Reviews of Teas & Herbal Teas from India
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Rose Petals from Shanti Tea
Style: Herbal Tea – Region: India80 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Jun. 1st, 2012
I love rose petals, both for brewing as an herbal tea on their own, and for blending with both green and black teas. Brewed on their own they produce a surprisingly strong cup with a reddish color, pleasing rose aroma, and strong flavor. The aroma is very different from most of the light, airy floral aromas, and more...
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Tulsi (Holy Basil) from Shanti Tea
Style: Tulsi / Holy Basil – Region: India80 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
May. 10th, 2012
This is the green leaf, or Rama Tulsi. I prefer the red-leaf, or Krishna tulsi, but this is actually my favorite example of the green-leafed variety that I've tried.
I find green tulsi can sometimes have a metallic quality, and this quality is thankfully greatly diminished in this sample. This tulsi is smoother an...
Tumsong SFTGFOP1 Second Flush from Rare Tea Republic
Style: Darjeeling Second Flush – Region: Darjeeling, India77 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Mar. 1st, 2012
A dark, smooth, full-bodied tea with a highly vegetal character and a pleasing, wintergreen quality.
Fairly complex...much less of the typical fruity tones characteristic of Darjeeling. Instead, there are biscuity-tones. Rare Tea Republic describes the aroma as "jam and sap" and I think this was a good description...
Temi SFTGFOP1 First Flush from Rare Tea Republic
Style: Black Tea – Region: Sikkim, India80 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 3/5
Feb. 27th, 2012
Somewhat oolong-like, with an herbaceous aroma and a mellow, slightly savory flavor. The flavor and mouthfeel of this tea are particularly interesting...it's a bit peppery and spicy, yet smooth overall, with some honey-like sweetness. Although the other Sikkim teas I've tried prior to this one have been rather Darjee...
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Sungma 2nd Flush Darjeeling from Harney and Sons
Style: Darjeeling Second Flush – Region: Darjeeling, India83 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Feb. 24th, 2012
The aroma of the dry leaf of this tea really got my attention: rich and strongly aromatic, fruity, deep, but also light and fresh. I received this and the Singbulli first flush as samples from Harney and Sons.
Like the Singbulli, I prefer brewing this tea for 5 minutes, as recommended. However, I also experimented...
Singbulli Darjeeling DJ41 from Harney and Sons
Style: Darjeeling First Flush – Region: Darjeeling, India100 / 100 Aroma: 10/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Feb. 22nd, 2012
After brewing this tea several times, I cautiously dole out yet another perfect score, the second one for a black tea.
Michael Harney sent me this sample after reading a post I wrote on my tea blog about black teas I found interesting, and I can't help but wonder if he hand-picked this one based on my descriptions, ...
Putharjhora Estate FTGFOP1 Tippy/Cl First Flush Organic from Upton Tea Imports
Style: Black Tea – Region: India93 / 100 Aroma: 10/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Jan. 10th, 2012
Wow! This tea is fascinating, unlike anything else I've ever tried, and very enjoyable.
The dry leaf smells faintly Darjeeling-like, but it has a distinctive hint of an aroma that I can only describe as reminiscent of the forest floor in coastal Maine woods, that sort of mossy, acidic, gravely soil with wintergreen...
Kalami Assam Indian Tea from Ahmad Tea
Style: Assam – Region: Assam, India83 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Oct. 20th, 2011
This is a regular favorite for me. I'm most likely to drink it in a cold morning, but I enjoy it at all times of year.
This tea offers extraordinary quality for its price! I bought a pound of it for $6.15 at a middle-eastern grocery store. It is large pieces of broken leaves.
Dry leaf has a rich and complex ar...
Darjeeling Tea from Novus Tea
Style: Darjeeling Black Tea – Region: Darjeeling, India70 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 3/5
Sep. 14th, 2011
Very dark for a Darjeeling, but still relatively light body and flavor. Complex and interesting aroma, including grapes, a pleasing hint of a tobacco-like quality that I find is rare in Darjeelings, and some tones of toasted rye bread. Flavor very smooth.
Good for two flavorful infusions.
Another good tea from ...
Assam Irish Breakfast from Ronnefeldt
Style: Irish Breakfast – Region: Assam, India73 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Sep. 5th, 2011
This was a solid Assam or Irish Breakfast from a tea bag, with a fairly complex aroma, definitely one of the best strong black teas I've had from such a simple tea bag of broken-leaf tea.
Sharp, edgy, piercing, yet full-bodied and having depth. Aroma has tones of malt, dried fruit, rice, and red wine. Very fresh t...
Daisajan Estate GBOP(S) from Upton Tea Imports
Style: Assam – Region: Tinsukia, Assam, India43 / 100 Aroma: 4/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 2/5
Aug. 14th, 2011
The dry leaf had an appealing smell, but this tea failed to impress me.
Flavor is rather savory, quite sour, and barely bitter at all. I prefer bitter to sour flavors in my tea. Aroma is muddled: slightly smoky, slightly malty, slightly herbaceous. Slightly peppery like some Yunnan teas and with some vegetal qual...
Iyerpadi Estate FBOP Green Organic from Upton Tea Imports
Style: Green Tea – Region: Nilgiri, India57 / 100 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 3/5
Aug. 2nd, 2011
My first Nilgiri green tea.
This was an interesting tea, but it was weaker in aroma than I would have liked. Tangy flavor, with tones of lemon or lime in the aroma. A hint of grassy tones, and cooked vegetable aromas as well, like asparagus. Almost a hint of vanilla in the aroma. Very much unlike Chinese or Japa...
Koilamari Estate GFBOP from Upton Tea Imports
Style: Assam – Region: Lakhimpur, Assam, India73 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Jun. 29th, 2011
The dry leaf has a very strong, sweet, and deep fruity aroma, like candied fruit.
