Teabox

Another great example of a well made tea that neither blows you away or makes you shrug, but the complexity and nuances of flavors and perfume provide a very pleasing tasting experience. Looked on the website to see how much it’s going for and lo and behold, it’s not available.

This is a nicely balanced black tea akin to a medium-bodied Assam. It has just the right amount of sweetness and could serve as a perfect morning cup, especially on this wind-whipped New England fall day. A little bit of smoke and leather to keep you interested.

This tea has a nice nose of malt and wisps of rose. Brews up a nice deep amber and has subtle flavors of muscatel, marigolds and sweet grass all be it not pronounced but still leaves you wanting more. There is a pleasing astringency and sweetness along the way to round out its profile of a better than average, not over the top tea.

OK, so I already reviewed the same tea but the clonal variety and that tea was insipid compared to this. Nice fragrant and flavorful malt, with hints of florals and honey. Would like to make up a batch of Chai using this as a base.

Very interesting tea, complex and nuanced yet somewhat shrouded in banality. All the right flavors are there; plum, citrus, nuts, grass and malt, not much in aroma, or the finish. From the first sip, to the end, all I could think of is having this tea with a thick slice of country white and some plum preserves.
I used twice the amount of tea suggested, and shortened the first steep to 2 minutes, and had 3 re-steeps, adding 30 secs for each.
As a bargain tea, not to be missed if you like the classic tea and biscuits.

Again this reminds me of Bai Mu Dan. Not sure what the difference is between Classic and Special teas offered at Teabox but I’m assuming it has to do with leaf quality and processing. I previously tried the Special Mim Darjeeling Oolong and if going by class system alone, one would expect the Special tea to outclass the Classic, but not in this case.
The aromas off this dajeeling are insane; peony, lilies and hints of celery leaves; if you could bottle it, it would make that perfect perfume present as opposed to the Avon I usually give. The flavors are also spot on with abundant peony and light pine nut tones, coupled with a long sweet aftertaste. Drinking this now but since the oomph is not huge it would be nice to drink any time during the day.

I’m quickly becoming a fan of these Glendale teas. Others’ descriptions are spot on: the muscatel (and light body) of a first flush darjeeling with a unique papaya/coconut/mango element that reminds me of tropical lifesavers. Yes there is some astringency but I’m willing to live with it given the uncommon and intriguing blend of flavors.

Perfect for an anywhere anytime tea, low caffeine, not much on flavor, some malt and I agree with Sherubtse, it seems to fit more in a black tea category than oolong.

Yesterday I had the classic autumn (third pick 11/15/14) today the special spring (first pick 5/11/15) and its a night and day difference. There is such a huge difference in taste. Very nice clean orange zest and melon, orange blossom florals, smooth, well made oolong tea with sweet notes on finish which is pleasantly long. This is what I expect in a good oolong; fruit, florals and structure.

Honey yes, cherry blossom maybe, lily no. My first not so exciting tea from Teabox. Not to say that its not good well structured tea but it does not represent what I think a oolong should provide lacking its floral tones.

Another great sample from Teabox. Nectarine, orange, blackberry a substantial floral head; couldn’t imagine you’d get that much from 2.5gm. Smooth finish and a very noticeable sweetness added to the party in your mouth. Singbulli Darjeeling oolong = yum

I have found the teas from Teabox to be all pretty much accurate in their descriptions and brewing parameters and this is another in that ilk. Soft with almond and hay flavors and an aftertaste that lingers well after sipping. The sweetness is what makes this tea stand a bit out on its own. It was part a sample box of 20+ oolongs. What I’ve learned so far is that I tend to use way too much tea and brew way too short. I guess you can get away with that with Chinese oolongs but it doesn’t do these justice, I’ll stick with Teabox’s parameters.

Brewed up a nice bronze color so I expected a bold flavor but instead there was a great balance of sweet/dry, stonefruit and subtle tannins. Not the morning black tea for oomph but a very suitable afternoon tea to keep the day going.

First of all, I want to thank Big Daddy for suggesting we split the Nilgiri sampler from Teabox. I’ve had a few basic Nilgiri teas over the years but nothing like the offerings from Teabox, which delves deeply into the Nilgiri terroir and unearths some true gems.

I hesitate to call this autumn tea “black” because the liquor is so light-a pale orange akin to some slightly aged raw pu-erhs. The flavor is reminiscent of a Taiwanese black, herbal with a strong fresh tomato essence, but also fruity and sparkly like a Ceylon. The tea is slightly bitter, but it’s offset by an equal amount of sweetness.

A very singular experience! Gorgeous dry and infused leaf. If you think you’ve tasted everything under the sun, give these Adderley Twirl teas a try.

Didn’t know what to expect with this one. the dry broken leaf looked anything like a green tea. The aroma was not of a green either, but when steeped it did provide a unique tasting experience for this Gua Pian/Bi Luo Chun lover. The Teabox descriptive notes are pretty much right on, menthol, vegetal and I would add smokiness. I missed the citrus yet it is definitely a complex flavor profile with some fun palate and back of the throat sensations.
I did wonder, if this tea was given the same treatment as the Yunnan raw Pu Erh’s we all love, it could be a fun experiment.

For those who like a smooth light black tea with not much oomph this is for you. Its not a bad tea, just a bit shy and uninteresting.

Really was chilly this morning and needed some black tea to warm me up. This tea was not what I was expecting. It is a light black tea with nuanced flavors of berry and vegetal tones, no malt to be found. Very light yet not wispy. Slightly sweet and a hint of astringency. In other words not the kind of black tea to get my engines roaring in the morning, willuse the rest fro an afternoon cuppa.

Very nice first flush. Loads of florals mostly marigold and faint touches of lemon lime. I brewed first by sites recommendations and the flavor profile is as stated on website, then I increase to 5 gm in 200 pot for 3 1/2 minutes and got a bolder versus with just a twang od astringency. I like the bold better but the first flushes I’m trying so far from Teabox have all shown this delicate yet superb softness. It is way expensive but simply a well made tea.

This would be a nice introductory tea for beginners, smooth nothing overpowering. Light florals, citrus, muscatel, and malt. It really reminded me of Bai Mu Dan. Also light in caffeine so can be enjoyed in afternoon or after dinner. I started out with the instructions and it was a perfect brew but I needed a bit more oomph so I doubled the grams and cut the steep by a minute. More really good tea from Teabox.

Really nice black tea, not a super black, I would even say more like a oolong. Notes of muscatel and lemon with faint florals remind me of Darjeeling. Although this tea seems out of place, it is very pleasant on the palate with a modicum of astringency.

Not as complex for me as the Teabox website suggests, although it is definitely mellow. It brews up a nice bronze so you’d thing big bold flavors but it just isn’t there. Next time I’ll increase the amount of tea and reduce the volume a bit, see if I can’t coax out something.