Paisley Tea Co

Another tea found at my workplace’s coffee station, lurking among the Lipton Green majority. It’s not bad at all – heavier on the cinnamon than I prefer for a chai, but the other spices are still detectable. It reminds me more of a ‘Christmas tea’ type blend than of a standard chai. As such, I think it works better black than with milk and sugar/honey.

This review is for a red and white teabag from Paisley Label (a brand from Two leaves and a bud) so I hope this is the right listing.

I drank this with some hazelnut coffee creamer (Silk brand hazelnut soy creamer) so I didn’t get the full array of subtleties this tea has to offer. However, I find most E.B. blends are fairly boring and I wanted something richer. I got some brisk tannin and malt with a bit of honey in the aftertaste, similar to honeysuckle. It is made from a blend of Indian black teas, so I’m thinking it is probably Ceylon and Assam types. It is a bit generic (as most EB are) but was a solid cup.

I can taste the green tea and licorice root, but not a lot of ginger. The licorice root is sickly sweet and icky. Why can’t a tea called ginger green taste like green tea + ginger?

I found this very astringent, lightly vegetal flavour (soy bean/edamame) and not much else. It is at least 2 years old, so it has lost a lot of flavour. I don’t love most green teas but this is a Chinese green which I sometimes enjoy. I did not enjoy this, but it was free and I wanted to try it anyway. Not a lot to say but don’t drink a two year old bagged green tea if you want flavour. This is also quite astringent, so be warned.

I found this blend mild in peppermint flavor, but still enjoyable.

This is one of the sweetest peppermints I have tried. It is less “strong menthol” and more “moderate peppermint with a sweet finish.”

This isn’t the best chamomile I’ve tried, but it isn’t bad either. It is a pretty standard, basic chamomile.

This tea was surprisingly pleasant for a bagged tea. I oversteeped it slightly (about 7 minutes) and it turned into a very strong, but not bitter/astringent, brew. This tastes like a plain English Breakfast tea: strong flavours of black tea, tannins, slightly malty.

I’m tempted to say I’ve never met an earl grey I didn’t like, but that would be a lie. I’ve come across some earl grey that wouldn’t even save in a fire. However this grey is a keeper. Really sharp, coppery when overstepped and unexpectedly floral. A really nice mouth feel when in the mood for as loud black tea. It helps that everyone else hates it, because that means it get to have it all to myself. Hmm

I’ll adds full note later. Too sleep deprived.

This makes a killer sweet tea when ‘cold’ brewed. I have to remember the way I made this sweet tea. Best batch of the summer.

One bag peer cup using warm water in a clear mason jar. Brewed for ten minutes then removed. Little to no astringency, dark clear brown color, floral black tea scent. Perfect brew.

Having this waiting for my massage appointment. Ho hum. That’s about all. The ginger isn’t prominent in it and I can hardly taste it. Like I’m reaching for it. No need to buy it that’s for sure.

Hey,K S, this is good! And work-microwave friendly, no coddling or cautious timing needed. Tidy tagless bags; has a brighter, sweeter quality than you’d associate with most English Breakfast selections.

I will start watching for Paisley branded stuff locally. (May have to watch a long time, but there’s always TJ Maxx :)

Sheldon: What kind of tea would you like? (Proceeds to open a lovely little glass-and-wood “TEA” display case full of bagged teas.)
Amy: I think I’m gonna try…green tea mixed with lemon zinger.
Sheldon: Two tea bags in one cup…We’re not at a rave!
…
Sheldon: Now, imagine this…You and I, entering Stuart’s party, and all eyes turn to see America’s most beloved and glamourous couple…
Amy: Yeeeeaaah…?
Sheldon: R2-D2 and C-3PO. Dibs on 3PO.
Amy: Sheldon, when I said “couples costume,” I meant, like, Romeo & Juliet, or Cinderella & Prince Charming, not two robots from some silly movie I don’t even like!
Sheldon: Ohhhhhhh-kay! I’m gonna let that slide because I know you’re hopped up on tea bags!

Bwahahahaha…I love The Big Bang Theory.

Yesterday, I dropped an orange Airborne tablet into a second steep of an H&S organic rooibos teabag. It worked out well enough that I’d like to try it with a first steep at some point. Today, I tried the same experiment with one of these teabags, except that it’s a first steep, not a second steep. When I tried this tea for the first time, yesterday, I wasn’t impressed by the boldness (or lack thereof, rather) of the bergamot. I thought maybe the orange Airborne would go well with it.

