The London Tea Room

I call this the ‘Scotch and Cigar’ of teas. Strong and smoky with a touch of vanilla and berries to soften and flavor.

This tea is not for everyone, but will stand out for those wanting a strong character tea.

Backlog:

A lovely blend. I enjoyed that I could taste each of the components of this blend but none was too overpowering.

The rose is the first flavor I noticed. Sweet and distinctly rose, and it complements the flavors of jasmine and lavender quite well. Floral, yes, but not soapy or perfume-y.

A nice white tea base. It is light and airy, with notes of earth and vegetation. The peppermint is not overdone here, and I really appreciated that as peppermint can sometimes easily take over in blends like this. It is more of an accent flavor here, not a dominating force.

A nice tea.

Tea #17 from the Here’s Hoping TTB

I was excited to see this end up in the TTB. I’m from St. Louis originally, where London Tea Room is located, but haven’t made it back for a visit in nearly five years. I just saw that they were closing their downtown location and moving to Tower Grove, so I’ll have to check out the new location next time I’m home.

It’s been a very very long time since I’ve had this tea, I had forgotten how much I liked it and now that I’ve had another cup I really miss being able to walk over to London Tea Room for a cup of tea now and then. Since I live in a small coffee drinking town, there just aren’t that many places available for me to get a good cup of tea outside of my home.

This tea smells great in the package and even better while steeping. I’m not the biggest fan of currant or citrus teas, but for some reason I have fallen in love with this blend. I don’t think I’ve had another tea that has combined the citrus notes from the bergamot with the fruity flavors of currants, it really is a great combination. I’ll have to pick some of this up if it’s available next time I go home, which should be close to valentines day when this seasonal blend is offered.

Michelle sent a teaspoon of this a while back with her sale. thank you! It sounded lovely! Sadly, the sample doesn’t have much oolong in it. But it did have a ton of chamomile (which I should have figured out before I added it to my mesh infuser.) But the chamomile actually enhances the peach flavor that is like a juicy peach. I wish there had been more oolong though! Butiki’s peach oolong was my favorite oolong I’ve ever tried (though this one wouldn’t have been QUITE the same.) A nice one – I should probably drink chamomile more. I think this is around the fourth tea I’ve tried from The London Tea Room and they have all been delicious.

I had this genius idea of getting four empty tins to put tea samples in. One each for: smoky teas, chai, minty teas, and the fruity teas that smell stronger. Just a bunch of samples in their sandwich bags (or whatever they are in) for each of those four. SO does anyone know where I can buy big empty tins like the bigger ones from Teavana? (Obviously those would be way too expensive, even if they are free, it’s Teavana.) I’d appreciate any help!

Tea #6 from HHTTB2

Oof! What a potently bergamot smelling dry leaf!

The wet leaf still smells very strongly of bergamot, but the liquor itself is very much tea smelling with a light berry fruitiness.

The base is robust and strong, but smooth. The bergamot isn’t the most prominent flavor, but it is potent and has a definite citrus bite. And the currant flavor is very good, and not fake. It’s a little like an E.G. with berry flavor. There’s no substantial lingering aftertaste note.

I added a tiny bit of Bailey’s Vanilla Brown Sugar creamer (because it sounded like the most amazing thing ever, and I pretty much begged Fiance to let me get it. It is also unfortunately nonalcoholic), and had a wonderfully decadent cup! It’s like drinking fresh berries and cream. The bergamot is more like citrus noise than a large piece of the flavor. But the tea is more than strong enough to stand up to the creamer and excel. The aftertaste now and incredibly lingering delicious berry happiness. Yuuuuum.

Here’s Hoping Traveling Tea Box #2
Mmmmmmmm this reminds me so much of the Coconut Pouchong Stephanie sent me from Golden moon. Sooooo smooth. Soooo creamy. I am really enjoying this. The coconut is just right. I will not be keeping any unfortunately because there isn’t much left, and I will be sending this one on its way.

Here’s Hoping Traveling Tea Box

I only took a tiny bit of this from the box, just to compare it to the Golden Moon coconut oolong which I still have about an ounce left of. They are indeed very similar! What is it about coconut and pouchong together? YUM!

Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – August 2023 Tea #1 - August 5 – Campfire Day

This was my smoky pick today for this prompt!  I was going to go with one mixed with honeybush, but my throat was already scratchy today… didn’t need help with that from scratchy honeybush.  Anyway, this tea has a ton of flavor.  It’s aging wonderfully.  Smoke and Earl on a hefty black base.  Yum.

