Upton Tea Imports

I didn’t know just how much I would enjoy Chinese black teas, especially Keemuns. I’ll be sad to see this sample go, but excited to try out different Keemuns!

As the description implies, the word “rustic” is fitting. As ambiguous as the term may seem at first in regards to describing a tea, I think it’s perfect. When I think of the word, I think of some pastoral, laborious scene in the midst of a summer heat. That’s exactly what drinking this tea reminds me of. It’s as if I am imbibing some long bygone days of another century.

Slightly chocolaty, not the least bit smokey like some Keemuns, this would make a perfect dessert tea or even, like my favorite application, the perfect breakfast tea.

This summer I’ve been drinking Ceylons with breakfast, as a lighter, more heat-friendly alternative to my usual burly Assams. I am finding them just as satisfying in their own way.

This Kenilworth is my current favorite. I ordered it thanks to a semi-negative review on Upton’s site, from a reviewer who was looking for a lemony Ceylon and was disappointed that this one was instead a biscuity Ceylon — though he found it excellent and gave it five stars anyway. That B-word jumped out at me, and I thought, “That’s exactly what I want, a biscuity one!” The tea lives up to that billing. It’s like the tea equivalent of a Social Tea cookie. (I can’t do a side-by-side test, since I’m severely gluten-intolerant, but I ate enough Social Teas in my youth that they linger in my sense memory.)

This was one of the best teas we’ve had in a while! What a pleasant suprize! We had this sample in our cupboard for a while, and just decided to brew up a pot this evening. It has a nice spiciness and is also kind of creamy and smooth. Went really well with milk!

I don’t know why I’m getting sleepy at around noon, but I knew an Assam tea would definitely help with this! This is one of my favorite Assams I’ve tried so far from my Upton samples. It’s extremely balanced with fruity notes, a touch of sweet malt, and lasting subtle astringency.

Decent Kenya. The hints of red apple are detectable, but faint and more of a subtle apple skin flavor from a good cider. There’s a decent bit of malt to this tea. I still prefer the Milima estate Kenyas I’ve had in the past, and I would recommend those over this tea, because they are less astringent and offer more fruity flavor. This one does seem, to my palate, closer to most of the lower end, more astringent Assams than the Kenyas I’ve had.

Check out our video-review here: http://healthyprofessionals.blog.com/2011/07/12/the-tea-show-episode-20-upton-teas-adawatte-estate-bopsf

I was a bit surprised just how broken up the leaf was. I mean, I knew it was broken (BOP), but it looked very close to an almost fanning stage. Regardless, the tea brewed up pretty nicely. This is most definitely a classic Ceylon- bright citrus notes, lively, and slightly tangy.