Reviews of Teas & Herbal Teas from Simpson & Vail
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Ceylon Mahagastotte Estate from Simpson & Vail
Style: Ceylon Black Tea – Region: Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka70 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Nov. 19th, 2020
This tea is mild all around. The aroma is slightly fruit. The liquor brews to a gold/amber. Flavor is a traditional Ceylon. Would probably be eclipsed by milk or sugar.
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Ceylon Idulgashinna Organic from Simpson & Vail
Style: Ceylon Black Tea – Region: Uva, Sri Lanka80 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Nov. 18th, 2020
This tea has large twisted leaves. The aroma is sweet/fruit. Liquor is a deep honey color. I brewed for 5 minutes. Has a solid Ceylon taste. Clean, with a slight nuttiness after taste.
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China Golden Monkey Black Tea from Simpson & Vail
Style: Black Tea – Region: China70 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
May. 13th, 2020
Mild flowery aroma. The liquor has a nice amber color. Vert smooth flavor with a subtle honey after taste.
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Kenya OP Malaika Black Tea from Simpson & Vail
Style: Black Tea – Region: Kenya80 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Nov. 22nd, 2019
This tea has a mild earthy smell with a hint of chocolate. The liquor is a medium to dark amber color. I get a lingering hint of sweetness, similar to honey. Though I never add anything to my tea, I think lemon would pair very well with this tea. I was unsure about buying this. My previous encounters with African teas ...
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Java Malabar Plantation Black Tea from Simpson & Vail
Style: Black Tea – Region: West Java, Indonesia75 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
May. 25th, 2019
Appearance and aroma bring a Keemun to mind. Woodsy liquor with a solid taste, and nice rich amber color. Malty with a pleasant after taste. I think this will be easy to enjoy anytime of day. I was hesitant to buy this because some of the teas I have tried that are grown outside the 'traditional' regions, can have an a...
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Assam Nokhroy Estate Black Tea (STGSOP1) from Simpson & Vail
Style: Assam – Region: Tinsukia, Assam, India70 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Apr. 28th, 2019
It was a bit of challenge to describe the aroma. I finally decided on 'sweet pine'. There is a 'wood' aroma with a definite 'sweet' under tone. The liquor is a deep amber color, malty. I'm not catching any 'peppery' after taste. A decent Assam. Good price for a good tea.
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Colombian Sweet Black Organic Tea (Wiry 2) from Simpson & Vail
Style: Black Tea – Region: Colombia98 / 100 Aroma: 10/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Nov. 8th, 2018
Yet another Colombian tea from the Bitaco estate. Thank you Simpson & Vail for the samples! It's been exciting how many of these I've been able to try lately, and I love every one. They are only subtly different, but I am still able to appreciate the differences. This one, as the name suggests, was the sweetest one I'v...
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Assam - Beesakopie Black Tea from Simpson & Vail
Style: Assam – Region: Tinsukia, Assam, India70 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Oct. 31st, 2018
The aroma has a slight earthy with hint of chocolate smell. Taste is clean without a strong after taste, slight hint of honey, smooth and mild. Nice amber color. I made it 'strong' with heaping teaspoons and 5 minute steep. This will be easy to drink all day. I never use milk or sugar.
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Nepal Organic Gold Pathivara Black Tea from Simpson & Vail
Style: Black Tea – Region: Nepal99 / 100 Aroma: 10/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Oct. 31st, 2018
Without a doubt my favorite tea I've ever tried from Nepal. A singular tea with an intoxicating floral fragrance and an ethereal quality overall. Another sample from Simpson & Vail, thank you, and apologies for taking so long to post this one!
This tea was fascinating: visually, the leaf looks more like a Chinese te...
Darjeeling, Puttabong Estate, 1st Flush from Simpson & Vail
Style: Darjeeling First Flush – Region: Darjeeling, India84 / 100 Aroma: 10/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Oct. 25th, 2018
A tricky-to-brew tea that reminded me a lot of green oolongs from Taiwan, and required a lower water temperature to brew to satisfaction.
The dry leaf, quite broken, is an intense green color, like a lot of good Darjeeling first flush. It looks exactly like pictured in the company photo (I appreciate honest photogra...
Nilgiri Korakundah Estate - Organic FOP/FBOP from Simpson & Vail
Style: Black Tea – Region: Nilgiri, India71 / 100 Aroma: 10/10 Flavor: 2/5 Value: 4/5
Oct. 16th, 2018
A beautifully aromatic tea that a strong bitterness and thin body. I found it tricky to brew to satisfaction. I have now sampled three teas from Korakundah estate, and I find they are all a bit like this, although I think this was by far my favorite of the three. Thank you to Simpson & Vail for the free sample!
The ...
Imperial Yunnan China Black Tea from Simpson & Vail
Style: Yunnan Gold – Region: Yunnan, China75 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
May. 5th, 2018
Very pleasant 'mild' Yunnan. Attractive amber liquor, mild aroma, good taste.