Another from TeaboxB! thanks again everyone! I’ve never heard of a smoky bergamot… it honestly didn’t sound very good but I had to try it. It’s actually perfect. One teaspoon at four minutes… yep, perfect. The base is the perfect strength. There are equal parts smoke and bergamot. A nice smoke and a nice citrusy bergamot. It’s very intriguing! I know many people can’t take their bergamot and they can’t take their smoky teas. But I like both! And I can’t believe both aspects are done this well. I might sneak this from the teabox.

Another from the Here’s hoping teabox! The water was probably cooled way too low. After a three minute steep, it’s a sweet creamy coconut. More coconut flavor than there is an oolong flavor, probably because the oolong has barely unraveled. The second steep has less coconut and the oolong makes itself known. They are like completely different teas but that makes it interesting. This reminds me of Queen Mary’s Coconut Baozhong… it might be the same blend and I love that blend. I’m almost done with the HH teabox. It isn’t holding up Momo’s teabox, I promise, as it is an impossibility for me to get to the post office anyway… so they might as well go at the same time when I can actually go.

HH teabox! This one sounded lovely – black currants, cream, bergamot. And the taste is nice! The flavors balance themselves out. Actual fruit flavor, though I couldn’t tell you if it was actually black currants but it wasn’t fakey gross… it tasted like SOME kind of actual fruit. Just a little bit of cream (could have used more) and some bergamot that reminded me of a refreshing grapefruit. The black tea base helped out the nice flavor combination that I haven’t seen before!

Ok, I can smell the valerian in this one. It’s gonna put me in a coma for sure. I’ve heard Valerian described as smelling like old socks and various other horrible things but have never really found it objectionable. It has good associations for me, probably because I’m the kind of angst-y person who can always appreciate a bit of calming influence.

Some years ago, I devised a calming herbal blend of the same name—Two, actually. One I named sereni-tea to sooth my nerves. The second I named Mister T—to knock me out. The second one had valerian as I was dealing with insomnia. It was pretty effective. So now I’m a little concerned that this blend, which smells like valerian, will put me in a coma and disrupt my work today. Oh well, we’ll see.

It tastes…ok. Not particularly objectionable. Sort of a pleasant, generic herbal blend. Some mild mint in there somewhere and other good weedy stuff, enough that I can taste more than valerian. Yeah it’s there, but there’s enough other stuff to “sweeten” the blend and give it a sort of overall pleasant taste reminiscent of the old fashioned hippy tea blends of the seventies. Back when it was all about bucking the evil caffeine establishment and using healthy herbs. I get a little nostalgic with medicinal brews because they are more like the ones back then—A bit less about extracts and flavorings and more about getting certain health effects.

This one seems to be working. I’m starting to rub my eyes and yawn a bit. I probably ought to save it for individual cups in the evening rather than cold brewing it in the middle of the day. I’m becoming a bit mellower than I ought to for this time of day.

I’ll have to remember this stuff for times of stress though. It’s relaxing me very nicely, which helps my aches and pains too.

Original Title: Why is the Tea Always Gone?

Top o’ the morning to ye. It’s International Talk Like a Pirate Day. I be awake with the other salty dogs and sea witches staggerin about the deck and wishin I had two eye patches so as not to be so aggravated by the big shiny thing in the sky. Where’s me morning grog? Confound it all, me pocket flask has gone missin! It’s off to the galley for some tea instead.

So many varieties to choose from. Which one shall it be today? Here’s a sample some mermaid with a harp gifted to me. Let’s see how it smells…Ah, I’m detectin essence of old timbers with a hint of dead bodies and seaweed. . . Nar, I be jestin with ye.

This sample actually has a fine smell indeed. I have looked forward to trying it, expectin a flavor similar to my beloved Paris Morning (by Savoy Tea Co) but it’s turning out to be a completely different animal. It tastes like a very fine black tea with something pleasant but elusive. I be sniffin and tastin and puzzling but not sure what it is. It’s like something on the edge of my perception.

I do notice the tea base in this very much. It reminds me of the one I found so delightful in Savoy’s Christmas Tea. Whatever it is merits further investigation. I drank the first cup cold brewed but plan to brew up the second cup hot. We‘ll see if I can find out what treasure is buried in this fine tea.
. . . . . . . . .

