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Alex Zorach

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Member since Sep. 1st, 2009. Reviewed 1448 teas.

Reviews of Teas & Herbal Teas from India

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Picture of Singbulli, Darjeeling Black Tea, First Flush 2014

Singbulli, Darjeeling Black Tea, First Flush 2014 from Happy Earth Tea

Style: Darjeeling First Flush – Region: Darjeeling, India

90 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Jun. 2nd, 2014

Dry leaf has less aroma than the other samples from Happy Earth from this year; aroma is fresh and light like the other teas, but is more suggestive of caramel.

Upon brewing, the cup is not as obviously aromatic, but the flavor is similar. Sipping the cup, I notice pleasant floral tones, but they're fainter than in...

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Picture of Puttabong, Darjeeling First Flush 2014.

Puttabong, Darjeeling First Flush 2014. from Happy Earth Tea

Style: Darjeeling First Flush – Region: Darjeeling, India

83 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
May. 30th, 2014

Last year's (2013) Puttabong was my favorite of the first flush teas, but this year I don't think it held that spot (this year, that would be Risheehat).

This batch was slightly peculiar, and I found a little tricky to brew to satisfaction. I found it worked best when brewed with lower temperature water, and then w...

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Picture of Arya Ruby, Darjeeling First Flush 2014

Arya Ruby, Darjeeling First Flush 2014 from Happy Earth Tea

Style: Darjeeling First Flush – Region: Darjeeling, India

70 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 3/5
May. 28th, 2014

This tea was remarkable, but I don't think it suited my personal tastes as much as the other first flush teas I've sampled from Happy Earth Tea, both this year and last. I can see others liking it more though. Imagine a high-grade Chinese white tea with the typical Darjeeling muscatel nuances superimposed on it.

T...

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Picture of Sungma, Darjeeling Black tea, First Flush 2014

Sungma, Darjeeling Black tea, First Flush 2014 from Happy Earth Tea

Style: Darjeeling First Flush – Region: Darjeeling, India

93 / 100 Aroma: 10/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
May. 22nd, 2014

This tea also smelled delightful, better than I remember from last year, and last year's tea was already fantastic. Compared to the other first flush teas, I found it a bit more nutty, but only very slightly so.

Upon brewing, becomes more vegetal than the leaf suggests. Aroma is very floral, suggesting honey and ...

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Picture of Risheehat, Darjeeling Black Tea, First Flush 2014

Risheehat, Darjeeling Black Tea, First Flush 2014 from Happy Earth Tea

Style: Darjeeling First Flush – Region: Darjeeling, India

97 / 100 Aroma: 10/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
May. 20th, 2014

A delightful, very green Darjeeling of the highest quality, sweet, aromatic, and reminiscent of summer.

Reviewing Happy Earth's Teas is always a delightful pleasure...the question is usually, is this going to be among the best of the best teas I've ever sampled? Or is it just going to be a really, really, really fr...

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Picture of Organic Green Tea

Organic Green Tea from Trader Joe's

Style: Green Tea – Region: Nilgiri, India

30 / 100 Aroma: 3/10 Flavor: 2/5 Value: 1/5
May. 20th, 2014

I thought this was pretty terrible. Steeped for 3 minutes with 180F degree water.

Cup is almost aroma-less...reminds me a little bit of Bigelow's Green Tea, but I thought less enjoyable. Tastes a lot like some decaf tea...flat. There's some herbaceous quality in the aroma, like celery, a faint honey-like finish, ...

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Picture of Halmari Estate FTGFOP Cl.

Halmari Estate FTGFOP Cl. from Upton Tea Imports

Style: Assam – Region: Dibrugarh, Assam, India

67 / 100 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
May. 8th, 2014

The last of four rather old samples that were given to me as a gift by a friend. This one seemed to have lost a bit more of its aroma than the others did.

The dry leaf is beautiful, although slightly more broken than the others (the picture shows this quite accurately) and with a slightly lower portion of golden ti...

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Picture of Sree Sibbari Estate SGFTGFOP1 Cl.

Sree Sibbari Estate SGFTGFOP1 Cl. from Upton Tea Imports

Style: Assam – Region: Assam, India

80 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
May. 7th, 2014

The third of the four rather old Assam samples that I'm reviewing, thanks to one of my friends who gave them to me as she doesn't like Assam.

