Upton Tea Imports

Had not quite enough for two cups, but more than one cup’s worth this morning, so I went big, strong, and in an XL mug—that was enough overleafing to actually give it a little bite, but a squunch of honey tamed it nicely.

Unless you steep it purposely beastly like I did, this is a very nice breakfast tea for those of you who prefer your breakfast tea on the lighter side.

With milk this morning. It did push some of the subtleties to the forefront. Dark fruit with (yep, found it!) a little peppercorn. Not quite strong enough for morning wake-up calls, but I’m enjoying exploring something a little different with every cup.

I’ve tried this variety before, and thanks to Michelle, I’m enjoying a rerun. Here’s what Upton has to say about it: Longer steepings yield a robust cup with notes of rose and peppery hints. At briefer steepings, the liquor is sweeter and more delicate.

So far, I’ve just tried the two minute variation, which has a very dark cherry vibe. Not sure there are any roses blooming in my cup. However, it builds up a lot of muscle the longer it sits, so I’m looking forward to a longer steep with milk next time to see what happens.

So, that’s what I get for forming an opinion before trying this: I expected a strong, deep, earthy texture and tone. Instead, This one steeped to the color of stained cherry wood and reminds me of dark grainy bread and molasses. Its bite increases a little as it cools, so I’m thinking it would play nicely with milk. Yummy as it is, though.

If you’re expecting a more conventional, punch-you-in-the-face oolong, this’ll be a shocker. First steep is extremely light gold and delicate with the aroma of lilacs (Upton’s not kidding), hints of malt, hints of spice, and a crisp, clean mouthfeel. The flavor gets a bit breadier as it cools, taking on kind of a rye/caraway note.

Second steep is an unexpectedly major shift, with the lilac smell lingering but the spices coming very much to the forefront of taste. It’s like drinking a pepparkakor. Gingery, peppery, cinnamony.

I received this tea as a bonus sample in my order from Upton Tea last November. I have enjoyed several first and second flush Darjeelings from the Tindharia Estate over the years, and loved them all. I was glad to see a green Darjeeling tea from that estate, and decided to cup it today. :-)

The sample pack revealed small darkish green, tender leaves with a few spattered white tips, a “fresh Spring air” aroma, with definite gentle sweetness & creaminess. Steeping leaf exhibits fresh vegetal qualities, a gentle creamy nature, and a very light spinach note. Wet leaves (when hot) also have that very light spinach note, but I mostly get a sweetness, and a Spring fresh quality. Cup color is a light straw yellow, with a light vegetal cream character in the nose. Flavors are also light and smooth with no bitterness. It is only on the back of my tongue where I get that vegetal green quality, with light astringency.

For a second cup, I added dry leaves to the wet ones from the previous cup, hoping to deepen some of the flavors. Steeping Parameters: Eleven ounce cup (9 oz water), roughly 3 grams of dry leaf added, steeped for 3 minutes at 180 degrees. Similar but deeper aromas appeared in the dry/wet leaves, and in the steeping leaves. Was that a very light straw aroma in the dry leaf? Such a mild and elusive tea. Cup color was a slightly darker straw yellow, with similar and slightly deeper sniffed aromas. A gently deeper flavor profile: smooth, creamy and vegetal. Swishing and swirling the tea liquor in my mouth—was that corn on the back of my tongue? Yes, if only for a second or two! Very light corn nuances on the back of my palate….how elusive…there and gone! Mild green tea “pucker”, and still light, unoffensive astringency greets my throat.

Finishing the sample with a single third (removed leaves) and fourth cup; 4 grams dry leaf, steeped for 3 minutes (4th cup 3:15 minutes) at 180 degrees. Dry leaves: Fresh “Spring air” aroma, sweet, creamy, light straw notes. Steeping & wet leaves: fresh vegetal qualities, a gentle creamy nature, and a very light spinach note. Medium yellow cup color & slightly stronger vegetal, sweet cream aromas. Smooth, creamy & vegetal flavor, but astringency (& even bitterness—especially in 4th cup with longer steep) overwhelms my palate at times. Despite this, even the vegetal creamy aspects later return and are not forgotten.

Overall, this is a very nice green tea from the Tindharia Estate, even with the pronounced astringency in the fourth cup. Somewhat mild in the earlier steeps (lower temps & steep times), with a decent vegetal, creamy mouthfeel. I am glad I received a sample of this tea to try. A green tea that green tea lovers would enjoy, and a nice tea for those beginning their green tea journey. :-)

Cupped: Thursday-Friday, February 9-10, 2017. Reviewed: Friday, February 10, 2017.

My notion of Scottish breakfast tea (highly influenced by period dramas and literature) is that it should be dark and strong enough to clean a corroded car battery.

