Metropolitan Tea Company

Here’s hoping TTB
This one gets a rousing “meh.” on the how-good-is-this-tea-o-meter. It’s semi-floral and was okay at first, but gets really bitter at the end of the cup when it’s cooled off a little.

Bought this one a few months ago when I was still pregnant and thought I was going to be able to drink it while pregnant. Then I got it home and realized one of the ingredients isn’t pregnancy friendly (can’t remember which one).

Anyways, so it sat and waited for me until now. I attempted this one in latte form. I love them right now and I’m dying for something amazing as my favourite is all gone from my cupboard and I’m looking for something to replace it.

So, I steeped up 2 tsp, added my frothed milk…. and I hate it. Ugh… This is the second tea today that I don’t like.
The look of this one was strange. I open the bag and it seriously looks like powder… or dust. There were pieces of something in there, but I have no idea what they are.
Taste-wise: what. in. the. world. Seriously. It tastes mostly of black pepper. I have come to realize that black pepper in tea is not my favourite thing. And with this tea, and maybe it wasn’t steeped up as strong as it should have been, it was all I could taste! I couldn’t make out what the base was at all, nor any other flavours.

Anyways (apparently I use that word a lot… oops) I have decided I dislike this one. I wouldn’t get again. I’m actually not sure how I’m going to finish this one. I’m going to try it one more time as a regular tea, but I’m not expecting much.

The first time I tried this tea I absolutely hated it. It was terrible! I took a few sips and threw it out. Today I thought I’d try it again and if I hated it again, I would just toss the bag.

Today… it’s not terrible. It’s not mind-blowing by any means, but it’s not terrible. I wouldn’t get this one again ever, but it’s not terrible… Not sure if today’s attempt did enough to make me want to keep it though. I will probably throw it out.

I did get some apple flavour, but with a name like apple crunch, I would expect some form of pastry flavour or something creamy (which, the cream is suppose to be in there) and yet I taste nothing. It’s very strange. I don’t care for this tea. So… as I write this, I have decided that I’m done with it: the tea and this note. haha

I’ve had this tea 3 or 4 times at a local tea room, and it’s been lovely. It’s nice clear, but it’s better with milk & sugar. I bought some loose leaf because I’ve enjoyed it so much, but first impressions upon opening the bag weren’t great. It smelled very smoky, and there was almost no trace of the maple at all. Tasted better once I’d brewed it, but I’m worried I used too much tea and brewed for too long.

The first steep was actually pretty good, although the smoky scent still lingered. I resteeped the same leaves about 8 hours later…bad idea, don’t recommend it. Had to add a ton of sugar and a bit of milk to make it drinkable.

I had this one last week with my mom and totally didn’t think to log it.

I was… disappointed with this one. I found it to be so lightly flavoured that it felt like I was just drinking water. I couldn’t get much of any flavour to it… I will be trying it again before I give up on it, but even my mom agreed. I guess we’ll see. I’m going to add more leaves and see what happens.

’Here’s Hoping’ Teabox Round #4 – Tea #20

Try all the Earls! This one seems less bergamot and more citrus. But then there seems to be a perfume-like quality… definitely something like “baroness” there. It’s not the best earl I’ve tried… I seem to like more bergamot than citrus, but it tastes better to me as it cools. A very dark cup that lends itself to the brightness of the citrus.
Steep #1 // just boiled // 3 min

I picked this tea up last weekend while in Cape May, NJ. While exploring the town I discovered Tea By The Sea, an adorable tea shop full of teas from The Metropolitan Tea Company as well as a few other companies. I was really really good and only bought a few teas, but I enjoyed my time in Cape May so much I’m sure I’ll go back, and when I do I’ll stop by this shop and buy more tea. Also, if you ever have the chance to go to Cape May, go! It’s one of the prettiest sea side towns I’ve ever seen, and the people there are very friendly.

On to the tea! This is a nice fruity (not candy) plum tea. The base tea has an earthy flavor but isn’t heavy. I thought I picked up a light mossy note a time or two, but it was hit or miss. The plum note is delicate and slightly sweet with a floral finish. It works well with the base tea, and I really like that the plum flavor is fruity rather than overly sweet or artificial tasting. I did try one cup with sugar, and while it really brought out the plum flavor the floral note was lost. I definitely preferred this plain.

