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Alex Zorach

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

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Picture of Kamata Assam Spring Organic Artisanal Black

Kamata Assam Spring Organic Artisanal Black from TEAORB

Style: Assam – Region: Bongaigaon, Assam, India

90 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Nov. 2nd, 2017

This tea was remarkable, resembling some Chinese teas such as Keemun and Yunnan, more than other Assams. I've never tried another Assam like this!

Dry leaf is very dark in color, somewhat broken but very curly where intact. It smells pleasing and complex: lightly smoky, like a lot of Chinese black teas, somewhat m...

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Picture of Ceylon Kenilworth

Ceylon Kenilworth from Murchie's Tea & Coffee Ltd

Style: Ceylon Black Tea – Region: Kandy, Sri Lanka

84 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Nov. 1st, 2017

A rich,warming, complex black tea. I liked this a lot, although there are other black teas from Murchie's that I like more, like the Scottish Breakfast or Yunnan, in a similar or lower price range.

I have now tried at least five Ceylon teas from Kenilworth estate, all from different companies. This one tasted most ...

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Picture of Kingly Assam Summer Natural Factory Black

Kingly Assam Summer Natural Factory Black from TEAORB

Style: Assam – Region: Darrang, Assam, India

78 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Oct. 27th, 2017

An unusually soft, muted black tea that did not resemble many other Assams I had tried; dark in color and very gentle.

This is the first black tea I tried from TEAORB, which recently sent me a ton of samples. I was curious to try this tea, as it is described as "mellow", a descriptor rarely applied to Assam teas. ...

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Picture of Yunnan Loose Tea

Yunnan Loose Tea from Murchie's Tea & Coffee Ltd

Style: Yunnan Red – Region: Yunnan, China

88 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Oct. 19th, 2017

This was one of the most classic examples of a Dian Hong or black tea from Yunnan, that I have tried in a long time.

The dry leaf is rich in golden tips, looking a little more greenish and silvery than in the company's picture. It smells mild but very pleasant and complex, with smoky and fruity notes typical of a Y...

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Picture of Keemun Extra Choice

Keemun Extra Choice from Murchie's Tea & Coffee Ltd

Style: Keemun – Region: China

66 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 2/5
Oct. 17th, 2017

A very subdued tea. This one was pleasant, but disappointed me, given how much I normally tend to like Keemun.

Dry leaf smells pleasant and mild, a little fresher and cooler-smelling than I normally expect for Keemun.

Brews a rich, dark cup with a mellow flavor and a distinctly caramelly aroma. A little fresher,...

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Picture of Assam Orange Pekoe

Assam Orange Pekoe from Quik Tea

Style: Assam – Region: Assam, India

75 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Aug. 28th, 2017

An unusually good CTC tea. I picked this up at the Newark, DE farmer's market, in their Indian section, and it was quite a find.

The leaf, which consists of large pellets (noticeably bigger than most grades of CTC tea) is aromatic but doesn't have the best smell. It smells fresh and clean, but leads me to expect a...

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Picture of English Breakfast (Loose)

English Breakfast (Loose) from Twinings

Style: English Breakfast – Region: Blend

62 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 2/5
Jul. 26th, 2017

The commercial description of this tea is pretty grandiose...it makes it sound like a masterpiece of blending, and I would say it's not.

To me, this is a classic but somewhat run-of-the-mill blend that is enjoyable but stands out in no way. I would not describe it as complex, although it's a good bit more complex, ...

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Picture of Organic Assam P.F. Tea

Organic Assam P.F. Tea from Metropolitan Tea Company

Style: Assam – Region: Assam, India

77 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 4/5
Jun. 15th, 2017

Served in Rock City cafe in Rockland, Maine.

This was a very dark Assam with a fairly smoky character. Aroma is strong, malty and fruity, but it is the smoky notes that make this tea stand out. The aroma is interesting and complex, a little like drinking a fine wine.

Flavor is slightly harsh, bitter and with a lo...

