Upton Tea Imports

Not my cup of tea – too smoky and too earthy even for a Keemun, and misses the complexity of ZK98

Exceptionally complex, with a sweet smoky taste and a bit of a bitter aftertaste

Summery, fruity, and I like the base, but also fairly generic.

Notes of stone fruits (apricot, peach) and a somewhat malty base. The black portion of the base comes through a lot clearer than the green. Lots of tannin, and the cup is quite flavourful.

Coldbrew! 1.5 tsp leaf, 500 mL cold water, 5 minutes (it is a very fine tea, so it steeped fast)

Vaguely fruity (raspberry, Asian pear, generic fruity flavours) with a moderate but unremarkable base. It isn’t bad, but it isn’t noteworthy. Base tastes like a generic black, but it is difficult to tell. Smooth, a bit of sweet berry, but not something I need to buy. I still have the other 2 tsp of this sample from someone to use up, I might try it out hot and see how that goes.

I think this was it—I never actually look at the catalog numbers and when I searched for “Upton Yunnan” I was presented with a distressingly large number of options.

At any rate, the sample pack of whatever Yunnan I ordered has been tasty. “Peppery” seems to be the standard one-flip-flop-fits-all adjective for Yunnan tea, and it does fit this one as well. As it cooled, it reminded me more of the burlap-feed-bag graininess of a Keemun. Tasty.

This is really good iced and sugared. I agree with the other review that it has a deep flavor. I steeped it quickly at a temp. below boiling, and I didn’t get any bitterness.

This is actually TC26, which appears to be the same as TC27, so:

Brewed in my black, Korean infuser cup – so as usual, I didn’t note the color (a rich copper or russet I assume).

The dry leaves are fine, even, black, platinum-tipped wires.

Very sweet (fruity) and floral aromatics, even before I add water; doing so actually seems to diminish the complexity of the liquor’s aroma (which is a very gentle version of the flavor), although the leaves take on some vegetal and honey notes.

Rich, deep, remarkably persistent cocoa-powder notes with softer hints of pipe tobacco and malt on the palate. Mild bitterness throughout. Medium-dry finish. Hints of light roast coffee at times in the after-taste – would take milk well, but this is certainly a refined self-drinker on its own.

Soft yet lively body, mild astringency to balance the sweetness.

Delicious (but a bit potent caffeine-wise) afternoon tea – doubt you’ll find a better low-land Ceylon than from this estate – comparable to some high-grade Keemun teas, albeit significantly more affordable.

(Upton carries several Mao Feng varieties. I’m rolling with this one…hope it’s correct.)

Beautiful long, twisty leaves. Reminds me of a quality Assam; cocoa and wheat toast.

Something this good deserves a lengthy and more luscious write-up, but my eyes will not open and this is the best I can muster :)

This is a good Darjeeling to drink straight. It requires no milk.
I prepared this as Upton recommends: 1sp per cup at 212F for 3 minutes. I made a small pot of 3 cups.

It has a classic Darjeeling orange liquor with a citrusy nose. Less muscatel in aroma, but with some muscately and light wood flavor. There is only mild astringency in the finish.

Update 1. Made a pot at 195, 3 teaspoons, 3-cup pot. 3-4 minutes steeping. Good with or without milk. Not as full-bodied as some other Darjeelings I’ve reviewed of late. Astringency
of the long, pleasant variety. Lingering aromatics in the mouth long after you’ve gone about your day.

Beautiful orange brew is clear and bright. The liquor has a lovely aroma of dried orange peel. Flavor is strong Darjeeling with hints of foxy muscatel, dried orange essence and a long astringent end.

I brewed this per Upton’s instructions at 1 tsp per cup at around 208F. I made a 3-cup pot. The flavor profile mellowed a few minutes after I removed the leaves. It’s good to let it cool and settle down. Still, it’s somewhat too astringent for my taste to drink straight.

Drinking in the English style with a bit of milk (MIL please) mellows and rounds this out, allowing the lighter floral and fruit qualities to rise : it’s a great steep if you enjoy it in this way.

Brewing at 190 degrees changes everything. It becomes a beautiful liqueur with floral and fruit notes, best enjoyed without milk. I couldn’t get enough of the aroma. This could easily become a favorite special tea.

I really wanted to like this. It smelled so good in the pouch, had so many ingredients that I love…

Turns out, put together, they just become a busy mess. What flavor there is is quite confused; the closest I can compare it to is a badly done german gingerbread-dipped-in-german-chocolate cookie, but one that is old enough that most of the flavor has faded.

I actually don’t like lavender too much as a scent, though I do like it as a flavor. I was worried about that this time, since opening the packet unleashed a massive slap in the face of scent. Once brewed, though, it mellowed out to a lovely floral earl grey with a bit more natural sweetness than most.

So much bergamot in this tea…The scent is almost overpowering and makes me sneeze! It isn’t as bad once it’s brewed, but it is just too much for my tastes.

It has a woodsy smell to the leaves, but it brews like chocolate. Very nice.

The smell of the vanilla is definitely there when dry but once it’s brewed most of that is gone. I didn’t get the bergamont at all. It’s a smooth, non-offensive drink but it doesn’t really have enough of anything setting it apart to make it worth a repeat purchase.

I think I’ll try a shorter steep next time as this came out a bit more bitter than I typically like. Once I got past the bitter, I found a deeper, very bold flavor. This is not a subtle tea.