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Fall Tea Tastings – A review of 4 great teas

October 5, 2020
The season of fall is upon us. You can smell the crispness in the morning, the leaves are beginning to change and the air is chilly and begs for a delicious cup of hot tea. So let’s look at some great fall teas. Here is Fall Tea Tastings – a review of 4 great teas.

I took a trip to one of my favorite tea shops, the New Mexico Tea Company.

You may remember, the New Mexico Tea Company has a great selection as well as these amazing tea illustrations on their packages. Prior to social distancing, you could browse the teas, smell and see each blend. However, at this time, I could only go into a vestibule where all the teas were listed in a catalog. Maybe not the same, but I walked away with an arm full of new teas to try. I did miss being able to smell and view the teas, but it obviously didn’t hinder my purchases.

I will be writing about four teas:
- Earl Grey Rooibos
- Dutch Licorice Rooibos
- Masala Spice Mix
- Pumpkin Spice
So as before, in this tasting, I followed the same process that I have shared outlined in Tea Tastings for the Daily Enthusiast.

I first viewed the loose leaf tea and smelled it. Then prepared a small pot, using one scoop (1 tablespoon) of tea to steep. My water was boiled to 212 degrees and I steeped as according to the recommendation and on the lower end of the range. I poured a cup to look at the brew, smelled it and then tasted it, progressing through any sweetening or milk.

Here are my observations and comments. These are only my opinion and others may have a completely different response to tasting these teas, which is absolutely the fun of this. A time when it really is all about you!

A note on Rooibos Teas

Before we get started, a little note on Rooibos. I enjoy Rooibos teas quite a bit. They are naturally decaffeinated, steep easily and produce a gorgeous rust brew. Rooibos is a member of the legume family of plants and is used to make a tisane (herbal tea). Commonly called african red tea, the product has been popular in South Africa for generations and is now consumed in many countries.

Earl Grey Rooibos

I am not a big fan of Earl Grey, as a black tea. I feel like it is a classic and that I should be. So I am constantly trying different blends and variations to see if I can find one that I enjoy. So seeing the Earl Grey Rooibos, I instantly wanted to give it a try. Like all Earl Grey teas, this tea is flavored with all natural Bergamot oil. Named after the 3rd Earl of Grey, this is one of many Earl Grey blends and reflects the South African flavors of Rooibos. The loose lea is very fragrant and is gorgeous.
Steeping and Serving

I steeped this tea for 5 minutes, the low end of the 5-7 minutes recommendations. The steep was very fragrant and revealed that classic Rooibos dark color. This is a great Earl Grey blend and I would drink this black, without any milk or sugar. Though still not a favorite, I did enjoy the tasting. I will be using this tea in some future baking – Earl Grey Shortbreads.
Earl Grey Rooibos served in an Art Deco Gladstone teacup.
Dutch Licorice Rooibos

I love black licorice and I love Rooibos. So seeing this combination, I was excited to try this tea. This tea contains Rooibos, sunflower petals, anise, and natural flavors. The smell of the loose leaf doesn’t have an overpowering smell of licorice and in fact the tea, once steeped doesn’t as well. But in tasting, there is this gentle flavor of anise that sits delicately on your tongue and you realize its licorice.
Steeping and Serving

I steeped this tea for 5 minutes, which is the low end of the Rooibos recommendations (5-7 minutes). The brew is a light golden amber with the classic Rooibos color and is smooth to taste. I would definitely drink this tea again, maybe with a little sugar. No milk as it masked the flavor of the anise.
Dutch Licorice Rooibos, served in Royal Chelsea English teacup.
Masala Spice Mix

Not an expert on heavy spiced teas or Chai, I was anxious to try this blend. This is Masala Spice Mix. Masala meaning any of a number of spice mixtures ground into a paste or powder for use in Indian cooking. This is a hearty blend of spices. This particular blend is considered herbal and caffeine free. It contains ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, clove and pepper. The loose leaf tea is gorgeous and you can easily see all the different spices and the pepper. When you smell this tea, it has a strong and pungent smell, highlighting the clove and the pepper. It is similar to Chai blends and in fact uses some of the same spices. As you smell this tea, you can imagine the arid environment of its history.
Steeping and Serving