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Picture of Irish Breakfast

Irish Breakfast from Octavia Tea

Style: Irish Breakfast – Region: ?????

78 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 2/5
Jun. 3rd, 2017

An okay Irish Breakfast but overpriced, on the weak side, and I think not quite at the level of Octavia's other teas. Served in Velvet Sky Cafe in Jenkintown, I love this place and miss it so much!

The leaf is not super aromatic, but the brewed cup smells pleasant and strong. Richly malty aroma, with some earthy n...

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Picture of English Breakfast Black Tea

English Breakfast Black Tea from Heavenly Tea Leaves

Style: English Breakfast – Region: Assam, India

85 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
May. 24th, 2017

My roommate got a tea sampler of four teas from this company, Heavenly Tea Leaves, which I hadn't heard of before then, and let me try all the teas. I was really impressed with this one, especially with its combination of reasonable price and great quality.

Dry leaf looks mostly intact pieces of whole leaves, smell...

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Picture of Organic Darjeeling Kalimpong

Organic Darjeeling Kalimpong from Mighty Leaf Tea

Style: Darjeeling Second Flush – Region: Darjeeling, India

78 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
May. 22nd, 2017

I thought this was an excellent second flush Darjeeling, with a fresher and cooler aroma than average, and surprising strength that allowed the leaf to stretch very far. A tea that I like to savor very slowly, not something for if you're in a hurry.

Thank you to Mighty Leaf for this generous sample!

I love the s...

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Picture of Pure Darjeeling

Pure Darjeeling from Wedgwood

Style: Darjeeling Black Tea – Region: Darjeeling, India

62 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 3/5
May. 18th, 2017

This is a very dark Darjeeling. I enjoyed it as a change of pace; most high-end tea companies tend to sell lighter Darjeelings but sometimes I like the darker ones. Even though I often prefer the flavor of the lighter teas, I tend to feel better after drinking the darker ones, and this was no exception.

The dry le...

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Picture of Safari Pure Tea

Safari Pure Tea from Ketepa (Kenya Tea Packers)

Style: Black Tea – Region: Kenya

84 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
May. 17th, 2017

I was excited when I saw this for sale at the Everest Indian Grocery Store in Lancaster, PA. I am a huge fan of the Fahari Ya tea from this same company, Ketepa; it's incredibly cheap and remarkably high quality.

This tea was very similar, I think perhaps a little bit better although it's hard to say, because my fa...

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Picture of Anji Black

Anji Black from Harney and Sons

Style: Black Tea – Region: Anji, Zhejiang, China

78 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 2/5
May. 13th, 2017

This tea tasted more like a sweet, Christmas-ey baked good than any other tea I've ever tried.

The leaf has such a pleasant fragrance, a rich, buttery, bready, and fruity aroma, like a fruit tart fresh out of the oven, quite remarkable. There's a distinctive smell in the aroma that reminds me of some food from my c...

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Picture of Assam Extra Fancy

Assam Extra Fancy from Mighty Leaf Tea

Style: Assam – Region: Assam, India

89 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
May. 9th, 2017

Thanks again to Mighty Leaf for this sample! Like the other Assam from mighty leaf, I liked this tea from the first sip, but it also grew on me substantially. Another classic Assam, this one of higher grade. It was good the first few times I brewed it, but I found it really shined when I gave it a long steep.

Thi...

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Picture of Hunan Bloolong

Hunan Bloolong from Harney and Sons

Style: Black Tea – Region: Hunan, China

60 / 100 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 2/5
May. 2nd, 2017

I got my hopes up for this tea but it was oddly forgettable, disappointing among artisan teas. There's an intriguing sensation of peach when drinking it, but...besides that nothing about it stands out.

The dry leaf smells so good, really rich and pleasing, malty, a sort of warm baked good smell, with notes of spice...

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Picture of Ceylon Kenilworth

Ceylon Kenilworth from Mighty Leaf Tea

Style: Ceylon Black Tea – Region: Sri Lanka / Ceylon

82 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
May. 1st, 2017

Thank you to mighty leaf for the sample! This tea is dark, strong, smoky, and complex. It's like one of those software packages that is really intimidating and hard to learn, but powerful once you get comfortable with it. I found it grew on me and I liked it more each time I drank it.

