Upton Tea Imports

A truly black black Chinese tea. According to Upton, less than 40kg of this tea was produced. The price certainly reflects it. It’s a very dark caramel flavor. Not the kind you’d find in a supermarket candy bar, but one you’d make on a stove. Maybe close to the hard crack stage. Very strong initial taste but since it’s a fairly thing tea, it dissipates quickly. Not much lingering around after swallowing. I like this but to be honest, don’t really see why it’s supposed to be so special. It’s high brew temp and thinness intensifies the need to swallow it quickly which does not leave much time for enjoying it. I’d recommend pairing with some sweets (cookies or pastry) and letting it cool down 15 degrees before enjoying.

I ended up with another sample of this.

This time I cold brewed it for more like 36 hours and it made quite a difference. Much more flavorful and round.

It’s also really nice with food. Better, I think, with food than as a stand alone drink. I had it with pasta and marinara sauce and it went very nicely.

Bumping up a few points as I enjoyed it more this time around.

This is Ceylon BOP Item TC50B and it came as “a complimentary sample perfect for Iced Tea” with my last order from Upton. I had never used the refrigerator method before and I tried it with this. Here were the instructions:

Empty the contents of the packet into a clean jug and add a quart of cold water. Refrigerate for 12-48 hours, strain and enjoy.

The margin of 36 hours seemed a bit daunting. I tried it after about 24. It’s a nice, standard black iced tea. I’m not a huge iced tea drinker, but in my view this is better than the usual restaurant fare. That’s mostly where I have iced tea.

My boyfriend, who drinks far more iced tea than I do, though also mostly at restaurants and without a great deal of sophistication (though he does insist that it be brewed and won’t take it if it is from a mix), pronounced it “OK.”

The highest grade of Keemun black tea from China, this does not come cheap. I don’t remember the exact price but I have the label marked with an asterisk which means it was pricey. Dry leaves are brittle and black and look like tiny short sticks. They are not gunpowder fine but not very large either. Brews up nice and dark and reminds me of Lapsang Souchon and while it’s not smoked, it has a very strong smokiness to it. Tanins are present as well as very noticeable acidity, almost like you squeezed a few drops of lemon into your morning tea. Viscosity is on the medium range, and it coats your tongue nicely. If you rub your tongue against the insides of your mouth, you’ll taste the residual tanins/tea which linger for quite a while after you’ve swallowed.

I’m really happy that I’ve tested this tea; it is going to be a full-size order. It’s a great “gateway” tea for those who are contemplating trying a smoky tea. It does not have the taste of a bonfire, a forest fire, or even a Barbie Que, but it does have a touch of smoke. This smoke is presented with a natural sweetness and a definite buttery cocoa taste.

Upton called for a 4-5 minute brew and I had wandered off and allowed it to oversteep by about two minutes. The tea was graciously forgiving and does not taste at all rancid, bitter, overcooked, or unpleasant. What a sweetheart!

In case you wonder about why I’ve been giving so many high marks, it’s because I am only drinking tea that I am pre-disposed to like. I’m also drinking higher up on the financial chain, which probably makes me both more eager to like the tea but also makes the tea worthy of a higher price point.

I didn’t have much left so I split the remainder into two batches so I am brew 2/3’s (2g) of what I normally would use. I may increase brewing time about 15-30 seconds to compensate. I simply love the name of this tea. It invokes so many images and emotions. the leaves are very delicate and initially reminded me of a bird’s nest (tiny twigs) or maybe thinly shredded paper used as packing material.

Ok the tea’s done. Tasting notes: Definitely a Chinese green tea. Very apparent. The color is a very light champagne. Good clarity and very little (to no) residue at bottom of cup. It tastes very slightly grassy, which is a term I generally use for Japanese green teas. Viscosity is thin, not much coating going on here.

