Marcy Ross Send Message

My new early morning cuppa. This has replaced Twinings Irish Breakfast, which had replaced Twinings English Breakfast. This is exactly what I need for my early mornings—a strong cup that brews quickly (when I have to be at work at 4:30 am, anything that helps me save time is good). I drink this English style, with a bit of milk and sugar. I’m not really sure how to rate it, so I won’t give it a numerical rating—it’s not the highest quality or most complex tea, but it’s perfect at doing what it’s supposed to do.

Decided to try this one next and save the green tea for tomorrow. I haven’t had a lot of experience at all with oolongs (if I’ve had any; I can’t remember, but this may be my first), so I wasn’t really sure what to expect.

The rolled-up leaves looked cool, and made a satisfying clinking sound when I dropped them into my French press. The leaves looked small, but as soon as I poured water over them, they began to unfold. I was really surprised at how big they got; I suppose even the loose-leaf tea I’ve had hasn’t been all full leaf, because this was like nothing I’d ever seen before; the leaves looked like they completely filled the water.

The first cup was close to the color of a green tea. The aroma was floral, and the taste was lightly floral, as well. It was very smooth. The second steep was similar, but the floral notes were more prominent, and it tasted even sweeter. This tea was simply delicious; I’m not sure if all oolongs are this good, or if it’s just this particular one, but I’m excited to try more at some point. A wonderful cup of tea (I might go try a third steep soon)

(Edit: Third steep was also delicious)

Received the samples yesterday—a big thanks to Tea at Sea for their generosity! First up was the Mountain Organic Indonesian Black Tea. Back when I was a coffee expert, I really enjoyed Indonesian coffees, so I was curious to try a tea from Indonesia (I think Assam, Darjeeling, and Kenyan were the only kinds of black teas I had tried before, and the Kenyan tea only in a blend). Opening the package, the tea smelled good. Very good. I scooped it out, and it came to just about two teaspoons full. The leaves were nicely rolled, and included some twigs, as well. It’s at times like this, when I come across a tea that might not measure the same as others, that I wish I had a scale, but I decided to just go by amount instead of weight, as I usually do. Boiled water and steeped for a little over four minutes.

The smell of the tea itself was earthy, with perhaps a hint of smokiness. The taste itself was intriguing—very different from other black teas I had tasted. In fact, its slight vegetative flavor reminded me somewhat of a green (but it was definitely still black, retaining that oxidized flavor). Mellow and delicate like a Darjeeling, but still with a bit of a nice kick. Low astringency, very little bitterness, and a pleasant aftertaste. If I weren’t poor, I would definitely buy a tin of this tea (and this will probably be one of the teas I ask for once Christmas comes around again, or if anyone decides to give me a random tea present). Excellent tea!

My wife picked this up as a replacement early-morning tea for me—we’re nearly out of Twinings and this was $1.50 cheaper (a big deal for us on a tight budget). I was apprehensive, but this was actually quite delicious. The taste is different than what I’m used to, but I really enjoyed it.
Aaaaaaand then I decided to try it without milk or sugar. I’m afraid I’ve ruined it. Although it was supposed to be my early-morning tea (which I make sort of like a builder’s tea, when I don’t have the time to make loose-leaf or sachet, but still want a nice cuppa), I don’t think it can be any more. I didn’t like the taste at all without milk and sugar (the earthiness of the mate was just too much), but now I can’t help but taste that flavor, even when it’s properly sweetened and milked up. Oh, well.

My wife got me this tea for my birthday, and I tried it this morning. I don’t have much experience with jasmine teas (in fact, this is my first one), but this is delicious. The jasmine smell is strong from the dry tea, but the flavor is subtle. Just as good on the second steep—in fact, I was able to taste some new subtleties (including what tasted like the smallest hint of cinnamon; of course, the only ingredients are green tea and jasmine, but the hint was still there). A very good tea—I’m glad this was my introduction to jasmine green tea. By the way, they’ve updated their packaging—recommended steep time is now three minutes.