Wiry leaf smells punch-you-i...

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Picture of Assam Golden Tip

Assam Golden Tip from Mighty Leaf Tea

Style: Assam – Region: Assam, India

88 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Apr. 22nd, 2017

I loved this one. My favorite mighty leaf tea yet, and an excellent example of a classic Assam.

Thank you Mighty Leaf for this generous sample! I thought this was a pleasantly strong Assam, exactly what I expect from this style and a good example of such. There is something intangible about this tea that makes it...

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Picture of Irish Breakfast

Irish Breakfast from Mighty Leaf Tea

Style: Irish Breakfast – Region: Assam, India

61 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 2/5
Apr. 18th, 2017

This was a free sample from Mighty Leaf; thanks very much! So far this is the most disappointing tea I've tried from the batch so I wanted to get my review out of the way and move on to the others. I thought this was too thin for an Irish Breakfast, oddly muted; it tasted like something was missing, both in terms of...

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Picture of Assam - Harmutty Estate Black Tea

Assam - Harmutty Estate Black Tea from Simpson & Vail

Style: Assam – Region: Lakhimpur, Assam, India

88 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Apr. 10th, 2017

This is among the better Assams I have ever sampled, and offered great value. It's super smooth, but with depth. Thank you to Simpson & Vail for this sample!

Curly dark leaf, smells very malty, sweet, very pleasant.

Upon brewing though the aroma becomes much more complex. It smells sweet, fresh, vegetal and he...

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Picture of English Breakfast

English Breakfast from Harney and Sons

Style: English Breakfast – Region: China

86 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Apr. 5th, 2017

Harney says this blend is 100% Keemun and it shows...tastes just like Keemun, which I like, but definitely more like the more modern English Breakfast style than a Keemun picked at random. Fuller-bodied and richer than most English Breakfast, but softer and less crisp.

Dry leaf has an aroma that is gentle and pleas...

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Picture of Dunmore East Blend Tea

Dunmore East Blend Tea from Simpson & Vail

Style: Black Tea – Region: ?????

89 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Apr. 4th, 2017

I loved this! This was a very pleasant blended tea that I thought was versatile and took on different characteristics based on varying the amount of leaf I used, but always tasted good. Brewed strong, it was a little like a strong Irish Breakfast tea; a more mild steeping yielded a gentle cup that would make a good a...

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Picture of Assam Tonganagaon, Organic

Assam Tonganagaon, Organic from Simpson & Vail

Style: Assam – Region: Tinsukia, Assam, India

82 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Apr. 2nd, 2017

A smoother-than-average Assam that was still quite rich, a little on the tangy/fruity side.

Dry leaf smells very fruity, vegetal, a bit like potpourri, and also somewhat malty. Overall, rich, aromatic, and suggesting sweetness.

Surprisingly subdued for an Assam. The cup is light and a little more tangy than I e...

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Picture of CTC Assam (Assam CTC)

CTC Assam (Assam CTC) from Harney and Sons

Style: Assam – Region: Assam, India

68 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 3/5
Mar. 30th, 2017

This tea was devilishly hard to prepare to my enjoyment, but had the side-benefit of resteeping unusually well for a CTC tea. By the time I finally got it just how I wanted, I was drinking up the very last cup of the sample I bought.

The dry leaf, bigger pieces than some CTC, is very aromatic and smells pleasing, s...

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Picture of Malachi McCormick

Malachi McCormick from Harney and Sons

Style: Black Tea – Region: Blend

78 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Mar. 30th, 2017

This blend was more Keemun-like than anything else; it reminded me of the type of Keemun that I like most, the rich, mellow, warming and slightly sweet sort.

The Dry leaf's aroma reminds me of candy: fruity and sweet, suggesting marzipan, chocolate, and hazelnut cream.

The aroma and character of the Keemun comes ...

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