Upton Tea Imports

Second cup of the morning….

And I think I have this loaded in here right. Upton has so many offerings with very similar wording that it is very helpful to add in the stock number. I did find a Keemun Mao Feng Imperial from Upton in the database, but the description was different and it did not indicate that it was organic. My conclusion was that they are different teas.

Leaves look very similar to the ZK67. They are long, thick, twisted and there are some golden tips in there. On drinking, it has more of a dark cocoa note than the ZK67, but seems less sweet overall. It is also very smooth, no indication of the slight smoke or earthiness some KMF teas exhibit, but there is definitely a very slight astringency at the end of the sip. At least I think I have that description right. It almost feels like you need a sip of water after sipping the tea, because it has a slight drying affect on the palate. This one is a little pricier than the ZK67 and ZK98, but you would expect that for an organic offering. It is definitely a good choice for those who seek out organic teas.

Usual mug method.

Tea of the morning…..

This one is very good, but it is on its way out of my cupboard. I have quantities of other great black teas, and this one is down to about an ounce. In doing the math, it is about $3.85 per ounce currently. That makes it just a little more than my favorite KMF.

This one is not smokey, though. For those of you who like a black tea low in smoke, this is for you. For me, though, I think I like the complexity that the slight smoke adds. I know there will be another time when I explore the black teas at Upton, but I have to drink some of my 2 or so years worth of black tea in the recesses of my stash first!

Usual teapot method.

First cup of the morning…..

I have several versions of Keemun Mao Feng to compare in the near future. Three are from Upton, I have two from Harney (I think one is an older harvest), and the only other one I might consider adding in at some point is the KMF from TeaSpring (this would be my recommendation for those of you who have issues with the cost of shipping as theirs is flat rate worldwide.) The versions I have consumed regularly in the past are Upton’s ZK98 and Harney’s before the price increase (maybe an older harvest? purchased in 2010).

This is the first of many Keemun Mao Feng cups. I am so excited! I do have to say that this one is pretty fantastic. The actual leaf seems much larger and slightly more golden tipped than the picture. It does not have the characteristic long and wirey leaves from the other two versions I have consumed over the years. These are thicker and twisted. It has rich cocoa notes, and is oh so smooth. The other thing I find quite remarkable is that it lacks the slight smoke and earthiness I have experienced in the other two versions. I did buy 80 grams of this. While is is no bargain, it is definitely worth it to me. With that, my cup is empty, and it is time to try another. Or maybe I will just resteep this….

Usual mug method.

I used to hate green tea. I thought it tasted like dry grass/hay, and sometimes even fishy. Lately though that is changing: I’ve really been enjoying Japanese green teas, including this one.

I realized in a panic it was steeping for too long, and rushed to get the infuser out, but it still tastes good. This is one of the first green teas I’ve had where the steeped liquid is actually pretty green looking. The taste reminds me of other Japanese teas I’ve had, except maybe a little less strong, with the buttery flavors in the forefront, and the grass-like, vegetal flavors more subtle. It also kind of has a mineral-esque taste in the background, not unlike those I get in oolongs sometimes. It has kind of a sweet aftertaste after I’ve been drinking it awhile. Great tea. A little pricey for me for regular drinking though.

SIPDOWN!

I really wanted to try this cold brew but this morning i just wanted to have a cup of this hot. so now it’s gone, but it’s on my re-order next time i hit upton, even if it’s just a sample size for when i need something like this. My taste buds are a little off, but not totally. I took an allergy pill to see if that helps and it seems to have. So the sipdowns continue! gotta catch up, especially with my swap that arrived bring a bunch of new teas!

SO i have to say that this one smells wonderful…and then you let it steep forever and it’s fine. and then..you drink it and i kid you not, it totally tastes like the liquid left over at the end of a fruit cup…only not nearly as sweet. My other half tried it and was like “man…i totally half expect to see one of those cherries floating around in the tea” and that ladies and gentlemen, sums up this tea. Love it lol

What a great smelling tea, before and after steeping. The room smells kind of like key-lime pie after I added hot water and let it sit for while. The first sip tastes a little custard-esque, maybe a little bit like a creamy lemon pie. All of the flavors in here are pretty well balanced; nothing is overly dominating. This might become a regular, gonna have to try some other eg creams to know for sure. Trying it iced and with sugar really brings out the creaminess even more for me, but I think I prefer this one hot.