The dry leaf of this sample is beautiful (the picture Upton provided doesn't do it justice), mostly made of curled golden tips, with little darker leaf. Surprisingly aromatic...

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Picture of Marangi Estate FTGFOP1 (Formerly TA49)

Marangi Estate FTGFOP1 (Formerly TA49) from Upton Tea Imports

Style: Assam – Region: Golaghat, Assam, India

70 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
May. 5th, 2014

Another of the old samples my friend Naomi gave to me. The dry leaf of this sample, mostly dark with a few orangish tips, had little aroma left, which made me wonder if it was more stale.

Upon brewing though, a stronger aroma came out. Brews up a bold, dark cup, with just the right amount of tannins to make it edg...

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Picture of Duflating Estate FTGFOP1 Cl/Spl.

Duflating Estate FTGFOP1 Cl/Spl. from Upton Tea Imports

Style: Assam – Region: Jorhat, Assam, India

73 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
May. 4th, 2014

One of my friends had a rather old set of Assam samplers from Upton that she had received as a gift, and she recently passed them off to me as she's less a fan of Assam. As Assam tends to keep longer than a lot of teas, I gave it a try, and I was pleasantly surprised. All four teas seem to have kept quite well. This...

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Picture of Darjeeling

Darjeeling from Tazo Tea

Style: Darjeeling Black Tea – Region: Darjeeling, India

63 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Mar. 15th, 2014

I had the opportunity to sample this at a small cafe that had only two tea bags left in their stock. It obviously was not fresh, as this tea was discontinued quite some time ago, and the copyright on the bag said 2007.

The tea was surprisingly drinkable and still retained quite a lot of flavor and aroma. Flavor wa...

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Picture of Holy Basil, Krishna (Tulsi)

Holy Basil, Krishna (Tulsi) from Mountain Rose Herbs

Style: Tulsi / Holy Basil – Region: India

93 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Feb. 27th, 2014

My all-time favorite example of Tulsi or holy basil is the purple-leafed variety sold by Upton Tea Imports. Since I had been highly impressed by the the green-leafed (Rama) and Vana varieties from Mountain Rose Herbs, liking each much better than their counterparts from Upton, I was excited to try this one.

It was ...

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Picture of Organic Assam Breakfast

Organic Assam Breakfast from Divinitea

Style: Assam – Region: Assam, India

70 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 3/5
Feb. 22nd, 2014

This is a bold, rich Assam, malty, strong flavored without being overly harsh. Perhaps slightly less edgy than average for an Assam of this strength, and this could be either an asset or a downside, depending on what you are looking for.

I find this tea is able to be brewed with more leaf than I normally use for an...

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Picture of Holy Basil, Vana (Tulsi)

Holy Basil, Vana (Tulsi) from Mountain Rose Herbs

Style: Vana Tulsi – Region: India

83 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Feb. 19th, 2014

Dry leaf smells complex, like dried ginger and anise, with a hint of straw or hay. Much more complex than the only other example of Vana tulsi that I've tried.

Brews up a very strong, dark cup relative to the amount of leaf used. The brewed cup has a spicy and very complex aroma, and a piquant (sharp but enjoyable...

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Picture of Masala Chai

Masala Chai from Bare Tea

Style: Chai / Spiced Tea – Region: India

67 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 3/5
Dec. 9th, 2013

A sample from the Philadelphia Coffee and Tea Festival. After being impressid with this company's English Breakfast, I was eager to try this one. It's enjoyable, but nothing like what I expected. I've tried this several times and can't shake the impression that it tastes and smells strongly of apples, particularly, ...

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Picture of Darjeeling

Darjeeling from Twinings

Style: Darjeeling Black Tea – Region: Darjeeling, India

47 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 2/5 Value: 2/5
Dec. 3rd, 2013

Obtained through Twinings' free samples program, so I know the tea bag was fresh. Thank you to Twinings for the free sample!

The dry tea bag doesn't smell like much of anything. Upon brewing, it has a slightly stronger aroma, but overall the aroma is weak. I steeped for 3 minutes with boiling water.

Dark in co...

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Picture of 2nd Flush Darjeeling

2nd Flush Darjeeling from Waterfall Tea Company

Style: Darjeeling Second Flush – Region: Darjeeling, India

77 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 3/5
Nov. 22nd, 2013

A classic and high-quality example of second flush. This was my first introduction to Waterfall teas, and it makes me eager to try more of this company's teas and see where they go!