When I brewed the cup, for only 3 minutes, the initial aroma was among the most powerful of any Assam I have tried. This tea is strong, with an edge and a good amount of bitterness, but it is also somewhat light. Tastes more high-gro...
Thurbo Estate TGBOP Cl/Tip First Flush (DJ-25) from Upton Tea Imports
Style: Darjeeling First Flush – Region: Darjeeling, India67 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Jun. 21st, 2011
This was an interesting tea right from the first sip. Although there are some of the typical aromas characteristic of Darjeeling first flush, the overall character is somewhat different from any other teas I have had before.
Greener character, and aroma is more like Indian green teas than black teas: herbaceous ton...
Sessa 'B' Estate STGFOP1(S) from Upton Tea Imports
Style: Assam – Region: Dibrugarh, Assam, India53 / 100 Aroma: 4/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 4/5
Jun. 14th, 2011
This is a whole-leaf tea but I was less impressed with it relative to other broken-leaf teas I have tried lately.
Brewed as instructed, this is a strong Assam with a classic flavor profile, malty, tannic, slightly savory. I find Upton's description made me expect a smoother tea than this is.
Some Assams have the...
Wild Forest Holy Basil Organic from Upton Tea Imports
Style: Vana Tulsi – Region: India80 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Jun. 7th, 2011
Aroma mostly of licorice, but more complex, herbaceous, and spicy. Very summery aroma; this smells much more like familiar sweet basil and less like holy basil, which makes sense, as Vana tulsi is the same species as sweet basil, and a different one from the Rama and Krishna Holy basil, which I have tried (and drink r...
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Harmutty Estate STGFOP1S from Upton Tea Imports
Style: Assam – Region: Lakhimpur, Assam, India60 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 4/5
May. 15th, 2011
A very strong Assam, stronger than Upton's description makes it sound. Very full flavor: fairly bitter, slightly sour, very savory, and even slightly salty. Aroma is spicy, suggesting allspice and black pepper. Also a bit smoky, with some fruity tones as well. Peppery finish.
Interesting, but a bit too strong fo...
Dejoo Estate TGFOP(S) from Upton Tea Imports
Style: Assam – Region: Lakhimpur, Assam, India67 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Apr. 15th, 2011
Dry leaf's aroma is more suggestive of a Keemun than an Assam. Brewing, I find this tea fits Upton's description very closely:
It's deep and malty, a faint hint of fruitiness (less than the dry leaf suggests), dark, but very smooth, and with some fresh herbaceous tones. Strong but without being overly bitter. Som...
Darjeeling Estate Organic Black Tea from Wegmans
Style: Darjeeling Black Tea – Region: Darjeeling, India60 / 100 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 3/5
Apr. 6th, 2011
I suspect this is from Makaibari estate, not just because of the fair trade and organic certification, but because it bears the familiar aroma of black teas from that garden.
This particular batch is exceptionally fruity, one of the frutiest Darjeelings I've tried yet. There is an intense grape aroma, so sweet and ...
Finest Darjeeling from Jacksons of Piccadilly
Style: Darjeeling Black Tea – Region: Darjeeling, India70 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Mar. 17th, 2011
Generous on the leaf--the teabag reads 2.5 grams, an amount similar to what I'd use for one cup when using loose-leaf tea, and it makes me realize how much a lot of companies skimp on the leaf.
This is a broken-leaf Darjeeling, with smallish pieces of leaf . The leaf is highly heterogeneous in color: many of the le...
Organic South Indian Select Tea from Novus Tea
Style: Black Tea – Region: India70 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 2/5
Feb. 13th, 2011
This tea was outstanding but I did not find that it fit its commercial description. I don't notice any wood-like aroma nor would I describe this tea as brisk. It shares many characteristics with a highly tannic Assam, but it is smoother, with little bitterness or astringency.
Aroma is mostly of sweet, dark dried f...
Nilgiri Select Black Tea from Wegmans
Style: Black Tea – Region: Nilgiri, India70 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Jan. 24th, 2011
This was my first Nilgiri tea. I have heard Nilgiris described as being similar to Ceylon and I can see this. It's definitely more similar to a a lower-elevation Ceylon than it is to any other Indian tea I've tried. I don't notice much high-grown character in this tea.
I also think it's reminiscent of a Hubei Kee...
Original Tulsi Tea from Organic India
Style: Tulsi / Holy Basil – Region: India82 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Nov. 9th, 2010
I've now tried quite a few different sources of tulsi and I can say that this is one of the best. This is the first blend I've tried--in the past I've only had Rama or Krishna tulsi, and I tend to prefer Krishna tulsi as it's smoother.
I brewed this with boiling water and let it steep for 15 minutes. Steeping less...
Golden Chai™ - Spiced Assam Black Tea from Numi Organic Tea
Style: Chai / Spiced Tea – Region: Assam, India57 / 100 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 3/5
Oct. 18th, 2010
Surprisingly weak given that this contains Assam black tea as the main ingredient. I brewed this in a small 6 oz. cup, for 3 minutes, with boiling water, and it still came out fairly weak (and a golden color, not a rich brown color like most black teas). My impression is either that less tea was used, or that a gentl...
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Makaibari Estate Darjeeling 1st Flush Black Tea from Arbor Teas
Style: Darjeeling First Flush – Region: Darjeeling, India87 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Sep. 26th, 2010
I never cease to be amazed by what comes out of Makaibari estate.
The dry brownish leaves with a few greener leaves mixed in turn noticeably greener upon brewing--most of them become the color of a green tea, with a few olive-colored ones mixed in. The cup is a deep golden hue, no darker than some green teas.
Ar...
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