As with the other teas, I steeped this for 5 minutes, though the recommendation is actually to simmer in water for 7 minutes. I found the brew to be light amber but strong in flavor. The pepper really came through. I would drink this with milk, sugar or preferably honey – it would bring out the richness of this tea and make it tremendously satisfying. This can be a strong tea and depending on your tastes, you will want to brew accordingly. Interestingly, I am also going to use this tea for some cooking and in particular with meats.
Masala Spice Mix served in a Coalport teacup
Pumpkin Spice

A fall tasting could not go without some kind of Pumpkin Spice tea and this one was no exception. I love all the spices of the fall and this tea did not disappoint. I also tried several other blends of Pumpkin Spice from different purveyors, but the one from New Mexico Tea Company was my favorite. This is a black tea with ginger root, cinnamon, cardamom, marigold petals and natural vanilla flavor. In its loose leaf form, it is the classic smell of autumn and is just beautiful.
Steeping and Serving

I steeped this tea for 4 minutes. For me, steeping the full 5 minutes had a bitter taste. The brew was a beautiful dark amber color and had an amazing smell reflecting the spices. I enjoyed this tea black with a little sugar (or not). Milk was fine to add but I didn’t want to mask the pumpkin spices. This was a favorite of mine for sure.
Pumpkin Spice served in a Royal Vale teacup
Another great tasting done with so many other teas to explore. With over 20,000 tea varieties in the world, there are tastings forever! Give it a try – you will enjoy the broad horizons of tea, in any form (I have hinted at some additional fun with tea in baking and cooking). While you are doing your tea tasting, grab a friend and remember to enjoy the experience and………….welcome to fall

Check out Teas The Season’s previous posts on tea tastings – Tea Tastings -An Adventure in Teas and Tea Tastings 2 – The Adventure Continues
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Beth 61 Comments
Cups, Cozies and China, Enjoying Together, Uncategorized

Tea Tasting 2 – the adventure continues

January 8, 2020
So many teas, so little time……This is the second installment of my tea tasting adventures. This time I was joined by my beautiful and delightful daughter-in-law. Hope you get inspired to try some new tastes or just enjoy some tried and true.

Hadley’s Logo

I recently had the pleasure of visiting another tea shop. Hadley’s Tea Shop in Albuquerque New Mexico. Hadley’s has long been a purveyor of teas in the area. This establishment has a casual atmosphere that invites you to sit and relax with a cup of tea. There is a nice assortment of teas, pastries and accessories to browse through which is always tempting. A nice place for a Cream Tea.

I came away choosing 3 teas to bring home for our tasting – Vanilla Black Chai, Monk’s Blend Black Tea, and Lady Londonderry Black Tea. Now I have had Lady Londonderry and used it for years, but needing to refill my tea canister, went ahead and purchased but also put it in the mix of my “formal” tasting. Now as I have said before, I am by no means an expert in the whole world of tea, but I do like to explore, have fun and enjoy the moment.
- Hadley’s Tea Storefront
- Hadley’s Tea Selection
A gift from my daughter – small golden teapot from Hadley’s Tea Shop

Setting the Stage

Bringing my daughter-in-law into the mix, I wanted to not only use her palate as a second taster but also to have some time to enjoy the tasting. I set the table up for us to enjoy a moment of time away from all the busyness and focus on the tea tasting as well as any other conversation we might share (which can be substantial when we get together). So it was a blessing for sure.

The table is set for tea tasting

We were going to taste 3 teas, so I setup the table accordingly. The usual hot water pot, tea infuser,cozy, timer, milk and sugar, water to cleanse our palate in between teas, and a shortbread to munch on. I selected 3 pots that would provide 3-4 cups, knowing that we would try a 2nd cup but likely not a whole full pot.