There’s nothing like drinkin a tea hot ter distinguish its’ more subtle perfumes. I can smell the barest hints of vanilla n Arr-enge. Tis only a hint though, just enough ter give this very fine tea a bit of exotic mystery. Methinks I brewed it a mite hot the first time though. It had a touch of astringency. The resteep was done with care at a lower temperature and came out better. For a lark, I tried one cup with coconut milk and sweetener. It tasted good, exactly like coconut milk and sweetener taste good. I could have left the tea out and not missed it. . . Methinks the flavor of this tea is too delicate for that sort of thing.

This tea is the sort that can stand alone and is best served warm so one can breath in its exotic mystery. I couldn’t tell ye much of that fru fru talk of what makes it so fascinatin, but I know what I like. Time to brew one more cuppa….Shiver me timbers! The entire sample’s gone already?

That‘s it, I‘m off to sack Paris. .

Backlog:

Thank you to Azzrian for sending me some of this tea!

This was tasty, although, I was a little disappointed that I didn’t get a chocolate-y taste that was promised to me in the description of the tea. I tasted the orange and a hint of the creamy vanilla, but the chocolate was sadly lacking. If I hadn’t read the description, I would not have even realized that there was supposed to be chocolate notes in this … but when I focus on the sip intently, the chocolate is there … it’s just so very faint.

As the tea cools slightly, the chocolate notes begin to emerge. It still isn’t chocolate-y enough for this chocoholic, but, overall, the cup was certainly drinkable.

After my delicious mi xian black, I pulled out a tea from my swap with Terri Harplady. I didn’t read anything about it first and just made it. I had absolutely no idea what to expect. It was much darker, richer than I expected. A bit of a shock to the system after the mi xian. Especially since that had been so refreshing and sweet. I think this is definitely more of a breakfast tea. I added a touch of honey and cream and it was super yummy. I’m having the rest of my sample as my breakfast tea tomorrow. I can’t wait! Thanks Terri!

mmm thank you for this one terri! I think i have another 3-4 of your teas kicking around in various forms and this was one of them. Had a small cup of this this afternoon and the rest went into an experiment with chicken and spinach for this evenings meal. We’ll see how it turns out but it won’t be because his tea was bad…this is a fairly love lapsang :)

I was very curious about this tea as it is the favorite of my sister’s main squeeze. He seems like an intelligent fellow, so I imagined it would be pretty good. I was not disappointed when I smelled the raw product. My nose informed me immediately that this was the good stuff.

It smelled less wonderful after a three minute steep, less perfume-y and more…I don’t know…tea-ey? A vague hint of lemon or bergamot. That should have made it MORE perfume-y but somehow didn’t . Somewhere between the package and the hot water it seemed to have lost it’s feminine qualities and taken on a more masculine note. There was something in the way of an underlying scent, a kind of smokiness, that gave it a more manly quality. This made its appeal to the other gender understandable.

I found myself not really disliking the tea. I was just a little disappointed though, as the topnote left me expecting something more floral and perfume-y. The same thing happened when I tried Lapsang Saochang. These smoky teas, they sneak up on you.

Of course, that’s what I get when I’m trying unknown samples. When you have no labels from which to read ingredients and descriptions and are too lazy to go online and look them up for yourself, you’re bound to run into a few surprises.

This is from a sample box from my big sis, Terri Harplady. Our tastes are not always the same, but appear to coincide concerning this one. Like her, I’ll drink this when I’m in the mood and probably share it with my man. I suspect he will like it better. It’s ok, just not my favorite cup of tea.

So…this is another part of my secret formula I’m working on (But NO MATTER WHAT, I’m not gonna tell you what ELSE is in it!!!).

My initial response to Lapsang Souchong was not favorable.
“People drink this sh*^?”
I had purchased some to use in a chicken recipe, “Tea-Brined Five Spice Roast Chicken”, from Mindy Fox’s cookbook, “A Bird in the Oven & then Some”. You brine the whole chicken in a mix or orange, lapsang, cloves, cinnamon, star anise, ginger…etc. Then you air dry it, then you bake. What results is a delicious beautifully lacquered looking bird with a subtle smokey spiced exotic flavor. The carcass makes great soup stock too!

So naturally I drank a cup…& it was strange. Interestingly enough, my love of Keemun has led me to realize that I do enjoy a bit of smoke, & I’ve discovered that if you add stevia, smokey flavors can (sometimes) taste like caramel.

