Single Origin Teas

Not sure why I haven’t reviewed this one yet. It is a nice, fruity tea. Not sure I could pick out a passionfruit from a blind fruit taste test, but this is fruity. :) There are other fruity teas I prefer, but this one is nicely balanced.

My mother quite enjoys it. It was one of the teas I served at her surprise 65th birthday tea party this past weekend and we went through 2 pots of it (along with 4 other teas). It seemed to resteep well. She’s had friends ask her about it who seem to be interested in getting some. So, while it is nothing I’ll go out of my way to keep on hand, it was popular.

This is a fine example of a second flush Darjeeling. Muscatel, lovely, light but not too light. It has the characteristic dryness as well. If you aren’t a Darjeeling fan, this will not be for you. :) If, however, you like 2nd flushes, this is a great one to pick up.

And the customer service at SOT is just impeccable. Shipping is ultra fast and the only thing I regret about this latest order is that I didn’t grab more of the Mokalbari Assam like I had intended!

Mmmm… so this may be one of the better English Breakfast blends I’ve had. Of course, it probably helps that I like both of the teas that make up this blend. It’s a deep, golden red, chewy, hefty kick in the pants. Why I’m drinking it with dinner… eh. :)

And it is excellent with cream. :)

Sipdown # 65, this one also from Sil, who received it from Nicole. Thanks!
Admittedly, I’m not as huge of a fan of Darjeelings as I am of some other teas, & although I enjoy them, I’ve yet to ever find one that I would crave. I might find myself in the mood to drink a Fujian Black, or a Laoshan Green, or a Wuyi Oolong, but I kind of doubt that I’ll ever find myself in the mood to drink a Darjeeling, especially the ones that look fairly green to me. Nonetheless, this wasn’t a bad cup by any means, kind of light & fruity.

I wouldn’t know a chestnut if I tripped over one like a banana peel. So my nose didn’t know what to look for when I opened this little sample from Single Origin Teas. My first thought was that I was sniffing chai spice.

Steeped, however, this takes on a whole ‘nother personality—a congenial one! It reminds me of a really, really good oolong (the vendor description confirms that I’m not making that up!) with brown sugar sweetness and that unfamiliar “something” that must be the chestnutty goodness. Leaves your lips and tongue sweet after each sip—like little sugar kisses.

Backlog:

The more teas that I try from Kenya … the more I am falling in love with Kenyan teas! This one is very rich and flavorful.

Bold, malty, robust … this is the kind of tea that I like to wake up to in the morning. It’s got some GUSTO. It’s invigorating, but it’s also quite smooth, so it would be more like a gentle nudge awake rather than an abrupt kick in the butt. And that’s the way I like to be woken up in the morning.

Distant notes of fruit and flower. Sweetness that resembles burnt sugar caramel. This is vaguely reminiscent of an Assam but without the bitterness that can be sometimes associated with Assam. A really good tea.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/12/03/kaporet-kenya-black-tea-single-origin-teas/

(Yeah, I’m still here. I think.)

I’m still thinking on this one. Previous comments hold; it’s somewhat spicy, but spicy in the bass range—you get it at the tip of your tongue after you’ve swallowed. Don’t think it’s really strong enough (to my taste, anyway) for a breakfast tea. Maybe brunch or elevenses. Still a very, very, very good Ceylon!

Wow: left the house to run errands and the pot went stone cold—amber to ebony. Warmed it up, added half and half and a little brown sugar and we’ve got sweet maple—not maple syrup, but deep maple wood. This is really fascinating stuff.

Big ol’ long leaves just like the picture; I am going to have to think about this one a lot. Steeps to a rich, deep red orange and has the essence of citrus and sweet spice. But not perky cinnamon-orangey. Deep, dark spice. Nutmeg, maybe.

For sure, it’ll change any preconceived notions you have about Ceylon teas!

Mornin’. Brr. At least I could drive to work. Some of you had to skate.