Now the cups – I have a tradition at my house. I like to have my guests at times choose their own cup. Since I have so many and it can become a great conversation piece, I enjoy watching folks take their time in selecting their favorite. My daughter-in-law will request to do this at times and its just some of that extra pampering that comes with having tea. We will use a fresh pot and fresh cup for each tasting.

Just a few cups lined up for tasting

Tea Tasting Process

There are several sources that outline a formal process for tasting tea. My process has evolved over time and reflects a simple way for tasting and enjoying.
1. Assemble and setup brewing station and table
2. Place a small amount of the loose tea in a bowl or plate. Smell the tea and note flavors or scents of the raw tea.
3. Steep the tea according to the directions.
4. In a fresh cup, pour a portion of tea. Observe the color and the smell of the steeped tea.
5. First sip the tea with no additives.
6. Then begin with additives –
  1. Sugar alone
  2. Milk alone
  3. Sugar and milk
7. Discuss impressions – likes, dislikes, possible pairings with food.
8. Repeat process for additional tastings, getting fresh cups and pot
Here’s a guide to help you have your own tea tasting fun either by yourself or with your friends. Click here to download .

TEA-TASTING-STEPS for the Daily EnthusiastDownload

As I stated earlier, I am not a tea sommelier but I do want to follow a reasonable consistent process. And its been fun. So let’s talk about the teas….

Vanilla Black Chai
- Steeped Vanilla Black Chai
- Loose Leaf Vanilla Black Chai
Vanilla Black Chai
The Vanilla Black Chai is a black tea (usually Assam) that is flavored with vanilla and the familiar Chai spices – cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and pepper. We loved the tea by itself – it has that familiar and popular Chai taste. With sugar, the spices were accentuated. Milk added a boost to the vanilla flavor. Both sugar and milk produced a very soothing and enjoyable cup of tea. Clearly our preference, we both felt that the tea alone would be best when paired with scones or sweets. I steeped for 5 minutes. Recommended steeping time is 5-7 minutes.

Monk’s Blend – Black Tea

Monk’s Black Tea

This tea is a known favorite with its dramatic flavors of grenadine and vanilla. Both in the loose leaf state and the steeped tea you could clearly smell the grenadine. This was fun and unexpected. The steeped color is a rich brown classic for a black tea. In tasting, without any additive you were pleasantly pleased with the presence of the grenadine but not overwhelmed by it. With sugar, those flavors were enhanced as well. With milk, it created a very creamy mellow tea that once again, was very enjoyable. For both my daughter-in-law and myself, we favored this without additives but agreed that this was a new favorite tea. Steeping time for this tea is 5 minutes.

Lady Londonderry Black Tea
- Loose Leaf Lady Londonderry black tea
- Cup of steeped Lady Londonderry black tea.
Lady Londonderry Black Tea
We ended our tasting with the classic Lady Londonderry Black Tea. This tea is a black tea with overtones of strawberry and lemon and is a favorite for afternoon teas. Both the loose leaf and the steeped tea readily give off the familiar aromas of strawberry and lemon. In the steeped form, the tea preforms well alone, with sugar and with milk. One sip and I am in a tea room enjoying afternoon tea! Steeping time for this tea is 5 minutes.

Again, these three teas were a welcome addition to my tea repertoire. However, we did agree that the Chai might not be our first choice in an afternoon tea setting. We found that both the Monk’s Black Tea and the Lady Londonderry would both be excellent choices for afternoon tea and felt they were best suited for the scones and sweets course, with maybe a little sugar but even best for our tastes just plain…but of course, that was just our preference.

After the tasting is done, cups and pots to be cleaned.

After we were full of our teas, having tasted some shortbread, we had the cleanup to do. What a great way to engage people in understanding and really tasting their tea. We had a blast. So on to another tea adventure to find and share and this time….a larger group!