I only bought an ounce of this, so I’ll probably blow through it pretty fast, but I’ll enjoy it!

’Here’s Hoping’ Teabox Round #4 – Tea #15

A standard Golden Monkey! I love the scent of the brew even before I take a sip – very syrupy sweet. The flavor is like honey, syrup, dried grass, molasses and chocolate. Somehow a great combination. Dark and delicious. I’ve had a couple better Golden Monkeys but this one works!
Steep #1 // 2 tsps. // few min after boiling // 3 min steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 3 min

Finished this one last week as a latte. Still delicious, but I think I may have either over leafed or over steeped as I found the flavour wasn’t as nice as last time I had it. Either way, enjoyed it and would get again, but I’m planning to wait until my collection has depleted a bit more. I have quite a long way to go.

Made this into a latte today. I probably made it stronger than needed, but I love strong flavoured lattes. This one was so great. It had the great cookie taste I mentioned in the last tasting note, and it’s got the creaminess of the cream.
This tea is such a surprise. I love it. Now that I’m making lattes at home, I don’t think this one will last long. haha Delish!

Bought this on a whim last week.

I wasn’t even sure about the smell honestly, but how could I pass up a tea called Cookies and Cream?!

I added some milk and sugar (not much), and it made this tea such a great sweet dessert tea. I definitely got the sweetness and chocolately taste from it. But there was also a creaminess to it. I was impressed by the combo and how well the two worked together and the fact that you get both the cookie taste and the cream. Usually you don’t get both when a company says you should, but this time you definitely can. Seriously surprised and impressed.

I’m going to enjoy this one.

As a side note, I’m like dying to buy more tea, which technically I have in the last week, but I want to buy more and I’m trying with everything in me to not. I have a Steeped Tea party tonight so we’ll see how well that lasts… I HAVE to drink down some of my collection!

HGTTB

I finished off the last of this one from the tea box today and it was WELL worth it. I think if there’d been more in the box i would have taken it out :) It’s not the most perfect raspberry tea but there’s something about it that is quite refreshing. Even when it was thoroughly cooled it had a pleasant taste, no bitterness and the base was present but blended with the flavouring instead of working against it. Thanks for sharing!

Final Count: 115

Such a weird tea. I made it with a fillable tea bag because it’s so fine. One level 1/2tbsp was only 1.7g, so I added a bit more to bring it up to 2g, steeped for 3min. It tastes… like tea. Like, there’s nothing unpleasant about this, no bitterness or excessive astringency, but there’s also nothing particularly interesting about it. Reading the description I was something much more “punch you in the face and wake you up” but it wasn’t really that. I resteeped for 6min and the resulting cup is drinkable but a bit bland. Meh.

This is a very tart tea. The initial brew is blaring with raspberry and a spiced honey. The color of the liquor is crimson red. The first sip leads to a blast of raspberry and grape. It reminds me a of a sweetened red wine. The aftertaste is one of a dark black tea with some astringency. I can taste a woodsy flavor with slight roasting. This is not a tea for me, but I can see why others may enjoy it.

This tea has got to be about 8 years old. I purchased it on an ill-fated trip to Montreal that ended with food poisoning and years of aversion to maple-flavored everything (I’m over that aversion now, thankfully). The tea’s still pretty tasty! I never drank it much because it’s one of those black teas that makes my stomach hurt, but it has a nice muscatel flavor to it. It’s rather drying but not unpleasantly so. I have never tried real ice wine so I don’t know if the tea tastes anything like its actual namesake. No rating because seriously, this tea is olllld.

Sipdown, finally.

I’ve had this tea in my cupboard for quite a long time, and when I gave it a sniff I didn’t smell much from the dry leaf. I’d had it stored in a roll top bag, so I wasn’t expecting much.

I used up the rest – about 3tsp, to make a latte. As soon as the hot water hit the dry leaf all the strawberry fragrance came blossoming back.

This made for a wonderful, sweet strawberry latte, with just a tint of woodiness from the rooibos. Very similar to the strawberry milk you can get in a carton.

I remember this being really good plain as well. I’d buy it again.

I like a sweet tea (iced). This is the best Earl Grey I have had. My favorite so far

I LOVE THIS TEA!! This tea is so amazing. I love it so much.