Hm. Not a highly rated tea, but I did not find this as offensive as some others did. I actually quite enjoyed it with a heavy dose of milk. :) I had brewed it strong to have a nice milky tea with my breakfast scone. Perfect combo. Tea base was quite nice. Better than the other EGs I’ve sampled from Upton this far. The bergamot was pretty intense. I find myself wondering once again what a real fruit smells like.
Overall, the best of a mediocre bunch. Still have hopes for the Sacher Blend.

OK, I made it again, with more tea, for more time. It’s nearly the same, maybe a tad more flavorful. Maybe. Maybe this batch is different than what others drank, maybe all the sriracha has finally killed my tastebuds, but I’m sticking to my earlier tasting note. This tea is light and lemony and perfectly fine. I wouldn’t order it again, but I won’t mind finishing it.

I’ve been saying maybe all day, can you tell?

Light, bright, lemony. I’m not getting any of the vanilla notes or the richness others have mentioned. It is a good tea, pleasant to drink, but I’m wondering if I should have steeped more leaves for longer. I have a lot of it, so I’ll try again. My possibly wrong version is nice anyway and I’m not regretting having a pot of it to drink.

Last time I brewed this, I brewed a pot of it, the day after using the pot for peppermint tea. I thought this tea tasted minty, but blamed it on the sullied pot and made a mental note not to brew mint in it again.

Well, I just brewed it in an utterly mint-free infuser and it still has this little undercurrent of menthol that stays on your tongue and tingles your lips. It certainly isn’t bad, but it is unusual- for me at least, I’m an oolong newbie. (And a convert, this is a nice alternative to black or green.)

Is this normal for an oolong, unusual but not unheard of, or is my oolong contaminated?

This tea smells wonderful, both dry and brewed. I know almost nothing about oolong, so I can’t adequately compare this to others or know if it is a good or a poor example. Regardless, this is a nice cup. It’s mild and pleasant with no noticeable off-putting flavor undercurrents. Not bitter, not musty. Quite nice, though a bit milder than I’d ideally choose. I officially like oolong.

I made this tea tonight to accompany a stir fry. Both turned out good.

This tea tastes like, shocker, the tea you get in a Chinese restaurant. It’s light and a little bit lemony and has an especially pleasant aroma. I brewed it generously, both in quantity and time, but it is relatively weak and delicate. I prefer teas that have a chance against coffee in a fight, so this won’t be a favorite, but it does taste as advertised and it pairs well with a nommy westernized Chinese meal.

There are many things to like about this tea- the aroma when opening a tin, the large pieces of fruit that make it look substantially edible. And so many not to like: the artificial flavoring that caused me to have to scrub out my tetsubin not once but twice, the excess of hibiscus that sours the whole thing up and necessitates sugar.

Still, my kids like it provided that I add lots of honey, then its really nice for them.

Do not allow this to steep for the recommended 8 minutes, the longer it steeps the more the hibiscus dominates the cup and masks the peach. 6 minutes is about right for me. YMMV.

And whatever you do, don’t steep this in a cast iron pot! Stick with porcelain so your next pot will taste like tea and not some flavoring agent.

Tomorrow I go to the doctor and get retested to see if the liquid restriction helped.
If it did not, then I have something else, perhaps something bigger going on with me.
If it did help, then I am going to have to keep my liquid levels down still.
(sigh) Between and rock and a hard spot for sure.
Anyway, I am trying this tea for the first time, and when I opened up the little sample tin, I said. “Ohhhhh”
It smelled like a orange cream dessert.
But, at the same time I was drooling over the scent, I was also frightened.
I mean, I am a bit of a Earl Grey devotee.
Once brewed, the sugary orangey custardy odor toned down some, and I could smell my good ol’ bergamot shining through.
Taste still reminds me of cake or custard.
This tea is good, very tasty indeed.
But, in some sense, I am having a hard time thinking it a Earl Grey at all.
It taste more like a good quality flavored dessert tea.
But, I do like it, and will happily finish the rest of the sample.
Have a great Tuesday, you all!

I’ve been trying to find my pefect Assam, and this came as one of several samples that I’m trying over the last few and next several weeks.

