Upton Tea Imports

This is a smooth, crisp Ceylon with a rich flavor that holds up well to milk and sugar. Pretty generic tasting Ceylon, but that could just be because I don’t drink enough Ceylon to be able to distinguish between varieties. The aftertaste is quite strong also. Overall, a decent tea that is quite enjoyable tonight.

A really good, classic cup of Sri Lankan black tea. This tea has a light, crisp taste, a bracing quality, and the dry sweetness of wine. I drank it without milk, lemon or any other additive and it was great.

I have never had a cup of “Ceylon” tea that is not astringent. Thankfully, this one has less astringency than most.

Slight smoke, as others have said. I don’t generally like smoky tea, so this is a nice change of pace for me. The slight smoke is pleasant. Lots of depth to this cup.

Thank you to TeaEqualsBliss for sending me this one too!

The flavor is so beautiful here – the rose flavor is strong but doesn’t overwhelm the grassy undertones of the green tea. It is mildly astringent with a drying quality at the tail. The aftertaste is sweet rose. Sweet, feminine and luxurious.

My problem with the Upton single estate assams is they are usually sold out by the time I review them. This one is almost sold out, but I liked it so much I thought I would slide in a review. Nice flavor, malt, fruit, maybe spice. One of the best teas I’ve had. I liked it enough to purchase another package before it sells out.

It has been quite a while since I’ve been away from Steepster. It is not that I have completely lost interest in teas and noting down my feelings about them, but it is perhaps my laziness kicking in plus all the studying I had to keep up with from school. Now that I am enjoying my summer break, I seem to have more time to relax and enjoy the passing of time.
Something to note for myself is that in the recent months, I have now completely moved away from green tea and acquired a heavy preference for black teas. This could be due to being “burned” by the bad order I made quite a while ago from Specialteas (which is now out of business BTW). I had to throw away nearly 10oz of it due to it getting old without anyone in the family willing to drink it. Anyways, I am not quite sure if I will come back to trying other green teas in the future but as it stands I am now predominantly a black tea drinker.

This is the first Irish breakfast tea that I have tried, and also my first order from Upton Teas Imports. From what I have read, it is supposed to have a very robust, bold, and strong character that gives you a jolt in the morning just like coffee does, but perhaps to a lesser degree. And from what I’ve tasted, it is quite exactly that. The liquor is nearly full-bodied, and it lacks the astringency that I would have expected and is therefore capable of some over brewing. Since Irish breakfast teas are mainly blended with Assams, I thought it would have a very malty taste but instead the malt was more towards being in the background while the warm toasty taste was what hit my palate most of the time. Overall, a very good C.T.C. tea that I will see myself buying again in the future.

You can check out our video-review here: http://healthyprofessionals.blog.com/2011/06/12/the-tea-show-episode-11-extra-bergamot-english-earl-grey/

This made a good, solid breakfast tea. Bright and bold but smooth. It didn’t blow me away, but I’ll definitely consider it again tomorrow morning as it’s a good, straight-forward, first-thing-in-the-morning-with-milk tea.

Check out my video-review here: http://healthyprofessionals.blog.com/2011/05/29/the-tea-show-episode-8-uptons-seasons-pick-assam-ftgfop/

Smells like sweet dried fruit (there are dried cranberries in the tea); smells lovely. Brewed mine for about 5-6 minutes, added milk and sugar, and couldn’t taste much cranberry, but could still smell what smelled more like general dried fruit (an aroma I like) than cranberry specifically. Very nice and warming.

I like this tea a lot. It has a good toasty and mildly nutty quality and it is fine to resteep. It is more medium bodied, and so, to me an all day tea. It reminds me of Copper Knot Hongcha by Teavana, though that is a darker tea. They are actually similarly priced.

The end of this sample…..

I was glad I had enough to make a whole pot as this is one I would consider buying when it is back in stock. I get honey notes, and it is definitely in the profile of tea that I like best, but I think I like more roasty notes than this one has to offer. Still, I am leaning more toward choosing another China Black when the time comes that I actually need more. I did enjoy it very much, though.

A Yunnan that fits my usual tea profile. This was very good. The leaves are a large percent golden, and long and curly. They brew up into a lighter version of the typical Fujian blacks I drink. The taste is smooth, and sweet, with a light smokiness that fills out the base. It is not as full tasting as darker deas, but still lovely and satisfying.

Check out my video-review here:
http://healthyprofessionals.blog.com/2011/05/20/the-tea-show-episode-6-uptons-midsummer-dream/

Check out my video-tasting at: http://healthyprofessionals.blog.com/the-tea-show

Check out my video tasting: http://healthyprofessionals.blog.com/the-tea-show/

Check out our video review here:
http://healthyprofessionals.blog.com/the-tea-show/

Check out our video-tasting at:
http://healthyprofessionals.blog.com/the-tea-show/

Check out my video-tasting:
http://healthyprofessionals.blog.com/the-tea-show/

Lilacs all the way! A very pleasant floral tasting tea! A great buy really

What can I say? I was curious. This one has actually been in my cupboard a long time, but it does not call out to me very often. It is quite smoky, and the first time you open the bag is a real shocker. For most people, it is a love it or hate it affair. I, however, can tolerate it on occasion, but rarely crave it. After all, there are so many teas that I deeply enjoy. So, why bother with something that is only OK?

I’m having this iced tonight. Its bold flavors hold up well to the brisk cool temperature. I can taste the chocolate maltiness, with a touch of sweetness from the 1/4 tsp of sugar I added, bringing out the flavors nicely. I liked this tea hot, and like it even better iced!