Tea Tasting Cleanup

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Beth 78 Comments
Enjoying Together, Uncategorized

Tea Tastings – an adventure in teas

January 2, 2020
For me, a good cup of tea fills my soul. It warms me, refreshes me, and depending on the tea, I can reflect on memories around this tea. But its 2020 now and there are new teas to explore, so I am stepping out and finding different teas to enjoy, new memories to get started. Come along this journey with me. I will share my impressions, likes and dislikes. Hopefully, you will find this information helpful on your tea tasting adventures.

Admittedly by habit, I am a lover of English Breakfast, Lady Londonderry, and Rooibos. Two of my favorite Rooibos are Lemon Souffle and Provence. However, of late, I have wanted to try some different teas…to broaden my palate.

So let’s talk tea. I don’t claim to be an expert but a fancier of all things tea and an explorer of the many different types of tea. I want to give credit to the New Mexico Tea Company for many of the tea descriptions as well as their delightful shop but the impressions are all my own!

Front of the New Mexico Tea Company

I recently had the opportunity to visit a delightful treasure for tea lovers – the New Mexico Tea Company https://www.nmteaco.com/ located at 1131 Mountain Road, Albuqeurque, New Mexico. This shop is nestled on a small street, its reserved sign let’s you know its location. Once you enter, it is clearly a tea lovers adventure. You step into a small entry way that opens to shelves of tea accessories and then into the tea collection room where all the teas are displayed. With a small sample on each larger canister, you can go from tea to tea taking in the aroma and deciding if you want this one or that one. And of particular merit are the pictures on the front of each tea container. Some of them are absolutely beautiful, drawing you in to study the tea a bit more (I have included a picture of each tea because of this). Of course, you look for your favorites but also recently, I was there to step out of my usual tea repertoire. There was an additional room of accessories but we wandered back into the tea selection room. The associates were extremely knowledgeable and helpful when selecting. My sister and brother-in-law were in town and we had a delightful time. Almost giddy, I came away with only 5 teas – and will definitely be going back. A gem for our community for sure. Here were my purchases – Tie Guan Yin Oolong, Milk Oolong, Chocolate Earl Grey, Provence Rooibos, and Scottish Breakfast.

Tie Guan Yin Oolong

I started with the Oolong teas. I had long wanted to try them and went with Tie Guan Oolong and Milk Oolong.
- Tie Guan Oolong
- Brewing Tie Guan Oolong
In trying a basic Oolong, Tie Guan Yin was the recommendation to start with. As outlined by the New Mexico Tea Company, ‘Tie Guan Yin is sweet and thick with a hint of orchid aftertaste. The look of this brew is a subtle yellowish-green, and the first steeping unfurls the rolled tea leaf to reveal large, juicy green leaves. It tastes much like its aroma: Bright and incredibly fresh, with sweet, mellow grassy undertones.” For me, it was an acceptable tea but not one that I would immediately choose. Steeping time for this tea is two minutes – its brew will look light yellow green amber.

Brewing Milk Oolong for tasting.

Milk Oolong

Then I tried Milk Oolong. This tea is similar to Tie Guan Yin in its fresh green taste but cultivated to produce an aroma similar to milk. This tea was amazing and a bit mysterious. When you smell it – it definitely has this creamy tone to it. When you brew a pot, its amber color is deceiving and the taste is definitely Oolong but then you get this gentle flavor of milk. It is actually quite comforting. When taken without anything, its very gentle and then this unassuming creamy flavor coming in after you sip. I then sweetened it with just a bit of sugar – and that was delicious. But likely in “tea heresy” I used some leftover orange zested sugar that I had (Orange Cranberry Sugar Cookies https://teastheseason3.com/cranberry-orange-sugar-cookies/) and it was amazing. Somehow the orange flavor and the milk came together and it became absolutely delicious. I am now a fan! Steeping time for Milk Oolong is 4 minutes and it will have the color as the Tie Guan Yin but a very different flavor.

