TeaFountain

A note to the demise of this one…I threw the remainder away in the garbage…a fitting resting place.

Taking a clue from Earl Grey Bravo (Adagio), I tried a 30 second steep. That helps A LOT. This tea is strong and oversteeps super fast. As Earl Grey’s go, it’s still a loss…but it does produced a drinkable cuppa when handled right. bumping my rating a smidgin.

Trying this again. A little bit goes a long way with this tea. Easy to oversteep as I found out. Having learned that lesson, I’m giving it another go.
I’m not getting Earl Grey from this tea, despite the smell of the dry tea. Its coming across as harsh and bitter, as in a citrus bitter. The flavor mellows a bit and becomes less bitter as it cools, but its still not quite right…and still no “Earl Grey”. Given that there are so many other Earl Grey’s out there that I like a lot better, I’ll not waste my time on this one again in the near future.

A nice warming Chai. I drink them straight, no milk, little if any sugar. This Chai has a nice balance. A spicy, cinnamon smell and a peppery taste. Sip a little and you’ll pick up the cardamon and cloves. Hold a bit in the mouth and the spicy ginger will warm your tounge. All incorporated into a nice, smooth and unassuming tea base. Good Stuff!

I’ve been working on finishing off my supply of this tea (need the room for some new teas). My previous note still applies, but I’m giving it a rating boost…its just that good.

Wow! that was my reaction to smelling the dry tea when I first opened the sampler I recieved. I am glad to say that the wow factor carried over to the brew. This tea is completely different from my usual fare. I have some keemun, a different brand, at my office, and admittedly its a bit old…been sitting on the shelf for probably at least two years, although I’ve been on a mission to finish it these last couple of months. This keemun from TeaFountain is like a breath of fresh air. Not bitter, not too light, not too heavy, FULL of flavor that lasts. I would recommend this one for a taste of something different.
Edit:
My cup is cooling down and the flavor isn’t as good as when it was hot…developing a little bitterness and getting a little heavy handed in the flavor as it cools. I don’t expect this would make a good iced tea.

I’m excited to try this tea. The dry leaves are a lovely chocolate brown color with many golden tips, and they emit a hickory smoke/earthy scent. I wonder if it will taste as it smells.

Just like the Rohini Estate, I’m left with a myriad of downy hairs floating on the surface of the green-gold liquor. The brew has a subtle sweet scent, with a tad of that smokiness still hinted at in the steam. Initial sips give off a vegetal, yet robust dark flavor. A tad bit of astringency accompanies the taste, but just like the Namring Estate, it’s not enough to make it bitter. So far no hints of the woodsmoke in the mix. Hints of flora. All in all, quite a good cuppa tea.

The leaves of this tea brew a light coppery-green liquor. A sweet smell of steam rolls from the cup, and the brew itself has a thin light feel in the mouth. The muscatel flavor has a slight astringency to it, but not so much to make it bitter and unpleasant, while slight notes of vegetation fill out the flavor.

This wonderful Darjeeling brews up a very light pale green-yellow, and the leaves have enough downy hair covering them to leave some gently floating on the waters meniscus. The smell is rich and slightly malty, with a similar flavor. Vegetal and slight fruity notes round out this fine liquor.

Edit: Came back to bump up the rating. This tea is great, and changes flavor as it cools. So many shades of fruityness, flowers, berries, and fresh crisp vegitation. Second brew is almost as good as the first.