This is the first pyramid sachet that I thought surpassed Two Leaves and a Bud's Darjeeling in quality. It is a notch more expensive ...

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Picture of Darjeeling Broken Orange Pekoe

Darjeeling Broken Orange Pekoe from Fortnum & Mason

Style: Darjeeling Black Tea – Region: Darjeeling, India

47 / 100 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 2/5 Value: 2/5
Nov. 15th, 2013

This one disappointed me. It tasted a lot less recognizable as a Darjeeling than most Darjeeling tea bags do. There was a faint hint of the muscatel grape aroma, but the dominant aroma was like a generic black tea, not much different from Lipton and the like.

The color of the brewed cup is dark, and the tea has a ...

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Picture of Breakfast Blend Tea Bags

Breakfast Blend Tea Bags from Fortnum & Mason

Style: English Breakfast – Region: Assam, India

57 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 3/5
Oct. 25th, 2013

I found this tea interesting in that it is in the English Breakfast style, but is made from pure Assam. The tea bag looks unimpressive--it's just a simple tea bag filled with very finely broken tea dust or fannings.

The brewed cup is not bad though. It's a little darker in color than a typical English Breakfast, w...

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Picture of Darjeeling (Loose)

Darjeeling (Loose) from Ahmad Tea

Style: Darjeeling Black Tea – Region: Darjeeling, India

83 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Oct. 25th, 2013

Like most of Ahmad's Teas, impressive quality. Much darker in color than Ahmad's Darjeeling tea bags though; a surprisingly different tea. Both are good, but this is much more complex.

Dry leaf has a very pleasant aroma, with a strong suggestion of wintergreen, rice, and muscat grape. This is one of the most arom...

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Picture of Chai Classic (Formerly Organic Tazo Chai)

Chai Classic (Formerly Organic Tazo Chai) from Tazo Tea

Style: Chai / Spiced Tea – Region: Assam, India

60 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 3/5
Oct. 18th, 2013

A pleasant and drinkable, but somewhat uninteresting spiced tea or masala chai in a tea bag.

Brews a rich reddish brown color. Bold but clean flavor...moderately bitter and not very astringent.

I definitely notice clove as the dominant aroma. There's not much cinnamon, and I like that, as many commercial chai b...

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Picture of Darjeeling Badamtam

Darjeeling Badamtam from Cafe Moto

Style: Darjeeling Black Tea – Region: Darjeeling, India

67 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Sep. 3rd, 2013

This is an inexpensive Darjeeling, not a high grade of tea, but offering decent quality relative to its price. It has a relatively dark, full-bodied character among Darjeeling teas, even though it looks lighter in color.

Brews a light-colored cup with a fruity aroma, suggestions of caramel and malt, and producing a...

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Picture of Temi SFTGFOP1 First Flush Black Tea

Temi SFTGFOP1 First Flush Black Tea from Republic of Tea

Style: Black Tea – Region: Sikkim, India

87 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Aug. 7th, 2013

A delightful tea of top quality, also somewhat different and unusual, darker in character than Darjeeling first flush.

Dry leaf has a light, fruity smell which is almost slightly more reminiscent of some very high grades of Chinese tea than like any Indian teas I've tried.

I found this tea drastically changed cha...

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Picture of Puttabong (Organic, Darjeeling First Flush 2013)

Puttabong (Organic, Darjeeling First Flush 2013) from Happy Earth Tea

Style: Darjeeling First Flush – Region: Darjeeling, India

97 / 100 Aroma: 10/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Jul. 24th, 2013

This was my favorite among the four first flush teas I sampled from Happy Earth Tea, and among my all-time favorite Darjeeling teas.

Dry leaf has a very strong and complex aroma, with fruity, nutty, and herbaceous tones.

Upon brewing, the cup becomes beautifully fragrant. The fruitiness is deeper, a little less ...

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Picture of Risheehat (Organic Darjeeling, First Flush 2013)

Risheehat (Organic Darjeeling, First Flush 2013) from Happy Earth Tea

Style: Darjeeling First Flush – Region: Darjeeling, India

93 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Jul. 22nd, 2013

Yet another very high-quality first flush Darjeeling from Happy Earth Tea. All of their teas that I have sampled have been similar, and all have been excellent.

Dry leaf smells strongly nutty and of caramel, only slightly fruity and floral.

Upon drinking, I found this to be the most brisk and bitter of the four ...

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