Thank you, Upton friends, for helping me adjust that notion somewhat. This Assam-Ceylon-Yunnan blend is definitely a breakfast tea, but it does a nicely choreographed step dance that touches evenly on malty, sharp, and smooth. The leaves second-steeped nicely and tasted a little “sunnier and fresh hay-ier.” Too tasty to mess up with milk.

The catalog said The dark coppery cup has a lively peppery feel with a light vanilla hint in the aroma. The smooth flavor is rich with notes of dark spices and hints of brown sugar. What’s not to like…copper, pepper, spice, sugar?

This is my first attempt to steep this one, and if I were writing the catalog entry, it would read, “Keemun, only a scooch smoother and a smidge sweeter.” This is probably why I have not been hired to write descriptions for tea catalogs.

I really love pearl teas and flowering teas! Teas that offer levels of enjoyment visually and in taste, from the first cup to the last! This is a unique tea that I’m glad I purchased from Upton Tea about two months ago. I prepared this tea over two days using two methods with my Bonjour glass tea press (18-20 oz).

These Shai Zhen Zhu Shou Mei Pearls are huge; about the size of a large marble or Super Ball. I tried gongfu brewing for this tea first, each cup being roughly 7 oz each, while I gradually increased steep time & temperature. Cup #1: Water about 185 degrees, 1.5 minute steep time. The tea pearl barely began to unfurl, emitting a lightly sweet aroma, and an equally light nut/fruit aroma. Wet leaf aroma was very toasty, woody and roasty in nature, cooling to reveal more melon aromatics—like ripe cantaloupe. Cup color was a very light ecru, with a gentle, sweet aroma. Tea flavor is sweet, gentle with hints of the woods & melon-very slight.

Cup #2: 200 degrees, steeped for two minutes; the tea pearl half unfurled. The best aroma in wet leaves—again, very toasty, woody and roasted, cooling to a very noticeable fruity, ripe cantaloupe quality. Cup color was ecru to light brown, with good woods and toasty qualities. Cooler cup reveals more fruit & melon aromatics. Tea flavor is fuller but still gentle, good woody notes coat my palate, with a sweetness like honey. This cup reveals the best fruity cantaloupe notes.

Cup #3: 212 degrees for 5 minutes; tea pearl is fully unfurled revealing very large olive green/brown leaves. Waning wet leave aromatics, but still smells like cup #2. Cup color is darkest—still light/medium brown, with similar, but fading aromas. Flavors are milder than second cup, but still toasty, and fruity- with less honey like sweetness.

The next day, I decided to brew a second pearl closer to Upton’s brewing instructions. Filling my tea press with 180 degree filtered water, my first cup steeped at 4 minutes. This was the fullest most delicious cup. Light to medium brown in color with fuller woody, toasty cup aromas, cooling to reveal honey like sweetness & ripe cantaloupe. Satisfying warm woods and toast coated my palate and soothed my throat. The most balance of any cup-still gentle in aromas and flavors. Woods, toast, gentle honey sweetness, later revealing more melon qualities. Delicious! :D

My last cup was steeped a full 5 minutes. Although still present in aroma and flavor, cup aromas and qualities were dissipating, and not quite as flavorful as the previous cup. Flavors and sweetness less defined, with only the very slightest of bitterness-which, for this Pearl Tea, is hardly noticeable.

Keep in mind, because this is a full leaf white tea, the quality cups you savor will be flavorful, gentle and satisfying. :D For these Shou Mei Pearls, I prefer my second day (two cup) brew, because the aromas and flavors were most satisfying & delicious, AND I simply enjoyed these cups more. Not to mention this is a visually satisfying experience as well! :D A tea to treasure when you have time for contemplation & relaxation, perhaps to share among fellow tea friends. ;-)

Cupped: Thursday-Friday, January 26-27, 2017. Reviewed: Sunday, January 29, 2017.

My favorite Assams taste like wheat toast. This does. Brevity rules.

Muji Hakuji Porcelain Tea Pot – 360ml
15g
190º–200º

Dry Leaves: Olive cocoa oblong & rolls, like a bowl of dried leaves & acorns
Dry aroma: Sour plum (酸梅)
Wet Leaves: Olive. Strong stemmed, beautiful archetype of Leaf.
Wet aroma: Sour plum. Dry garden. Wet twigs. Hot sun on wet ocean sand.
Liquor: Amber
Base: Mineral
Texture: creamy, fills the mouth like a hot air balloon
Throatiness: on and on like the duracell bunny
Quenchless: dries the tip of the tongue, dries the mouthroof, warms the throat
Chaqi: Frog’s eyes. Solar plexus as hot water balloon.

