Ilse Wouters Send Message

I found some individually wrapped teabags of this tea in a drawer, so why not use them now I´m more or less confined to heating up the water for the tea in the microwave? ;-)
I admit I needed to google the brandname, as I thought the name of the tea was “Cafédirect Hand-picked Tea”, the teabag doesn´t mention the everyday bit as the box of the loose teabags obviously does.
A mix of African origin tea tends to be strong and malty, but this isn´t what I notice when having it; no, a refreshing, citrusy taste comes through… different, not exactly my cuppa though.
What I do value : the mother company is obviously more into coffee, and offer interesting single origin coffees, and I long to check out their podcast as well…

Just before Christmas, I went to Marks&Spencer´s and bought myself some nice tin lanterns in the shape of houses which can be lit by a small LED in the bottom. The bigger one contained a pack of shortbread biscuits, the smaller one a pack of this tea (just stating the name of the tea and containing 40 teabags, nothing else). When I was studying in UK almost 30 years ago, I would always have teabags in the house, very English and very easy to make oneself a cuppa, but I admit I now mostly buy loose leaf tea, so I needed to “force” myself to open the pack. As the fuse of my water kettle blew (and I still haven´t replaced it), I now have the occasion (heating the water in the microwave) to use the teabags ;-) .
First thing to notice is that the round teabags are fully packed with tea, so I guess they could be used for various steeps, which I won´t do but then again. The malty aroma is confirmed once steeped, but the tea when taken black (as I do) lacks complexity. It isn´t bad however, and it doesn´t seem to get bitter that soon when oversteeping it either, but I reckon this is primarily a great tea to have with milk.

Not sure whether this is the real origin of the Assam tea I´m reviewing, as I bought it in an independent tea shop, and I was told that they often get DF produce in.
Then another remark : it´s one of those teas I buy, put aside and open much later, so I assume it was fresher when I bought it, and I should have had it before.
Finally, saying that I´m only writing the review when the tin (as I moved the tea to a clean tin, when I “discovered” it ;-) ) is almost empty, so I had plenty of time to drink and enjoy it…because, yes, it´s still enjoyable, especially as a morning cup which I want strong and malty! Less complex now than before, due to its age without any doubt. Other people might drink this kind of tea with milk, I don´t, so I´m pretty sure some people might not have noted the loss in complexity.

How I love the sweet aroma of elderflower! And I was looking for that aroma in this tisane, when I decided to buy it. Although the tisane is nice enough, with lemongrass coming through in the first place besides lemon peel, it´s clear that the main fruit used is apple which sort of mutes what one can smell and taste here. Also, I see now in the list of ingredients that elderflower is not listed, elderberry is, and that makes a huge difference! I used to pick elderberries to make a syrop, but it´s difficult not to obtain a dense texture, so I stopped making it; what I still prepare is an elderflower cordial (great with gin tonic!!!), and when I´m in the middle of making this cordial, my kitchen always smells so lovely of elderflower and citrus fruit, a great combination. A shame. Over the Summer, I need to give this tisane a try when iced.

My first impression when opening this tea was a sigh, thinking it would be a Christmas tea- like blend (which all seem to be so very similar to me, and they tire me quite quickly), but then the fennel got through and I started to appreciate the spices used in this blend. Once steeped, the strong and spicy character is confirmed, which makes it not only an ideal after-lunch drink (as recommended by La Via del tè), but also a nice wake-up drink (as far as I am concerned).
BTW, I am very grateful for the cinnamon or cloves or ginger in this blend not to overwhelm the rest.

Since I had a wonderful Korean red tea (in a teabag even!) some years ago, after a very nice meal in a Korean restaurant (before the kimchi etc were “hot” here!), I´m always eager to try Korean teas. So, when I ordered from P&T and saw they offered a Korean tea, I just needed to include a pouch in my order.