Milk Oolong steeped and ready to enjoy

Chocolate Earl Grey

Chocolate Earl Grey

The next tea was Chocolate Earl Grey. As described by the New Mexico Tea company Earl Grey was “named after the 1830’s British Prime Minister, Earl Grey. This is the western world’s most popular tea. Earl Grey has traditionally meant any type or blend of tea which is scented with oil of bergamot, a fruit resembling an orange found in the Mediterranean region.” In the past, Earl Grey has not been a favorite of mine. Earl Grey is a favorite of my daughter-in-law, so we did this tasting together. We were excited to try the Chocolate Earl Grey. An elegant twist on the British tea classic, Chocolate Earl Grey artfully combines rich, black tea with Italian bergamot (the highly aromatic citrus fruit) and a silky, sweet touch of chocolate. I have had other chocolate teas and in fact, for my Christmas Tea Party, I will generally serve a chocolate black tea. Its not overly rich and has just a hint of chocolate as you drink it. First straight out of the pot, nothing added, you get a very gentle but clearly present taste of chocolate, not overwhelming at all or in the way – just comfortably there. It is perfectly blended with the taste of Earl Grey. Then we tried it with a little sugar. Amazing! Then a little milk. Again a great addition. Then together both a little milk and sugar – and it was delightful. Though by itself, it tasted delicious, in combination with the other items it just enhanced the flavors all the more. I will definitely be using this as a final course tea along side my sweets. Now beginning to change my perspective on Earl Grey. Perfect. Steeping time for Chocolate Earl Grey is four minutes.

Provence Rooibos

Brewing Provence Rooibos

Provence Rooibos…one of my absolute favorites. I first had this on the East Coast in a small tea room and I was in love with its rooibos flavor and subtle gentle foral perfumes. If you are not familiar with rooibos teas, they are actually not teas in the purest sense. “Rooibos, (Afrikaans for red bush; scientific name Aspalathus linearis) is a member of the legume family of plants and is used to make a tisane (herbal tea). For this particular blend, there is a flavor of a floral and fruity bouquet; and a very present perfume of lavender notes.” No sugar or milk for me in this tea – just the plain fragrance of the brew is enough to satisfy. I love the colors in the loose tea – you can see the rich amber tones so familiar to rooibos but also little pieces of the floral notes, reflecting its delicate sensibilities. Steeping time for Provence Rooibos is 5 minutes.

Scottish Breakfast

Scottish Breakfast

Scottish Breakfast was the last tea that I purchased (at least this time around). As I have said, I am a regular consumer of English Breakfast and I use this at many of my teas for the scone course or the savories. So I wanted to taste another Breakfast Tea. As described by the New Mexico Tea Company, this tea is like a “proper Highlander, robust, malty (not unlike a good Scotch) and full of life and vigor. Highlanders liked their tea very strong and insisted on hints of cask oak to remind them of their clan’s own special elixir, single malt Scotch.” Which is exactly what I tasted when I tried this tea. A black tea, Scottish Breakfast for my palate, was a strong brew. Its color was rich and had that beautiful black tea depth to it. My tasting was first by itself, then sugar, then milk, then milk and sugar. However, I found its robustness a little strong for me and wondered if it would compete with items I might pair it with in an afternoon tea. However, I would take this tea with milk and sugar and enjoy it in the morning to get my day started. Scottish Breakfast is steeped for for 4 minutes.

I have shared what I tasted, which I know is only a small sampling of what the tea world has to offer. I enjoy these teas alone, together or in parties. I encourage you to do the same and share your experiences.

Let me brew us a small pot in some special china. Pass me your cup and I will offer you a shortbread. We can enjoy each other’s company and sip on some tea.

Greydawn Johnson Brothers Teapot, Blue Crown Staffordshire Cup,
Blue Paisley Cozy – Cozies by Laurie.

Again my thanks and appreciation to the New Mexico Tea Company, for their assistance, their selections and their descriptions. Visiting this establishment is a must for any tea-lover, whether in person or online.

Get a copy of our free Tea Tasting Guidelines. Have fun exploring and tasting some new teas!

Tea-Tasting-Guidelines-1Download

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Beth 4 Comments