Upton Tea Imports

3 tsp of tea in brown ceramic teapot. Drank with cream. Brews very pale. Mild flavor, needed less cream than expected.

Sweet flowery aroma, pleasant flavor.

Wonderful pick-me-up with a splash of milk. Brewed the lazy way with 1 tsp (not weighted) of tea in a basket right in my m-f-teatime mug. Lots of bits left in the cup, paper filter would be been better. There is some astringency that builds up but it is tolerable.

Very mild, subtle flavor, mild astringency. Nice to sip with biscuits for evening work.

The brew was a bit too astringent for my taste. One sugar cube in a teacup was too sweet, but it needs some sweetness to balance. Used finum bag with a ceramic teapot, and drank with half n half. Next time will try less steep time.

Received as a sample from the company.

Brewed in my porcelain Jingdezhen gaiwan with Los Angeles municipal tap water just off the boil throughout.

Gold tipped, twisted, wiry leaves.

No rinse, starting with a 30 second infusion: burnt umber/seal brown gradient in the cup; sweet potato, burdock, loam, and low vegetal notes in the nose; the flavors mirror and intensify the aromatic notes, adding to them a long finish suggesting roasted pecans, cocoa nibs, cassia, and autumn leaves. Fairly tannic but presenting as more minerality than bitterness. Lacks the sweetness and creamy malt notes of superior Dian Hong, but is pleasingly robust without being bracing.

Many subsequent infusions at 15 – 45 seconds preserve the same character, though the sweetness gives over more and more to a drab hint of cinnamon.

While more refined than many ripe pu-erh, it could serve a similar function as a counter-point to a meal.

I believe this is a sample I received from Kiwi in a Christmas swap 2 years ago. A very delayed Thank you! I love mint teas. This was no exception. Mostly I just really love mint. I drink a lot HS Mint Verbena before bed and this was good as well. It was simple and to the point. It made me think I should look into Moroccan Mint teas again. ( Sipdown )

This’ll make you pucker! Definitely malty, not much else to comment on.

Most companies send samples to make me want to buy, and I kinda wonder if Upton was trying to unload some tea that backfired with this sample. This is one of those teas I’m okay to finish but won’t even look up the price for. I love Indonesian coffees, but maybe tea just isn’t Java’s thing. Or, being as positive as possible, maybe it’s absolutely fantastic in blends!

It is supposed to be a cost-efficient alternative to Darjeelings.

The dry leaf is rather small and certainly broke but fragrant.: the smell of meadow, flowers and apricot. The wet leaf smells rather uncomplicated, of sourish grassy sweetness. The tea itself is not particularly strong on flavors – it is floral with the hint of apricot. The flavor is very muted so having a good water is important. Overall, not a bad tea, especially if you do not oversteep it but not much of a unique character there. There are certainly better Nepalese teas out there, including Upton’s.

I am not a big fan of Assams at all. But I am trying to keep an open mind and be ready to be surprised and converted. Not by this tea, though. It has a very nice dry leaf appearance: large leafs, some gold in color. Smells of sweetness, vanilla, berry and spices, i.e. good. But the taste is quite predictable and uninspiring. A lot of bite and bitterness, a typical middle-of-the road Assam. Kind a forgettable tea, to be honest.

(Appearance) Nicely pressed into a heart-shape. The tuocha falls apart in the cup fast and easily. (Aroma) Strong smell of rice and mushrooms.

(Taste) A very nice blend of rice, mushrooms and earth. It can be re-steeped many times without any appreciable loss in flavor, which is very consistent. Overall it is a very comforting and relaxing tea (if not the most complex), one of my favorites for winding down. Will certainly buy again…and again… and again.

I got a bunch of samples from Upton when they had some free shipping deal, and this is one of them. It is a solid breakfast tea, though it turned a bit astringent. It was good with milk, and would be an okay basic black tea to have around, but I don’t think I’ll get more of it. It has inspired me to check out other assams when I get the chance though.

Smells like molasses and fig cookies in the bag

Taste mostly makes me think of honey, with some hints of the scents mentioned above.

A good bang for buck Chinese tea.

Not a bad Keemun but quite unremarkable. The aroma is so-so, the sour notes predominate in the taste. Upton has much better Keemuns that cost just a bit more, such as China Keemun Mao Feng or Hao -Ya B Superfine Keemun. Will not buy again.

Inoffensive, good for blending or some mindless drinking but does not stand out in any way. So far it was my impression of all Nilgiri teas I had tried.

Yum yum. This one is earthy, starchy and rich. It’s a go-to tea when I’m looking for something dark and strong.

I just didn’t care for this one much. Based on other reviews, maybe I should give it another go, but to me this tea tasted sort of grassy and sour and was just not for me.

This is a flavorful green tea. I thought it tasted fresh, and almost spicy and sweet somehow. I like it a lot.