From P&T´s website :
Kim Ki-duk’s vivid depiction of the eternal cycle of seasons, ‘Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring’, could well have inspired this outstanding Korean black tea rarity. Plucked and processed entirely by hand in the stunning setting of the Hadong Mountains, this one-of-a-kind specialty yields an incredible five steeps – each as rich and full-bodied as the first. In order to achieve such aromatic longevity, the leaves undergo a prolonged, double oxidation kick-started by fresh, early-morning dew. A vigorous roasting rounds off its complex flavor with booming notes of hearty malt. Subtle whiffs of wild greens and vanilla and its soft cocoa finish make this black tea a delicacy to be savored time and time again.

Bizarre but true : while they do specify the 5 infusions – indicated in text above – on the pouch, online they only recommend 2 infusions of 2 minutes each. I followed the information on the pouch and I believe this tea can indeed be steeped five times each and every time resulting in a nice cup…of a very elegant tea. But the smoky umami flavours they also mention on the pouch seem a bit far fetched to me.
Dry, the loose leaves have delicate aroma´s where the malty heart dominates but is far from overwhelming. The “earthy” notes of cacao come through, in a subtle way though. Once steeped, the tea is lighter than expected, the malty backbone has made place for a wider spectrum of tastes, where the more bitter notes (from the cocoa) are well balanced with sweeter notes, but I wouldn´t associate these with caramel as it stays very light and subtle.
This being said, for me it´s a very nice afternoon tea; as I like my morning tea quite strong, I prefer other black teas. I might try the 2 steep method indicated online to see if the tea then shows its strong character.

As an Earl Grey tea fan, I was also curious to try this “interpretation”.
Again, in nose it´s a wonderful blend, where bergamot´s citrusy notes blend in perfectly with the white tea, in a softer version of P&T´s Golden Earl. And also again, when steeped, the tea leaves still show the bergamot, but the tea inself not so much, which is a shame! The white tea base seems very good quality, visually a treat, and the 2 infusions give a similar result, which is positive.
I don´t know, but I had expected more from this blend. Maybe I should drink the tea and sniff the tin with every sip ;-) ?

As we tend to travel through Europe during the Christmas period, which is quite tiring (but fortunately, very gratifying), we usually book an “End of the Year” package in one of the hotels of a nice Spanish hotel chain ; we get pampered, and we don´t need to spend hours in the kitchen or eat leftovers for at least a week ;-)
In December 2021 we took up this habit again, and spent New Year in Galicia, the northwestern part of Spain. When we arrived, we found a surprise box in our room including a couple of bags of this infusion. Almost a month later, I finally remembered to try the infusion.
The paper bag contains a tea pyramid – 100% compostable – with 1.5g of infusion. Clearly hibiscus based (cinnamon and ginger coming through as well…lightly), which is not really my cuppa, but then again I think here the blend is balanced and natural. It´s a nice enough Christmas blend, and I appreciate it not being over the top (very easy to do with cinnamon or ginger). Bravo for the compostable packaging and ecological ingredients, but I needed to check online for steeping conditions, which is a shame.

This oolong blend formerly labelled as Chang-E Forever sounded very tempting, and boy, it really is a very nice oolong : although the aroma´s seem quite grassy-herbal to me (which is definitely a bad way to start to convince me ;-) ), once steeped it´s an elegant, floral tea. I cannot really encounter the apricot and citrus notes, as P&T indicates in its tasting notes :
“A gentle oolong (formerly Chang-e Forever) that melts with citrus and apricot notes of osmanthus petals for a floral bouquet with a touch of sweetness. It’s our tribute to Chang-e, the Chinese moon goddess, who according to legend lives on the moon among golden, sweet blossoms.”

2 infusions of 90s each allow you to enjoy it fully.

Golden Earl is P&T´s most “classical” Earl Grey blend, one that is not only very fragrant but also visually very nice (tea leaves almost too beautiful to steep!). P&T indicates that this blend can be infused 3 times and although I really enjoyed the first en 2nd infusion, I believe that the 3rd is not good enough. The aroma´s are strong, with the citrusy notes coming through in a natural way. Even after the second infusion, the tea leaves maintain the typical bergamot fragrance, which I can appreciate.
I bought this tea in a tin, and I must give an extra good mark to P&T for the excellent tin design so tins can be safely stacked; the branding is another very strong point of theirs.