I couldn’t find any malty or toasty notes in this tea-the dominating flavor and aroma was of tomato. That’s right. Tomato. I don’t know what happened to this in the chest as it came over from Assam- or what it was stored next to, but it was really wretched. Drinking it I thought I was going out of my mind. V8 juice? Really? Really.

Just to be sure, I asked several people to take a whiff. Do you smell tomato? Yes! Every one said the same thing. Sorry Upton, this one was a total bust. If I want tomato in the morning, I won’t look for it in my tea. Not my cup, that’s for sure.

I’ve been experimenting with many of Upton’s Oolongs of late. This was another sample that I tried; just enough for a few cups.

The dry leaf was rather unremarkable, but once the water hit it, the aroma was amazing. I couldn’t put my finger on it for a while, but after several sips and repeated sniffs, I finally identified it: green apple! I had a hard time because I never thought tea could smell like this-

The taste was pleasant enough and did have some nice nutty flavors but everything was overwhelmed by that granny smith apple smell. Its highly unusual. Subsequent steepings reduced both the flavor and the aroma substantially but when the water hits the leaf- watch out!

I don’t think I’ll buy this again, but it was absolutely worth the sample price.

I just got finished reading “All the Tea in China” and this tea is mentioned prominently in the book. There are many legends about this tea, but Robert Fortune had some on his original trip through the region. I knew that this was supposed to be one of the great teas of the world, but I was really very unprepared for what I got.

Not much aroma in the dry leaf but what flavor! Nuts, honeysuckle and …butter?! Just fantastic! Repeated steepings were a delight as well as I increased the steeping time and temperature slightly.

Tea from the three original bushes costs many thousands of dollars per ounce but with the miracle of clones even ordinary people like you and me can afford to taste this and at just over 10 dollars per 60gm, its a bargain. Sipping this gem reminds one that the drinking of tea is part of a 4000 year experiment in human civilization- it is something to treasure.

Upton’s catalogue lists this one as being described by their Indian tea dealer as “absolutely cracker!” That intrigued me. Usually Upton’s descriptions are a bit more sedate. They also said that it had a sweet malty character and was a great value.

It took me a good while to understand this tea. Compared to some of the breakfast monsters out there, and compared to some of the much higher priced assams that really taste strongly of toast and malt, this one was rather more reserved.

I’ve tried 3,4, and five minutes- 4 is the upper limit before it starts getting too bitter, but up to that point it’s truly very well behaved. A splash of milk really brings out the best in this one, but while I usually don’t add milk to my tea I’m doing so with this one.

At just under 6 dollars for 125 gm, it was truly a very good value. Enjoy!

Awhile ago, the gracious Ashmanra gave me a lovely Twinings Rose blend tea.
I adored it.
So, I ordered this tea.
The first time I tried it I was both surprised and slightly disappointed.
I am assuming that the Twinings tea has some added flavoring.
This tea does not.
Which results in it not having that high rose perfume-y odor and taste.
(which tasted like drinking a rose garden on a summer afternoon)
This tea is different.
Its lightly floral with a hint of spice.
It is certainly good quality black tea, with a bit brightness.
For some reason this tea makes me think of the Dowager Countess.
I am not sure why, her name is Violet after all, not Rose.
But, the character of this tea really reminds me of her.
Always ladylike, bright, and a bit of spice and like the grand lady herself…I was not sure if I liked it at first, but it grew on me.
I think I would still like to find a more floral (perfume-y?) rose tea.
But, I will enjoy this while I have it.

Wasn’t paying much attention as I had a guest over, but this was quite pleasant. Definitely like apple cider. Yum! With a bit of spice. I’d definitely stock up on this if I needed more tea. Hah!

Edit: just realized this is note 400! :O What a short uninteresting note for this milestone. :(

I’m on a green tea kick and this sencha hits the spot. Thanks Stephanie for this. Everything you’ve sent so far has been great.

This tea is very savory with a sweet finish. Not recommended for anyone who isn’t a serious green fan.

This is definitely a lovely Keemun. I don’t like it quite as much as the Mao Feng Imperial as I don’t find it quite as bold in flavor and taste, but its nice nonetheless. It is a slightly more tender and malty Keemun with a whiff of high quality Darjeeling mouth feel. The smell of the dried leaves is robust and aged with a hint of deep red wine. Brewed it is very smooth with a nutty caramel smell and a bit of cocoa and spice on tasting.