Unfortunately (and also, shockingly), I don’t think this tea is strong enough for this experiment. Shockingly because surely a black tea would do better in the experiment than a second-steep rooibos, yes? Apparently not. =)

I was good this time: I steeped for three minutes and tossed the bag instead of being lazy, leaving it in, and then getting annoyed as the tea gets bitter. After steeping, I dropped in the Airborne tablet and waited for it to dissolve. Instead of black tea with really strong citrus, the result is really strong citrus with a kind of weak echo of black tea.

Oh well, it was worth a shot. I still think this is a good idea, so I’ll just try again with a different tea. =)

Tea amount: 1 bag
Water amount: 6oz/~175mL
Additives: 1 orange Airborne tablet

I’m pretty new to the world of Earl Grey. For the longest time, I’ve stayed away from black teas because of my sensitivity to caffeine. Recently, I’ve begun drinking a little bit a day and, for the most part, finding that I’m able to tolerate it. This is really exciting, because I love black tea’s fragrance, and so many lovely blends use it as a base.

One thing I’ve discovered is that I love citrus flavour in my tea. The very first Earl Grey I tried was Golden Moon’s Tippy Earl Grey1 and I think I may have been spoiled. I can’t speak to its generally mediocre Steepster rating, but I loved its really intense citrusy fragrance and flavour. This tea? Not so much. I mean, the fragrance and flavour are certainly there, but when you say double Earl Grey, that’s what I expect. What I got here, though, was more like ¾ Earl Grey. =)

It’s pretty low on astringency, always a nice surprise with a black tea. My inner lazy bum prevailed and I left the bag in the cup, almost always a mistake with black tea, I’m learning. Consequently, the brew got pretty bitter pretty quickly, but that’s no one’s fault but my own. Admittedly I was a bit groggy, but I couldn’t see any brewing suggestions on the box, so I just started sipping when the brew looked dark enough and got through most of the cup before the bitterness set in. As the tea cooled, the black tea fragrance intensified. I took a sip: it was too bitter to enjoy, but ignoring that, I found the black tea-bergamot balance quite a bit improved. I think if I’d removed the tea bag, the brew would’ve been as nice cooled as it was hot, if not better. Well, I’ve got 23 more bags to get it right. =P

Tea amount: 1 bag
Water amount: 6oz/~175mL
Additives: none
Dry mouth factor: 4/10

1 http://steepster.com/bleepnik/posts/126970

I woke up this morning (the beginning of many a great blues tune), feeling overwhelmed by the stress work. I need tea – good tea, but I don’t have it in me to analyze what I am sipping. TA-DAA This tea is the perfect day starter. It is in a bag so I don’t have to figure out how much, blah, blah, blah. It is nice and stout. It is way better than it has to be. If you can’t remember to take the bag out on time (I’m asleep), I guess you could add a splash of milk. I didn’t notice when the cup was hot, but as it cools there is a nice amount of malty goodness.

If this is against the forum rules, someone simply inform me and I will edit this but… In a shameless attempt to gain followers on my blog, I am hosting a contest through the end of September 2012, to give away some Paisley Tea. Details at http://theeverdayteablog.blogspot.com/.

I had this again this morning. It is amusing me and hitting the spot. Good smooth everday bagged tea.

This one surprised me. I am generally not an English Breakfast fan. They are generally too, I don’t know, generic for my tastes. This one I thought was really good. I am looking forward to brewing this again. A slightly longer review is on my blog. http://theeverdayteablog.blogspot.com/2012/07/paisley-tea-co-organic-english.html

Today was my last day at work. 31 years 6 months then laid off. Actually today was pretty unemotional. I made a conscious decision earlier in the week to shake the dust off my feet as I left the place. Life is too long to hold on to hate and anger. Onward and upward.

Anyway I took all my tea home Wednesday with the intention of taking a few tea bags… but I forgot them. So, I borrowed this from a coworker. I gave him this one a while back in an attempt to expand his horizons beyond Lipton. Got me through the morning. Glad he hadn’t finished them all off yet.

Despite the name this is NOT a heavy Earl Grey. The bergamot is fairly tame by my standards. You do taste bergamot initially then it fades as the base takes over. What is neat about this tea is it is nice and fruity. The scent is like a Darjeeling although I have no idea what base is actually in this. It is strong and hearty like Assam. It has enough bite to leave yours cheeks tingling in the after sip without being bitter. A really nice bagged tea that is like a pat on the butt to help scoot you out the door in the morning.

Shameless plug – Through the month of September 2012, I am hosting a contest to give away two boxes of Paisley tea to two different winners. Follow my blog and leave a comment for a chance to win. Maybe I have made this too complicated? I am getting a lot of views, but very few signups and those that do, are generally not following directions. http://theeverdayteablog.blogspot.com/

First tea of the day. No think’n just drink’n Earl Grey in a bag. It gets the job done.