Single Estate Lost Malawi English Breakfast

SIPDOWN…well, sort of. I’m sharing this one as well. BUT…it had to be pried from my fingers!

ONE. MORE. CUPPA.

LOVE it!

This was a gift from my mother last month, said she saw it whilst shopping online and thought of me. :)

The tin that it comes in is attractive and has a secure lid so it’s a gift that keeps on giving.

In raw form this tea is dark brown and finely chopped (for the most part) with a strong wooden and floral scent. I can also see some large pieces of stem/twig amongst the leaves, quite a bit in this batch to be honest.

Once steeped the tea is dark brown in colour with a rich malted and wooden aroma.

Flavour is thick with very rich malted highs and an undertone of flowers and perfume. Sweet yet dry and a little smoky. It’s a very deep black tea but it’s also somewhat lightened by the hint of flowers. A little longer in the steep and it becomes smokier and more roasted.

I’ve been trying to think of what it reminds me of in flavour and I just worked it out… a Darjeeling. It has the same sort of characteristics as a Darjeeling but in a perhaps slightly stronger version.

Overall it’s been a surprisingly tasty, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the highly stemmed tea but whatever it lacks in quality it doesn’t lack in taste.

Tea #45 from HHTTB2

This tea reminds me of a lot of other teas, but doesn’t match any of them exactly.

It has:
-The floral, fruity highlights of a Darjeeling. But they’re much deeper.
-The sweetness of a Yunnan, only not as pronounced or refined.
-The maltiness of an Assam, only not quite as thick on the tongue.
-And the slight roasiness of Keemun, but comes across more earthy than smoky.

So, despite my brain’s inability to place this tea, it’s very, very good. The flavors are well-rounded and balanced and it’s smooth. There’s a slight drying on my tongue, but no bitterness or anything of that sort.

Backlog:

In a word, I’d describe this tea as masculine. It is very rich, malty and rugged. It is good and strong … with lots of gusto. Just the kind of tea you want to get going in the morning, you know?

I found this to be remarkably well-rounded. I have been very impressed with the teas that I’ve tried from Rare Tea Company, and this tea is no exception, rather, it emphasizes what I mean … this tea is really top-notch.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/06/16/lost-malawi-black-tea-from-rare-tea-co/

Another one from the traveling tea box! Thanks for including this one, TeaEqualsBliss! It seems you have included many RARE teas. This one has a unique flavor! It almost reminds me of a darjeeling but much much deeper in flavor. It also tastes like a really sweet and lingering yunnan. And also maybe a malty assam. So if I’m thinking there are elements of so many teas here, it’s clearly complex! I seem to be saying malty a lot, but I love malty teas. They are my favorite at the moment.

I just read the short story that was inside the Lost Malawi tin. Such an awesome idea to do that.

This one is slightly darker than the Emperor’s breakfast. It’s supposed to be a strong black tea. Color is more red than brown. I’ll post photos some other time since i got a whole tin of this one :D Smells creamish too. I know – weird word for a smell – but it really smells like it’s going to be creamy. I kinda like it when a tea actual tastes the way it smells – well when it smells good (duh). I don’t mind a bad smelling tea surprising me with a good taste ;)

1st steep 3,5 min
It’s less sweet than the Emperor’s breakfast. Tastes nice earthy, smooth and round. I can hint a bitter note. It’s quite good.

2nd steep 5,5 min
Much lighter than the 1st steep. Tastes different. Less smooth. More watery and bit bitter. Still don’t mind drinking it tho. But its a one steep tea i’d say…

Another thing i like about this company is that, on their website, they write down which of their teas, and in which percents, make good combos. Like – i remember reading that it’s good to add half a teaspoon of Lost Malawi in Emperor’s breakfast to make it tad stronger. There was also an oolong combo which sounded even more interesting.

Btw in the tea description here on Steepster you got a link to a kewl video about where this tea is made. Actually here you go:
http://www.rareteacompany.com/videos.php?id=OsroewAbybA

I am forever grateful to you Henrietta for introducing me to Satemwa. I finally got a chance to sample this and I do agree it is a very good afternoon tea, if not, the best I’ve sampled so far. I took mine as is (without any milk and sugar). I also am so delighted with the estate’s philosophy and the fact that they give back to the community. I have been searching all over for full leaf teas from Africa and I’m excited to incorporate this into my da.u.de tea line.

Superior tea! Excellent farmer! Inspiring philosophy. I really am honestly excited.

Many thanks!

Ren

Tea #31 from the Here’s Hoping TTB

My first few cups out of the TTB today left me feeling a little meh so I decided to find something unflavored to try. This is a nice bold cup of tea and exactly what I needed to shake off the tea blahs so I could finish off the last few teas I wanted to try before sending the box on tomorrow.

This tea is a little malty, a little sweet, a little drying, and not at all astringent. This reminds me a bit of a cross between a Yunnan and a Darjeeling and since I enjoy both, this is the perfect tea for me. The only downfall is that it left me craving something sweet, preferably chocolate, and I don’t really have anything like that in the house right now. Guess that means it’s time to bake some more toll house cookies :)

I have been looking forward to trying this tea since I first read about it some time ago. I was reading a novel and Rare Tea Company was mentioned which sent me down the rabbit trail of finding out if they were the actual company mentioned in the work of fiction and they responded with a link about this tea. Their customer service is top notch and I wasn’t even a real customer yet.

I have had a few other teas from the Satemwa estate, all I believe purchased by Superanna from What-Cha. They were all stellar teas.

Opening the tin, I was surprised to see that this is so finely chopped. Leaf color is deepest, darkest brown, like rich dark cocoa. Dry leaf aroma has some heady high notes as well as a deep smokiness. I am not getting chocolate from it.

I am glad I checked the instructions because they recommend that you use 185F water and 1-2 minutes if you will not be adding milk. They also mention that the second steep is best, which is common among oolongs but perhaps less common with black tea to me.

Since it is my first time trying it, I left room to experience and experiment. A bit of the first steep was poured into a cup. I tasted it and was very surprised. It was not at all what I expected. It definitely wasn’t what I think of as a breakfast tea. There was something so familiar teasing at the edge of my brain but it took me a while to get it. Brothy? Almost but not quite there. Something reminding me of purple tea…yes…DARJEELING. Yes, it has much in common with Darjeeling!

The second steep was made and poured in a different cup. Wow. Just wow. They are not kidding that the second steep is better. I immediately combined the steeps and discovered that I love the two steeps blended almost as much as the second steep by itself.

The dry leaf and the steeped tea both transport me to the exciting smell of the A Southern Season flagship store, where the rich scent of tea enveloped you with excitement about what you might find and what you would be taking home with you. It was a pure tea smell, a classic tea smell.

They say to drink this within three months of opening the tin. That won’t be a problem. Now that I have had this at breakfast, I also see on their site that it is considered an afternoon tea, and I can see that. Fortunately I also bought their Emperor’s Breakfast!

I will be sticking my head in the tin for the next three months for mini-aromatherapy sessions.

Forgot to smell the dry leaf. But Henrietta does a fantastic job of sourcing so I trust this will be good. A deep brew. Bit of malt here, dash of wood tones there, and all wound up with a slight hint of malt o meal. This is very nice. And a perfect amount of astringency. Enough to wake you up but not enough to set your tongue clicking.

Terrible weather and things happening this past week. I just wanted to lay aside part of my note for all the lives lost.