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Nepal Guranse Estate Organic Oolong Tea from Simpson & Vail
Style: Oolong Tea – Region: Nepal84 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
May. 3rd, 2018
A good tea that resembled Darjeeling first flush teas and probably would have convinced me it was a "black" tea if it had not been labeled as an oolong. It's more like a Himalayan black tea that had something different or unusual about it. Not what I expected; it was nothing like Chinese oolongs, nor like Darjeeling oo...
Read Full ReviewAssam Nokhroy Estate Black Tea (STGSOP1) from Simpson & Vail
Style: Assam – Region: Tinsukia, Assam, India91 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Apr. 17th, 2018
This was a wonderfully smooth-flavored Assam, yet with good strength and complexity, and a great price. Thank you to Simpson & Vail for this sample!
Dry leaf, which is fine, curly, and has a moderate amount of golden tip, has an interesting aroma, initially there's a slight burned quality, suggestive of candle wax, ...
China Special Snow Dragon Green Tea from Simpson & Vail
Style: Green Tea – Region: Fuding, Fujian, China76 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 3/5
Apr. 14th, 2018
A pleasant green tea with a smooth, mild flavor that tasted a lot better when brewed more strongly. Easy to drink and I'd imagine this would appeal to a broad audience, with perhaps an exception for people who think green tea is bland or weak, because this was on the milder side.
Thank you to Simpson & Vail for the ...
China Cangyuan Yunnan Organic Black Tea from Simpson & Vail
Style: Yunnan Gold – Region: Cangyuan, Yunnan, China99 / 100 Aroma: 10/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Apr. 11th, 2018
This was an exceptional tea and one of my favorite that I've sampled in a very long time. It was somewhat like other Yunnan teas but had unique lemony notes. Thank you to Simpson & Vail for the sample! I'm excited because this one sparked me adding a new sub-region to RateTea, it's the first tea we've listed from Cang...
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Assam Marangi Estate Black Tea (FTGFOP1) from Simpson & Vail
Style: Assam – Region: Golaghat, Assam, India88 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 3/5
Mar. 27th, 2018
This tea had a sublime combination of smoothness and depth characteristic of top-quality teas. The flavor was exceptional but the aroma a little weak and less interesting. Thank you to Simpson & Vail for the sample!
Very curly-looking leaf, beautiful, with a very large portion of orange tips (more than in the compa...
Organic Tippy Colombian Black Tea (T2) from Simpson & Vail
Style: Black Tea – Region: Colombia97 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Mar. 26th, 2018
This was a light tea with a strong savory flavor, that tasted distinctly like lobster!
Another sample from Simpson & Vail, thank you! I've been loving all the black teas I've tried from the Bitaco estate in Colombia, and this is another one. They are all excellent! I'm glad to see this garden and its teas taking o...
Vietnam Ha Giang Black from Simpson & Vail
Style: Black Tea – Region: Ha Giang85 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Mar. 22nd, 2018
A very pleasant tea that was easy to steep and easy to appreciate. Like a good Yunnan tea but a little smoother.
Thank you to Simpson & Vail for the sample!
Dry leaf smells really beautiful and kind of fascinating: malty but with strong vegetal notes. It looks and smells a lot like a Yunnan tea, which makes sense...
Colombian Wiry Green Organic Tea (Formerly Colombian Green Tea) from Simpson & Vail
Style: Green Tea – Region: Colombia77 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Jan. 31st, 2018
Another lost review, apologies for the delay in posting. Thank you to Simpson & Vail for providing me with this one!
The dry leaf is wonderfully fragrant and also has a beautiful visual appearance, with long, narrow, fully intact leaves. The smell is suggestive of a number of high-grade Chinese teas, and made me e...
Colombian Black Tea from Simpson & Vail
Style: Black Tea – Region: Colombia95 / 100 Aroma: 10/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Aug. 6th, 2017
This tea smells floral and fruity. The taste is light and not very astringent but it has a subtle and pleasant bitterness to it. Even though it's lighter bodied, I felt full after drinking it. It's a very satisfying tea and worth the money. Also, this tea is unusually good when you re-steep it, it still maintains much ...
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Assam - Harmutty Estate Black Tea from Simpson & Vail
Style: Assam – Region: Lakhimpur, Assam, India88 / 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...
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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Assam Tonganagaon, Organic from Simpson & Vail
Style: Assam – Region: Tinsukia, Assam, India82 / 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...
Colombian Black Tea from Simpson & Vail
Style: Black Tea – Region: Colombia99 / 100 Aroma: 10/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Mar. 21st, 2017
This tea is incredible! Thank you to Simpson & Vail for sending it to me as a sample. I was recently very wowed by a Colombian black tea sold by Harney & Sons, and I was eager to try this one. It is very similar, but I think even better. I suspect this is probably a higher-grade tea from the same tea garden.
Dry...
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