This might need to be reclassified as something besides a black tea. The brew is lighter, yellower. I had this this morning and to be honest, don’t remember much about it except that I liked it. 212F brewing temp suggests it’s a darker tea, which it was. Good thing I drank it in the morning. My ritual is always dark in the morning, lighter in the afternoon. I used about 3.3 grams for a 10oz mug.

What an unusual tea. First the leaves are very crispy and big. They take up lots of volume. I always go by weight so for me the recommended 2-3 tsp is the same as saying 6-9 grams which is a boat load of tea! I don’t even have that much in my sample so I used half the sample, so 2.5 G. I picked a brewing time of 9:30 which is between the suggested 8-10 minutes. I might leave it a bit longer since I am using less leaves.

Despite the long brewing time, the tea is still relatively light. No surprise here. The color is very light tinted copper or golden. It’s not as slippery or viscous as I expected. Pretty watery in texture. The taste is very comforting and lingers on the center of your tongue.

Disclaimer: I am a huge fan of Golden Monkey. This is a fine example. Nice dark brew. Lots of tanins and bitterness (but not in a bad way). I always try to describe smells and flavors in tea but to be honest, unlike wine, I rarely am able to find something descriptive enough. It just tastes like tea.

I let this, my first cup of East Frisian, brew about 30 seconds too long so I might need to revise my review. I have not had this kind of tea before, but have read much about it. Getting it right is an art (or a science?) according to many people. Although I’ve overbrewed it, I can taste the delicious maltiness and can detect the aroma of good solid earth. I think that this tea is stolid and robust and quite strong, which makes it an excellent candidate for early morning and any other time in which more caffeine is essential. It’s not delicate, but it is tasty and it’s doing the trick. I’m sitting up straighter and feeling more alert right now.

I’ll be trying this again and will probably invest in a larger size. Thank you to Upton for providing so many sampler sizes and for speedy shipping.

SECOND STEEP: I can certainly understand why many people are so devoted to this blend. It’s strong and earthy and a great substitute for coffee, providing plenty of caffeine and plenty of flavor. I really like the addition of a bit of sugar and some milk to this tea.

I love chai in the morning, so I’ve been exploring different chai blends as I’ve come across them. This sample from Upton Imports was intriguing—all the usual spice suspects are present with the addition of coconut and licorice root. I prepared it using takgoti’s recipe (it’s easy to find). The chai is a delicious balance of spice with an appearance by coconut and a surprise of licorice at the finish. (I am not a big fan of licorice as a rule but this was really nice!) A pleasant tweak of the typical chai spice line-up.

Basic chamomile- buttery and sweet. And an improvement over the bagged stuff… Drinking this tonight hoping to settle my stomach….

Very clean shiny brew. The opacity is excellent and uniform. Very minimal tea settled at bottom. Color is a dark caramel. Minimal tanins and acidity. More on the tail end. Nothing bad to say about it but it’s not incredibly memorable either. Take that as you will.

A pretty blend—flat green tea leaves, large slivered almond pieces, cinnamon bark, tiny ivory flowers—which smells like almond cookies! A delicious nutty blend with a bit of spice at the end. 2nd infusion develops a surprising creaminess. A lovely cup!

Since I wrote my first, fairly cautious tasting note on Upton’s LS Black Dragon, I have returned to it again and again. It has become my everyday first thing in the morning tea. I have at least two cups and I slurp and slobber and am very unladylike. I have not found a Lapsang Souchoung I dislike, but I like this more than others. It’s got a touch of natural sweetness and it’s also not quite as tarry as some LS teas.

I like the balance of smoke and sweet. I like this tea black, but I also like it with milk and sugar when I’m in the mood (often).

This tea became what I had hoped that Jackee Muntz might be—but Jackee is in limited supply. I am no longer “dating” Black Dragon tea. We are married. We’ve said the vows. We’ve plighted our troth. We are in this together for better or worse, till death do us part. I may take some afternoon lovers; I may have many French liaisons and I may have other trysts, but I’ll always wake up with you!