Brewing steps:
rinse
INFs by 1m
Blanched vegetables. Dry forest. Nutty snack. Sweetness of caramelized root.

Decided to drink this earlier because I wanted a mug full of something to get through a meeting. Followed the steeping instructions that came with it…sort of. Steeped one pearl in probably close to 10 ounces of water.

Result was a liquor light in color that had the light flavor I would expect early in a white tea session. Vague sweetness and spices. Not enough to really stand out or be engaging, but enough to keep me going.

Came back to this one a day later and hit it with some boiling water to get through a meeting I got called into last minute. Just left the leaves in the mug the whole time. Stronger sweetness, nice spice and some of that syrupy mouthfeel action going on. Still not particularly impressive, but not bad!

A nice assam, noticeable tannins that are just this side of too strong. It has the soft floral/honey on top of the usual toasty black tea flavors and is extra good with cream to balance the ‘dry’ factor.

Wanted to try a new oolong this morning and this ended up being the winner. I’ve never had an oolong from Japan before, so this was exciting. The leaves themselves also look completely unlike those of any oolong I’ve seen before. A blend of black and greenish leaves with wispy tan bits and stems.

Toss 6 grams of this into the gaiwan and steep without doing a wash. The roast is immediately apparent and quickly fills the nose. It’s got that salty thing going on, especially in the first sip. And it evolves into something floral and woody, with that distinct, creamy oolong sweetness rounding it out.

The next steep is too roasty, woody and sour. It tastes better cooled off than warm, when the sweetness comes through more. We give it one more steep, but ultimately this is not for us. It is not a bad tea at all, just not the flavor profile either of us prefers.

A really solid breakfast blend. I take it with cream and sugar and it’s got a nice malty smoothness with a sort of floral undertone that doesn’t detract at all from it having that nice strong black tea ‘kick’ I want in a breakfast tea.

Just too subtle for my tastes. I expected something heartier based on the descriptions and the teas included but despite pushing to the very edge of recommended steeping time, there just isn’t a lot of oomph here. If you like soft teas it might appeal to you but just not kicky enough for me.

This is the second Assam I am sampling from the Upton sampler set. This tea has a really strong malt base which I appreciate. The aftertaste is a bit astringent. A full, rich, bold, intriguing tea, one I could return to indefinitely for its assertive nature. Even though it has a round, unassumingly smooth base, it’s nevertheless an unapologetic attention-seeker. Good with a little cream and sugar. This is what I think of when I think assam.

Smells a lot stronger than it tastes. While there is definitely cinnamon, it’s not overpowering the way it can be in many ‘holiday’ teas. Very pleasantly mellow but couldn’t hold up to cream or milk.

I had never tried Lapsang Souchong before I tried this tea. At first the smoky aroma was rather off-putting, but now I find that the smokiness is this tea’s best quality. Lapsang Souchong has quickly become my favorite tea. It tastes like the way a campfire in the middle of the woods feels. I sometimes take it with a bit of sugar, but even without it this tea is perfect. I plan on ordering more of this tea soon. Very strong, but oh so very good.

Oh, and prepare for EVERYTHING that comes in contact with this tea to smell like it.

I love Assam teas, even though I would have to rate myself as a novice as far as understanding how the tea is grown, cultivated, harvested, and packaged, etc. This is why ordering the four-pack Assam sampler from Upton Tea Imports was a wonderful choice for me. So far I really like the smooth, mellow, roundness of this tea. It is not quite as malty as some other Assams I have tasted, but nevertheless, it’s the sort of tea I can drink on an empty stomach in the morning without the tannins irritating my digestion. I use a coconut creamer from Trader Joes with a little bit of honey, or I drink plain. As a test, I drank straight the remainder in the teapot after it had steeped too long. It was still very palatable. I very much enjoy this friendly, unassuming tea.

Decided to try out some more of the Darjeeling samples we have today. I meant to go about taking notes on this the usual way, but it was so easy to drink that by the time I realized I hadn’t taken any I was nearly done with the first steep…

That being said, the first steep is smooth, full-bodied and the flavors are very balanced. The liquor has a deep, cocoa-y scent and just a hint of sweetness.

I attempted a resteep, but mostly got bitterness out of it, so I’ll finish up with this one for now.

This is the first time I’ve had a Darjeeling and, I must say, I’m in a state of shock. First of all, I am having a hard time believing this is a black tea…the leaves are really green (and broken, of course)and the liquor quite light. It is very aromatic and flavorful. Definitely getting some evergreen and some bitterness that makes me think this really needs to be treated like a green.

I’m glad we have a bit more of this sample yet, as I’d like to give it a try another way.