My younger sister, Liz, goes by MsWhatsit on steepster. She’s not as out going as I am, so most of you probably don’t know her, but she’s a fun & wonderful writer, so I’ve cut & pasted her review of this Lapsang into my review. I hope you enjoy it!
MsWhatsit:
Some teas evoke images of pagodas and elegant ceremonies. That’s the sort of thing I was imagining at the first whiff of this in the package. I’m still not sure what happened. Perhaps I’m a lousy judge of character where teas are concerned. Or maybe this tea, which rode in with a sample package from Harplady (Thanks Sis!), picked up some of the more refined fragrances from those surrounding it. Or maybe, as when a rugged man tidies himself up like a gentleman to win over the ladies, it just gave me the wrong impression. No matter. The minute the hot water touched it, this teas true nature emerged. The scent did NOT evoke images of pretty ceremonies in little rice paper lined tea rooms at all. No, my imagination told me I was camping out with Genghis Khan and his rowdy entourage. It tastes like…well, tea, but with an interesting smokiness. I have read reviews of smoky teas with some skepticism. I wouldn’t have expected to like a smokey tea but found it surprisingly pleasing. Maybe it has something to do with my love of barbeque. Perhaps it’s the yen I’ve had for seasonal flavors. Pumpkin spices aren’t the only thing you smell in Autumn, it is also the season for smoky bonfires and firing up the wood stove. What better than a smoky blend such as this one to celebrate this time of year? The tea itself is a subtly fragrant presence with no bitterness, just a light familiar background flavor. As a girl with some Southern influences, I thought of barbeque and of sweet tea. I thought, ‘this would make the perfect sweet tea for an event without barbeque.’ Near the end of my cup, I tried it sweet and it was good. Then I added lemon. That was a little strange. I reflected that my husband (resident hillbilly and sweet tea expert) is right, lemon isn’t necessary or helpful. During the unprecedented second steeping I did consider going with the barbeque theme and adding a bit of cider vinegar and molasses. I’ve always been a fan of switchel and suspect this would make a good base. Perhaps when I try this a a cold brew, I will. But that second steeping was as good as the first and I had it all by itself savoring it’s uniqueness. I think I’ve found my new favorite autumn tea.

This tea combines the features of a smokey ‘caravan’ type tea with the bergamot of Earl Grey. It’s suppose to be a tribute to Winston Churchill, who was not a tea drinker. It was really a big ‘risk’ for me to purchase some of this, but I had to give it a try. It’s ok, but not something I will re-order… :p

What was I thinking?
Oh, who knows…
I haven’t been a big fan of bergamot or smokey teas in the past, but have recently started enjoying ‘some’ of them.
It started with The Tea Spot’s Earl of Grey. I bought a little for Tony to sample, & although it didn’t really thrill him, I enjoyed it! It has a lemony pastry quality & is delicious.
I started enjoying some of roasty oolongs I was getting from Verdant. Not the same as smokey, but kind of opening the door in that direction.
Then I got into drinking some Keemun from the LTR, that has a nice smokey character to it. I also noticed with some smokey teas, a little sweetening gives that smoke a caramelized taste, which I like.

So then I went off the deep end & bought some of THIS!
It’s basically a smokey tea with an earl grey addition. I’m not really sure how I feel about it, to be honest, but I’m trying to go through some of my flavored teas. It is, of course, a tribute to Winston Churchill, who smoked cigars & drank watered down whiskey. He was known for his wittiness, and here is my favorite quote:

Lady Astor (first woman MP in the House of Commons): “Mr Churchill, if you were my husband, I’d put poison in your tea.”

Winston (getting unsteadily to his feet): “Madam, if I were your husband … I’d drink it.”

He was not a tea drinker.

I really shouldn’t have black tea this late. Oh well. It has that nice bergamot smell that I like. It tastes like citrus black tea. Better with a little milk, and cinnamon.

I’ve discovered recently that I rather like the smell of bergamot. The flavour seems like standard earl grey with currants. It’s a good tea, but needs more vanilla.

First cup of the day!
This is a blend of Silver Needle, Darjeeling, & Kenyan teas put together by the London Tea Room (based here in St. Louis) in commemoration of the engagement of Prince William & Kate.

I’m not as into blends as I once was, prefering to enjoy each variety on it’s own merits, but this is a pleasant combo.