Upton Tea Imports
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Picked this up eons ago due to favourable reviews on Steepster, but I didn’t recall how smoky it was. Luckily, it’s quite smooth, probably due to being a blend, so I don’t feel the need to add milk/sweetener, though I’m sure it would be delicious if I did. The predominant flavour here is smoke, which lingers in the mouth after the sip but is joined by some malty sweetness once the initial punch of smoke settles.
Not bad, but the temptation to sweeten this is pretty high, and if I’m going to do that I may as well just use a harsher lapsang souchong that will produce a stronger cup.
One of my new samples. I’m on a quest to try all Upton (and Harney) earl grey blends. There is a very nice scent of cocoa. The flavour is chocolate and bergamot, with mild lemon notes. It is nicely cream, and a good morning tea.
Flavors: Bergamot, Chocolate, Cocoa
Thanks for the sample, Sil, but yeah, this is definitely another nope from Upton. It actually smelled more lemon cleaner-y than it tasted, but… just not a profile I have interest in drinking. I can handle rooibos/honeybush if the flavours are yummy, but the flavour is not yummy here, and neither is the rooibos. I’m sure someone, somewhere might like this tea, but I’d much rather have Della Terra’s Lemon Chiffon, which was delightful.
This is a lovely tea, I think. A sample where I, after first taste the other day, made a full teapot for my morning.
There’s a floral taste on the back of the tongue. I wouldn’t call the tea sweet at all but there is something there that is close. A dark flavor similar to a simple Assam is everywhere in the mouth but especially on the sides of the tongue… it’s not strong, but it is there in a noticeable point; The Darjeeling taate doesnt wholly cover that aspect.
A vegetal strength is on the middle of the tongue mixed with a yellow tone and touches of a light blue.
It has an overall varied and shifting and complex flavor. It has a Very long finish, also rich and with a stronger floral tone. As the finish fades – over a Very long time – it becomes more and more floral and shifts to the tip of the tongue. By the end it shifts further to include the front of the gums.
I really like this. Am so happy I bought the sample. Can completely see myself buying a normal order of it.
Flavors: Floral, Flowers, Green, Vegetal
Preparation
Just got this with many samples I ordered. So far I’m not impressed. I’m making my first tries to the directions on the packet, will later see what some fiddling does.
First cup, even though I over steeped a little, has a light mouth feel but has a very watery taste. The flavor has to be actively searched for. That said, afterwards there is a long finish that almost has more flavor that the actual drinking. Watery is a good description of the taste, unfortunately.
Preparation
Apparently I acquired this via Sil, thanks!
This tea is… meh. Not much vanilla, and the honeybush, though palatable, wasn’t really to my liking. May give it another shot before trying to rehome the remainder, we shall see.
My tea while playing Harvest Moon- The Tale of Two Towns. (This game always makes me want tea. As my favourite town has a nice little tea house.) There is a nice floral scent. The flavour is a bit sweet and lightly floral. It is a nice relaxing oolong.
Flavors: Floral, Osmanthus
The creamy vanilla scent is lovely. There is a good cream and bergamot flavour. While the citrus notes are a bit lighter, it is still a nice cozy blend.
(Earl Grey is the unofficial tea of winter.)
Flavors: Bergamot, Citrus, Cream, Creamy, Lemon
This tea smells sweet and grassy, exactly how I expect Korean green tea to smell. The taste is delicate and smooth, a refreshing and easy to drink cup. This is currently my second-favorite green tea. Good for at least two infusions. I’m almost to the end of my sample, and Upton doesn’t have this in stock, so I have more Sejak coming from Harney and Sons. We shall see how it compares.
Preparation
Well, I wanted a new tea I had never had before. And, as I’m running out of those, here we are.
Bought this as part of a quasi-sampler of green teas from Upton. I’ve had varying results so far so we shall see.
Western style prep, 2tsp for 12oz, 180F water at 3 minutes.
Taste is… holy crap does that taste like sweet peas. No really, it’s exactly what I would imagine sweet pea to taste like. It’s green pea flavored, but sweeter. I guess you could chalk that up to a yummy green tea flavor. I’m also getting a hay aftersip, which is different but not bad. This is one of the greener greens I’ve had. It’s actually really good. I know I’ve said I don’t like grassy flavors, but the natural sweetness in this one overrides the negativity I might feel about the grass flavor. Yummy yummy. I’d call this green tea experiment a rousing success. Absolutely delicious.
Flavors: Grass, Hay, Peas, Sweet
Preparation
Ok, another added tea. This time, it is the “Naturally flavored Vanilla black tea” from Upton. Smell in bag is, well, not good. It smells like the vanilla has gone straight past body spray and into licorice territory. Some people might like that, but I don’t. This tea already has me concerned. But, onward for SCIENCE!
Western prep. 2tsp for 12oz cup, 4min at boiling water.
Taste is… blech that’s bad. Unfortunately that offputting licorice smell makes it into the tea. The vanilla, while supposedly natural, is like drinking vanilla extract. It’s so dominant, I really can’t even taste the black tea base. This is awful. I wonder if sweetener would help, but honestly I think I am just going to call this one a loss. The only remotely decent thing about this tea is it’s crisp mouthfeel. Only any goodness from that is taken to a negative level.
It’s a very sharp, dry tea- if you like that sort of thing. It leaves me personally feeling like I have dry mouth. I’ve never been one for dry wines, I suppose that would explain why I don’t like dry teas. There’s a word people use: Astringency. I think that applies here. I really am not completely sure what astringency is in a cup of tea. All I know is I feel like I just ate a mouthfull of dry coffee creamer. Horrible. Do not recommend at all. Go back, Upton, and try again.
Flavors: Drying, Licorice, Vanilla
Preparation
Another green tea. I know I’m testing the limits here drinking this at 5am but oh well.
This one has long curled green and white leaves that, in bag, smell somewhat fruity and sweet. It’s a wonderful smell that compelled me to drink some despite the odd hour.
Prepared western style, 180F water at 3 min. Smell while brewing is very grassy, which has me slightly concerned. The brewing smell is completely different from dry leaf smell.
Taste once brewed is… oddly familiar. It reminds me of the green tea that Adagio uses in its Jasmine scented teas. Actually I’m pretty sure it is the same tea. The flavor is slightly vegetal, while also floral and mildly sweet. I’m getting a dry grass flavor predominately, but not so much as to be offputting. Unfortunately those sweet fruity scents that the dry leaf has do not really translate over except in a aftersip taste. Basically after you drink this, if you wait a few minutes, the lingering flavor turns from one of hay, to mouth full o’berries. Its a bit odd and I really wish that fruity flavor translated into the actual tea itself. In the end, this is 100% drinkable and I do enjoy it. This I would consider a successful green tea experience. Bring on more like it.
Flavors: Berries, Dry Grass, Floral, Hay, Sweet
Preparation
Well, I rebought this. Big bag this time. This is my current Go-To nighttime tea. I want to try and cut off my caffeine at a certain point of evening, so I’ve been drinking this and a couple other rooibos at night instead of actual tea.
Also, I did what I said I would do. I tried it with a single splenda. It really does complement the flavor well. The tartness isn’t overwhelmed by the sweetness, but the added sweetness very much brings out the natural vanilla of the rooibos. So in the end the result is sort of a ‘blueberries and cream’ flavor, without actually using any milk. It’s very tasty. AND, since splenda is not sugar, I don’t have to worry about it keeping me awake! Double win!
Flavors: Blueberry, Cream, Tart
Adding maple syrup to smoky teas is the best!