of Upton Tea Import’s versions, all of which I enjoy very much. If I hadn’t double-checked the name on the bag, I would never have known this was pu’erh. It has none of the smokey peatiness/earthiness that I like in Upton’s pu’erhs. It really doesn’t have much tea flavor at all, actually. Just a dull muddiness. Blech. I bought this with a gift certificate at least, and I may throw the rest of it away. Not good at all.

A fine Irish breakfast, but nothing special.

I need to lay off the after-dinner caffeine. This rooibos has been in a zip-lock bag in my real-life cupboard for a solid 7 or 8 months now, and the flavor and aroma are starting to mellow out. I’d normally add some chamomile (if I had any) and a drop or two of honey but I’m drinking it straight this time.

Steeped in my travel mug from Teas Etc. due to the fact that all my other tea-brewing vessels are in the dishwasher :)

This is one of the strongest smelling teas I have ever tried (although I was told it isnt technically a tea). I opened the bin at the store and the entire shop smelled like it! But it wasnt as strong once brewed.

I liked this alot. I think I like the caramel from McNultys better but this is in the same “flavor profile” category for me.

I think this is my first Oolong :)

Great golden color. Smell is a little too earthy for my tastes. But, the taste! Nice, very flowery. Reminds me of a green tea, but not as strong. Just kept sipping, before I knew it had gone through two large cups. Off to a good start for me, as far as Oolongs go. This was actually the “cheapest of the nice Oolongs” that McNulty’s had, as the gentleman there described to me. Curious to try some others…for now, back to sipping!