Heyes Send Message

This is a solid entry in the category of black teas. I remember my first sip thinking “Ahh, now that’s what a good English tea should taste like” I would describe this tea as rich, dark, with a certain spice flavor to it – somewhere in the cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg range but woodier.

This tea enjoys some adornment from the milk and sweetener department, but personally I don’t find that it goes well with whiskey or rum.

I find this to be a perfectly satisfying midday tea that can be enjoyed in gulps (because dammit you’re tired and need a quick pick me up with a smile) or in sips (because you need that moment of you time).

A final note is that this was the first tea I’ve had that wasn’t grown in China, Taiwain, India, or Japan. If this is an example of what Kenya has to offer the tea-drinking world, then I am excited to explore Kenya’s other teas.

I recently reviewed “Tieguanyin Traditional-Style Traditionally-Grown” Oolong tea, as purchased from from the Tea Trekker store. In this instance I might suggest that you read that review to get a baseline.

This particular tea is similar enough in description, but all in all a better tea. It enjoys better results from multiple steepings, has a richer and more complex flavor. On the other hand it doesn’t seem to tolerate cooling in the mug very well – gets that dusty flavor – blech. Drink while warm to hot for best results!

Wow! This is a bold and very aggressive Earl Grey!

Just open the lid of the jar and you will smell what I mean. I can’t compare the aroma and flavor to bergamot, having never experience the fruit outside of tea, but I might suggest that the strength of the bergamot is overwhelming if this tea isn’t brewed with some care. The Rishi tea company suggests that this be brewed with 8 oz. of water to one teaspoon of tea, I suggest an increase of water in that ratio. I also suggest brewing for a shorter time, for three minutes as opposed to four.

This tea is, for my taste, almost undrinkable without adornment. I recommend both milk and sweetener, even half and half. This softens the aggressive tone of the tea, but never really mellows it out. I wouldn’t recommend lemon, lime, or any additional citrus flavors that some find traditional to an Earl Grey as they will only serve to intensify (by means of complimenting) the already intense bergamot.

I have tried mixing this tea with others: Lapsang, a Kenyan black (whose specifics I have forgotten),an Assam, and anything else I could find at the bottoms of my loose tea containers. This tea quickly overpowered all but the Lapsang, to which it was a strong addition but not wonderful – sort of off kilter.

With such a seemingly negative review, why such a generous rating number? Surprisingly it makes a great iced tea if brought to the desired drinking temperature slowly and adorned with a simple syrup (yes, it was worth the time to prepare the syrup ahead of time) The tea became remarkably invigorating and refreshing. I used old cold tea (not iced) as part of a braising fluid (along with beef stock and a little BBQ sauce) for some pork tenderloins on a lark and I think it has a lot of potential as a cooking aid.

This tea was given to me as a gift, and I don’t think that I would buy it myself, as I prefer a somewhat milder Earl-Grey flavor.

This is the green tea I used to drink before I started drinking loose leaf tea. for a bagged green tea this is a decent tea, but this is a one note tea, and the flavor isn’t so much delicate as it is absent in comparison to loose leaf green teas of of even moderate quality. If the tea bag costs you less than a dime to get, then this tea is good enough, but I wouldn’t recommend this except as a way to have a warm beverage. I certainly wouldn’t pay anything to drink this at a restaurant, or even a diner where a hot cup of dirty water could range anywhere from one to two dollars for six to ten ounces.

Okay, so sometimes you can’t take the time to brew tea. Sometimes you can’t get out to your favorite tea store of choice. It happens. Sometimes the bills come in and you can’t justify spending $15 or even $8 on your standard favorites. Sometimes you want to give tea to someone who refuses to drink loose tea.

Trader Joe’s Irish Breakfast Tea is a solid well balanced tea that is a little on the bitter side. It tolerates a wide range of brewing times (from 1 – 4 minutes or so) and tolerates very warm to boiling water.

This tea lacks the bright floral notes of, say a Lipton, but compared to other bagged teas the flavor is rich, having earthy and woody tones. Buy a box, throw it in your cupboard, and keep it around for emergencies. It also has a maltiness to it, as described by GREEN TEA TV here on Steepster.

I tend to drink this tea without adornment, but it can be enhanced with a small amount of sweetener and even a small splash of low fat milk. I don’t usually recommend low fat milk specifically, but anything more rich that 2% quickly overwhelms the tea.

What a wonderful tea!

In my opinion there are two ways of enjoying this tea, and both methods really deserve a little attention. The first is the more traditional method of steeping quickly and frequently. This method could be described as taking a long slow sip of a wonderfully complex cup of tea. It is best done with small tea cups, 6 oz. or smaller, so that it can be drunk while still hot to warm in temperature. Each cup, and I’ve made it up to ten steepings when I’ve had the luxury of time, offers a gentle progression of the tea’s green, earthy, flavor. I get the impression that I am drinking the tea from the tip of the leaf and through the plant all the way to the root. It progresses from a bright and leafy flavor to an earthy almost bark-like flavor.

The second method, while not traditional, has a lot to offer as well. Brew the tea for three minutes or so, still using the very warm but not boiling water. Watch the tea leaves color the water as they trade essences. Then enjoy a deeply complex play of both subtle and rich layers of flavor. Even using this method you can enjoy multiple steepings, but rather than a progression, I find that they flavor weakens.

Drinking this tea without adornment is my recommendation. This tea also makes a great iced-tea as well.

I would warn that in my experience this tea has a strong caffeine effect, and a long lasting one. While it isn’t as harsh (in that way) as coffee, this is a work horse of a tea. My suggestion, start your day with this tea, and keep it going with steepings throughout your day. This tea, he will be a very good companion to you!

Be careful with this tea! I say this because I found that I must very carefully stress-test (as my engineer friends tell me) this tea to find the optimal brewing time. Use a near to boiling water and test steeping times every thirty seconds until you hit about four minutes as each variety of the Lapsang will differ wildly in its tolerance of steeping time. I have seen as much as a three minute variance. That being said when the flavor of the tea and the charcoal combine just so, the tea becomes something quite magical. This is a perfect winter tea, in fact it has become my tradition to celebrate the coming of winter with this tea. Enjoy this tea after being out in the cold.

The flavor is smokey, charcoal, but also woody, almost meaty (yes, as in red meat), and some times you can get a hint of piney goodness. If brewed too quickly it just tastes like ash, and if brewed too long it becomes acrid, dusty, and just disgusting. Also, drink this tea while it is still hot to warm. Letting it cool can make it bitter.

This tea does go well by itself, but it also benefits from a small amount of sweetener (sugar, honey, maple syrup) and milk (but not cream in my opinion). This tea does not work well in the therapeutic use of a “Hot Toddy” because it will leave a sore throat scratchy, but it can be enjoyed with whiskey. As you will often find this tea mixed with others in blends at your local tea store, I recommend mixing a small amount of it with a bright flora tea (like an Assam), or with an Earl Grey (especially if the Earl Grey’s bergamot is a little on the aggressive side)

This is a great standard black tea for all purposes. It is bright, floral, and fairly hard to misbrew. In my experience this tea tolerates a wide range of temperatures, and steeping time. It tastes fine by itself, but can be enjoyed with a little sweetener, milk, cream, and even a touch of whiskey or rum.