Frozen toesies call for stronger teas. Yunnan Imperial called for me this morning. Dark mahogany wood, leather, burlap sacks full of feed…barn kittens (no, it doesn’t taste like kittens; all that barn lingo made me think about the little ‘uns that we’d find tucked in a hay-ey corner)…

After a fall false start a couple weeks ago and a week of “ha! it’s still summer,” I love the hints of autumn that were called to my attention on the morning trek to work: fog caught in the hedgerows with the sun shining above it, sumac bushes that have started turning persimmon and crimson colors, silhouette of a crane standing by a foggy pond…and the wonderful cedar and leather sensations caused by this really nice Yunnan. Hadn’t had it in a while; glad I saved some back for crisper weather.

Caramel sweetness, fresh-brushed horses, barnyard aroma (that’s a good thing for you city slickers)…yep, exactly as advertised, though the barny stuff isn’t very prominent until it cools some. I’d add “weathered leather” as well. Say that five times fast!

Another thumbs up for Single Origin!

The first tea in your own mug with familiar water after a long trip is always the best cup in the world. Enjoying the second eyes-almost-open steep; it’s still fruity, woody, and stout enough to gird myself for the dirty laundry that doubled in size and tripled in weight on the way home…

Still loving this one, though the bottom of the packet is getting dangerously conspicuous.(Don’t you hate it when that happens?) Fruity and impossible to ruin, strong enough to wake you without builders’ tea flavor strength.

This is a cup of cheerful. The sweetest, fruitiest, perkiest Assam I can remember having in a long while. Also a good and easy steeper; meticulous time management not required. Even better.

I have been parsimonious long enough. I hoarded some Christmas funds and waited (f-o-r-e-v-e-r; I have needed some new tea for so long!) to place an order timed to arrive at the most seasonally depressing time of my year.

And yay! It’s here! New packets to paw through! First up was this really nice, mild Assam. Sweet and creamy, not a nip of bitterness. Not fruity, exactly; but some of you use raisiny to describe black teas and that might apply here.

I’d think about it some more, but…well, it’s gone. Turned out to be a guzzling tea instead of a sipping one.

Let me commend Single Origin Teas to you—very reasonably priced teas and speedy shipping—-worth a look, especially for black tea Steepsters.

I was saving this one for a special occasion since K S said it was one of his favorites. It is freeeeeezing cold out, hubby has worked a bit of overtime this week, and I thought we would do yoga with the Buckstove humming away and celebrate his weekend. Alas, hubby was supposed to get off work at 11:30 today, but ended up driving a total of seven hours after that to go to a funeral for the father of his boss. He is that kind of guy. But it meant he crashed on the couch when he got home and didn’t feel like exercising.

That’s okay! I can drink most of this by myself, I am sure!

I steeped it for three minutes with 174F water. I resteeped it immediately for three minutes and combined the two steeps in my large tetsubin.

This has a rich golden color. Up front, the sip is sweet and mild, then comes a bloom of stronger flavor that reminds me a little of Chun Mee, one of my favorites for pairing with Asian take out.

Very nice! I have polished off about half of the pot. I hope I can sleep tonight! The rest will be reheated and served with lunch tomorrow.

This is another of my many samples from Nicole_Martin. I think this might be my first Vietnamese tea, and I’m enjoying it quite a bit. The flavor is crisp and sweet with a hint of malt, kind of like a very light Assam. I’m not getting pepper, but that’s no loss as far as I’m concerned. I’ll be enjoying the rest of the generous sample Nicole shared; my one criticism is that I do wish Single Origin gave brewing instructions for their teas. Since they don’t, I went with 1 tsp./8 oz., boiling, for 3:30, just for reference.

I got a package from Awkward Soul!! Yay!! Sil & I are splitting this box, so I might as well get started on them, then I can send her half along when the BBBB comes. I’ve never had a ginseng oolong. I used to enjoy dehydrated Ginseng slices a long time ago. Anyway, this is pretty nice. The tea is an olive drab colored nuggets, basically a coating of ginseng & licorice (one of my most favorite herbs ever). So the first cup is sweet from the licorice, & really quite nice. The oolong was lightly present, but most of the flavor came from that coating. The re-steep featured a little more oolong, a little less herbs, & left my throat feeling a bit scratchy. Cup #3 is more straight oolong, & there is a slightly fishy aroma to the leaf. :p
Thanks Awkward Soul!