The other day I steeped it up gong fu style. I wasn’t sure if it would work well but it definitely did. It held up so well to multiple steepings. I don’t remember how long I steeped it each time or how many times I steeped it, but I think it was something like 5/5/7/10/10/15/15… I’m sure it went up from there too. I found I was ready to be done with it before the tea was ready to be done. The flavour held up so so well! And what I loved about gongfu steeping is it wasn’t super strong but just right. It makes it light and sweet almost. You’re not over doing it and making it super strong. IT’s amazing how well it does.

Anyways, must go now. But SO happy to have this tea!

Oolongs and I have had such an up and down relationship over the years…

I remember when Teaopia had a lovely peach oolong that I loved. I didn’t even really realize it was an oolong it was so nice.
Then I tried the Milk Oolong from Davidstea and I hated it. I probably didn’t steep it right (that’s what I’m assuming looking back anyways.)
Then I got the S’mores tea from Teaopia that had oolong in it and I loved it. It was so so amazing… So much so that I bought 1000g before they sold out of it. And like three years later I still have some hanging around and it’s still just as good as it was. It hasn’t lost any of its goodness…

Which brings me to this tea. This one was a bit of an impulse purchase at a place in a nearby town that sells Metropolitan Tea Company teas. The smell of this one was pouring through the bag towards me. I knew if I got some that a) I’d probably like it and b) that it would have to be stored in a tin, not the bag that it came with that wasn’t really sealed at all.

I steeped this one up last night and omgoodness…. amazing!! It lives up to its name. It is sweet and melony. I didn’t take notice of the base of it this time, but I didn’t hate it so I have to think that’s a good sign. I ended up drinking the whole cup in no time. It’s absolutely amazing! I would highly recommend this tea anytime. I am so surprised. Seriously. Surprised. I ended up buying though to fill my Davidstea tin, and I’m so glad I did. This is one that I think would be incredible iced too! That might be my next attempt with this one.

Hidden Gems TTB #14

I’m impressed by how accurate the honey flavor is in this tea…it really tastes like I added honey to my cup! It’s very sweet, with a strong honey taste and a bit of fruitiness hanging out in the background. I wish the raspberry would pop a bit more, but this is still quite good.

I’m trying two Niligiri teas this evening – this one and Nonsuch. I’m getting the impression that Nilgiri teas are medium-bodied floral blacks in general. This one is a little bit sweeter and maltier than the other one, almost a baked goods aroma when freshly steeped, with some fruitiness and astringency coming out as it cools. It’s ok, but not something I’d buy more of.

I’m trying two Niligiri teas this evening – this one and Tiger Hill. I’m getting the impression that Nilgiri teas are medium-bodied floral blacks in general. This one is a bit fruity as well, with a slight bitterness. It’s ok, but not something I’d buy more of.

My little town doesn’t have a tea shop, but it does have a “fancy coffee shop” (this is in addition to the Tim Horton’s). I don’t usually go there, because frankly their coffee is overpriced and not very good. But today I was walking past in the cold, and going in to see if they had tea seemed like a good excuse to warm up. :) They do have a few little jars of loose-leaf on a shelf, with just the names on the front but what looked like Metropolitan labels on the back. I asked the girl what she would recommend, and she picked one off the shelf and said “oh, this tea is definitely my favourite!” so I was like sure, I’ll have a cup of whatever that is. :) It looked like a rooibos blend, and the name on the front just said “Nutcracker”. I walked home with the warm cup in my hand, smelling it and trying to guess the flavour. It’s primarily what my brain helpfully identifies as “cherry… no, almond… no, definitely cherry… hmm, maybe amaretto?” and I thought there were maybe hints of lemon as well? It’s also unmistakeably rooibos, even without tasting it. It tastes pretty much the way it smells, sweet and almondy/boozy. It’s good, tastes like a festive, desserty sort of tea. I got home and looked it up, and apparently it’s supposed to be marzipan flavoured which I guess makes sense. It’s also supposed to be way cooler-looking than it actually was! I double checked, and all I can see is rooibos and almond slices, no crazy snowflake candies. Ah well, I’m pretty ambivalent about candies in tea on the best of days so I didn’t really miss them. This was decent, if I’m ever running low on flavoured rooibos I might get some more.