Rare Tea Company

This is probably the finest black tea I’ve tried. It’s strong and malty, with a long, sweet, fruity aftertaste. It can be brewed at least twice, with the second brew bringing out more of the delicate sweetness and less power. The second brew should probably be done for slightly longer than the first.

Tea #31 from the Here’s Hoping TTB

My first few cups out of the TTB today left me feeling a little meh so I decided to find something unflavored to try. This is a nice bold cup of tea and exactly what I needed to shake off the tea blahs so I could finish off the last few teas I wanted to try before sending the box on tomorrow.

This tea is a little malty, a little sweet, a little drying, and not at all astringent. This reminds me a bit of a cross between a Yunnan and a Darjeeling and since I enjoy both, this is the perfect tea for me. The only downfall is that it left me craving something sweet, preferably chocolate, and I don’t really have anything like that in the house right now. Guess that means it’s time to bake some more toll house cookies :)

Tea #45 from HHTTB2

This tea reminds me of a lot of other teas, but doesn’t match any of them exactly.

It has:
-The floral, fruity highlights of a Darjeeling. But they’re much deeper.
-The sweetness of a Yunnan, only not as pronounced or refined.
-The maltiness of an Assam, only not quite as thick on the tongue.
-And the slight roasiness of Keemun, but comes across more earthy than smoky.

So, despite my brain’s inability to place this tea, it’s very, very good. The flavors are well-rounded and balanced and it’s smooth. There’s a slight drying on my tongue, but no bitterness or anything of that sort.

Backlog:

In a word, I’d describe this tea as masculine. It is very rich, malty and rugged. It is good and strong … with lots of gusto. Just the kind of tea you want to get going in the morning, you know?

I found this to be remarkably well-rounded. I have been very impressed with the teas that I’ve tried from Rare Tea Company, and this tea is no exception, rather, it emphasizes what I mean … this tea is really top-notch.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/06/16/lost-malawi-black-tea-from-rare-tea-co/

Opening my second Rare tea company Tea tin.

It tastes very gentle and nice. Slightly silver needle-ish. Sweet. Very subtle should maybe even steep it longer.

Promising. Won’t rate just yet.

I’m only just getting started out on my loose leaf tea adventures, with possibly only a dozen and a half loose leaf teas currently in my possession, but this tea has definitely made itself a firm place on my tea shelf.

I bought this tea to try out of curiosity, mostly; I wanted to know whether the price of the tea signified the quality. The answer is YES! This tea has both firm flavours and gentle (but not too subtle) complexities. It is a little light for my taste if not steeped for a while but it’s fruity and if you are wanting a well bodied but not bland black tea to enjoy then this definitely gets my vote. It is, so far, the only tea that has always been a pleasure to drink and has always fit my varying moods/tastes.

I will be trying other teas from the Rare Tea Company based purely on the outstanding quality of this tea.

I forgot how delicious this is. My nightly Pu Erh didn’t grab my attention because it was too mild and I began to crave dark, toasted black tea. Then I remembered I have a little of this left and boy am I glad. It’s a little sweeter than I remember but I like that natural sweetness in black teas. :)

(For a more detailed review please view my previous steeping note).

This was a gift from my mother last month, said she saw it whilst shopping online and thought of me. :)

The tin that it comes in is attractive and has a secure lid so it’s a gift that keeps on giving.

In raw form this tea is dark brown and finely chopped (for the most part) with a strong wooden and floral scent. I can also see some large pieces of stem/twig amongst the leaves, quite a bit in this batch to be honest.

Once steeped the tea is dark brown in colour with a rich malted and wooden aroma.

Flavour is thick with very rich malted highs and an undertone of flowers and perfume. Sweet yet dry and a little smoky. It’s a very deep black tea but it’s also somewhat lightened by the hint of flowers. A little longer in the steep and it becomes smokier and more roasted.

I’ve been trying to think of what it reminds me of in flavour and I just worked it out… a Darjeeling. It has the same sort of characteristics as a Darjeeling but in a perhaps slightly stronger version.

Overall it’s been a surprisingly tasty, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the highly stemmed tea but whatever it lacks in quality it doesn’t lack in taste.