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Husband was feeling peckish post-dinner ‘cause I’ve been lightening meals up to account for our afternoon tea snacking and the fact he’s been lamenting his pants getting tighter (I don’t know why; I’m the same as always and we eat about the same except he eats breakfast cereal, and it’s always been like this). He was standing in front of the fridge like “I shouldn’t eat anything but (grump)” so I offered him some tea, maybe it’d help curb his craving. Today was a weird day anyway—he got a letter from the IRS disputing our tax return from 2 years ago (!) and so that hasn’t been fun quickly trying to figure out what went wrong if anything (he called them and it sounds like there’s a chance the school he was taking classes from at the time made an error and didn’t send the IRS a form even though we have ours from them). If it is a true mistake we owe a bunch of taxes plus interest, which is maddening given nobody notified us and it’s been years. We’ll see I guess. We’re lucky—we can afford them, it’s definitely a stretch but it’s doable—but obviously this afternoon could’ve gone better.

Dry this smelled like straight up milk chocolate, that divisive Della Terra chocolate smell, but steeped the malted milk ball thing comes out a little more. Not bad but not a knock-my-socks-off treat either…I think it just takes a ridiculous level to impress me anymore flavored black tea-wise. I can never get over how rarely the taste lives up to the food aromas. Been drinking a lot more flavored greens and oolongs lately because they don’t disappoint me in that regard.

This smells better than it tastes, but it’s not bad. I think it definitely needs milk of some kind to highlight the chocolate and nut and toffee crunch flavor.

Mmmm it was an Assam kinda morning for me. I stayed up late reliving my adolescence watching all of the “Monster of the Week” X-Files eps I could remember on Netflix. Fun times. I love that looking back I discover almost all of my faves were Vince Gilligan-written, surprise surprise. And it made me smile that “Pusher”, which he wrote and has stuck with me for over a decade, actually feels very proto-BBish in ways (the opening scene, Pusher’s speeches).

This smells so good steeping! That satisfying “TEA!” aroma (legacy teas, for me primordial ironically enough), but with a citrusy freshness too. And yeah, I must admit it smells quite a bit like the Dunhill International Superior Milds, the ones in the gorgeous blue box that Elizabeth David pointed to to indicate the color she wanted her enameled cookware to be, back when they still made those. That might sound gross but it’s a high compliment—there was never a more deliciously fresh, grassy-in-a-good-way tobacco. So yes, tobacco, but really really good tobacco, not the musty old man library stuff. I appreciate that this is real Assam, strong tasting, but completely lacks the harshness many Assams have. There’s a wonderful bitterness at the end of each sip, but it’s relatively soft for an Assam and complements the clean mild astringency at the front, with its vague fruit and flowers thing.

I could be wrong but in a way I think I like this more than Andrews and Dunham Tiger Assam. This seems more complex to me, as if it’s perfumed without actually smelling of perfume, if that makes any sense. To me, Tiger Assam is kinda like Double Knit Blend (only not quite as smooth and comforting), something when you just want to taste old skool TEA without puckering and not think much about it but be rewarded anyway. This is more like, sit undistracted and fall down the rabbit hole of your tea cup with all the senses you’re stimulating. Really gorgeous and not the sort of experience I tend to associate with Assams.

Had this last night but it was so late (early!) I forgot to log it and don’t remember the details, oops. Will have to give it another go…I do recall being pleased you could taste the lingonberry (love lingonberry preserves!); it’s not strong but it lingers at the end of the sip.

Loving the way this one smells, agreed it’s vaguely similar to Laoshan Black but not at all identical or on the same metric really. The sweet cinnamon chocolate aroma is awesome, deep and so enticing but not powerfully, obviously “stinky”, similarly authentic and mysterious like the first batch of LB I ever tried. No barley, not the same kind of maltiness (there is some sweet potato—often feels unavoidable with black Chinese teas, ha). And there’s honey, which wasn’t in LB (and is a note I love in Chinese black teas!). I like that this is a “warmly flavored” type of tea, but the body isn’t super thick, just right, a nice light silkiness. There’s a lightly roasty, ever-so-slightly-bitter-in-a-good way note at the end; it seems to mix with a cooling, not exactly minty but similarly numbing aspect—almost citrusy but not astringent in the least—that is unexpected but sort of neat.

This was a fun one to watch dancing around in my glass teapot. I really do enjoy that thing.

A nice basic Earl, not flowery like a lot of the ones most loved here, a bit astringent and rather clean-tasting, more like what I remember growing up and hence what I cherish. I’d say that like the Upton Imports Original Earl Grey it’s an agreeable “don’t think about it” tea choice for, say, travel or some other situation you want your tea to be at least a certain level of good but don’t want to be carrying overly precious cargo lest it get lost or steeped under iffy conditions or had while distracted. Tried this over afternoon tea with the husband (I am seriously in love with this ritual we’ve got going now, especially now that it’s dark so early), went nicely with ricotta marmalade ladyfingers and turkey cream cheese blackberry jam triangles, cut the sweetness so you could appreciate both the tea and the treats more. My husband’s cup of Adagio Tiger Eye meant chocolate and caramel aromas wafted around as a bonus.

This was a nice sweet, smooth, vaguely chocolatey cup! Had a little floral thing going on in the front too, always lovely when it’s light like that. It’s also fun to watch the balls unfurl and fall to the bottom of my glass teapot (also from Teavivre). Good morning treat. Resteeps ok for the most part too.

I really love that this smells of tangerines, not oranges. That’s a smell that induces Proustian level nostalgia of childhood for me as my mom used to feed me the tinned ones all the time in the dead of winter in Rochester.

(I was assuming some sort of take on that orange sherbet-y creamsicle sort of thing, not paying attention to the entire name of the tea, and this is better. And I say that as someone who’s a total sucker for the candy sweet creamy artificial flavor of a creamsicle…I just figure that’s something that’s probably easier to find. This was quite a surprise in a good way.)

Someone else said it’s like sunshine in a cup, and I agree, perhaps because of said memory. Perfect for when it’s cold and dark out all winter.

This was pretty good, but when placed among the pantheon of great similar long-leaved beautiful teas from China with malt and chocolate and smoothness, I don’t think it stands out particularly (we are so spoiled these days!). There are nice subtle floral and clean things going on at the front, but its body isn’t quite as thick and silky smooth as some of those others. Gonna stick with my golden teas from Teavivre and Verdant I think.

This is sweet and mellow as straight black teas go, with that trademark Chinese smoothness and caramelized sweet potato thing going on. Something like chocolate and the smallest tinge of smoke too. Very pleasant and easy-going. I can see the resemblance to keemun and how people might prefer this as it’s a little sweeter and smoother than the keemuns I’ve tried so far but still has hints of those smoky intense chocolate notes. It’s a nice tea that doesn’t kick you awake rudely but does the job in a friendly, kinder sort of manner.