I like Black Dragon. It is lighter than other Lapsang Souchongs I’ve tried, but that’s not bad. This tea might be a good beginning brew for anyone who is trying to develop an affinity for the Lapsang Souchong. It could be a staple for those who like their Lapsangs to taste a little bit less like the dregs of a Webber Grille. I can certainly see this tea as a cupboard staple.

SECOND STEEP: In the second steep the natural sweetness really emerged full-throttle (if sweet can throttle this did it!). I still like the tea a lot. My affinity for smoked/sweet flavors is all the more satisfied by the second steep. It feels a bit as if somebody put a very sweet Bar-B-Q sauce in my tea.

I, too, got this tea as a free sample from Upton Tea Imports. Right now I don’t know if I can write an objective review. I brewed the tea, a mix of longer and shorter leaves, happily. The dry tea did indeed smell fragrant and I wonder if the elusive aroma is the muscatel aroma that I’ve heard described. It tasted as if there were a bit of jasmine involved.

Then I got into a dispute with my grey cat, Bongo, about the dispensation of some horseradish flavoured sharp cheddar cheese. He wanted the cheese; I didnt’ want him to have it. I proffered a small bite; he wanted to snag a large piece. In this war with the feline cheese mendicant I forgot my tea. At least 8 to 10 minutes had passed. I knew the tea was ruined. Nevertheless, I poured some milk into the dark brownish-red brew and sipped. How forgiving is this tea! It was not at all bitter. It didn’t taste overcooked or oversteeped: it did taste strong and pungent but pleasantly so.

I can become a convert to Darjeelings quickly when I consider how this sweet tea bounced back from the abuse I had hurled at it and was very tasty indeed. As I drink more and more tea, I do become much more interested in unblended teas and in teas without the frou-frou that I typically love.

Next time, I will be more attentive, but I’m thrilled with the tea. It was like the heady sense of snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. I will continue with my sample packet, but this is going on the short-list of must-purchase teas.

This tea smelled amazing. I could detect the bergamot loud and clear. Upton Teas says that “artificial flavoring” is included. I don’t know what it is. Perhaps more citrus and maybe some smoky grapefruit? The tea itself is just “aight” as Randy Jackson might say. There’s nothing wrong with it at all, but that spectacular aroma set me up with greater expectations than Pip ever had.

Saint Isaac’s Blend turns out to be a very serviceable Earl Grey. Not a bad one by anymeans, but the dry aroma just does not translate into the steeped tea. It’s a nicey, but not a greaty.

I had a big cup of this tonight as I’m trying to once again cut back on the caffeine before bed. It was okay, but not as good as I remembered. The flavor is quite one-note so I think I have to really be in the mood for this tea. Slight ratings decrease because it just didn’t meet my expectations this time around.

This tea tastes just like you would think: apples. It is almost a baked apple type of flavor but without the typical extra sweetness of a baked apple. It is a really nice before bed tea.

Quite the dark brew color, as to be expected with a Darjeeling. Viscosity is on the lighter side of medium. Taste is classic Darjeeling. The aroma … I am getting a nuttiness but I can’t put my finger on it. This is a take-notice tea so great for mornings (it’s 10:30AM right now).

It’s not yet afternoon, but I decided to try this. I love my man, Jackee Muntz, and know that I have a limited number of dates with him. Will the famous lodgings of Baker Street bring me any joy?

And the answer is a resounding yes. This is a good smoky tea. I can see it joining the permanent cast of characters in my life. And it does conjure up a feel of the Holmsian sitting room. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson have been down in the country for a while tracking down the hound of the Baskervilles and the sitting room retains that masculine flavor of smoke; the Persian slipper containing the pipe-tobacco still hangs, but nobody has lit up for several days so the air is redolent but not noxious.

Upton Teas has an excellent blend here and it makes me eager to pursue my love of smoky teas.