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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 Tippy Orthodox GBOP Assam

Tippy Orthodox GBOP Assam from Upton Tea Imports

Style: Assam – Region: Assam, India

77 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Mar. 19th, 2015

I had the opportunity to try some top-notch Assams lately, top grades of single estate teas, and this was a much lower grade, broken leaf, and blended, but it was surprisingly good for what it is.

The brewed cup isn't quite as malty as I usually expect for an Assam. It has some pleasant fruity notes in the aroma, a...

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Picture of India's Original Masala Chai

India's Original Masala Chai from Golden Tips

Style: Chai / Spiced Tea – Region: India

83 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Mar. 18th, 2015

A traditional chai that is smooth in flavor but is potently spiced, and equally enjoyable with and without milk.

For having such a finely-broken (CTC) base, this tea is surprisingly mellow and smooth. The dry leaf smells very fresh and light, and the dominant aroma is cardamom, and I can also detect clove. This bo...

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Picture of Darjeeling

Darjeeling from Ridgways

Style: Darjeeling Black Tea – Region: Darjeeling, India

57 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 2/5 Value: 3/5
Mar. 13th, 2015

An edgy Darjeeling that was enjoyable, but not the best quality, even for a tea bag.

Brews a beautiful, golden-amber cup that is very clear. Medium- to light-bodied, but with a bold flavor. The aroma is fruity, but more lemony and less like the typical muscatel grape quality I associate with Darjeeling. There's a...

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Picture of Avaata Supreme Nilgiri Green Tea First Flush (Organic)

Avaata Supreme Nilgiri Green Tea First Flush (Organic) from Golden Tips

Style: Green Tea – Region: Nilgiri, India

93 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Mar. 11th, 2015

This is one of the best green teas I've tried to come out of India, or anywhere outside China and Japan for that matter. It also tasted the most like a top-notch Chinese green tea, of any tea I've tried yet from India.

The dry leaf of this tea is very loosely packed, consisting of whole, intact leaves which are lar...

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Picture of Arya Ruby Darjeeling Black Tea First Flush

Arya Ruby Darjeeling Black Tea First Flush from Golden Tips

Style: Darjeeling First Flush – Region: Darjeeling, India

67 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 2/5
Feb. 22nd, 2015

One of the most atypical Darjeeling teas, tasting more to me like a white tea than a black, I found this was interesting, but not for me. I was disappointed in it for many of the same reasons I tend not to like silver needle white tea.

I've tried this same tea from a different seller, Happy Earth Tea, the 2014 harv...

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Picture of Giddapahar Muscatel Darjeeling Black Tea Second Flush

Giddapahar Muscatel Darjeeling Black Tea Second Flush from Golden Tips

Style: Darjeeling Second Flush – Region: Darjeeling, India

83 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Feb. 17th, 2015

A very pleasant tea, quite dark for a Darjeeling, and with a pleasant astringency.

The dry leaf is dark and smells fruity, suggesting sweetness, and also very malty.

Brews up a dark cup, even for a second-flush Darjeeling. Aroma is strongly fruity. For having the name Muscatel though, this tea isn't among the t...

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Picture of Mankota Exotic Assam Black Tea Second Flush

Mankota Exotic Assam Black Tea Second Flush from Golden Tips

Style: Assam – Region: Dibrugarh, Assam, India

88 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Feb. 17th, 2015

An earthy, complex tea whose true colors only seem to come out if brewed strongly.

The leaf of this is well-formed, but mostly dark (darker than suggested by the picture), and it has a strong and deep aroma, like a classic or typical Assam but with more complexity, more earthy and vegetal.

Produces a cup with a p...

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Picture of Thurbo Moonlight Darjeeling Black Tea Second Flush

Thurbo Moonlight Darjeeling Black Tea Second Flush from Golden Tips

Style: Darjeeling Second Flush – Region: Darjeeling, India

80 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 3/5
Feb. 11th, 2015

A unique tea, very different in aroma from any other Darjeeling second flush I've tried. Excellent, but I think I'd like it more if it were more bitter.

The dry leaf smells aromatic, fresh, and light, with herbaceous and spicy notes. It also looks strikingly beautiful--and fascinatingly, the color of the leaf, a m...

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Picture of Gopaldhara Gold Darjeeling Black Tea Autumn Flush

Gopaldhara Gold Darjeeling Black Tea Autumn Flush from Golden Tips

Style: Darjeeling Autumnal Flush – Region: Darjeeling, India

80 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 3/5
Feb. 10th, 2015

This second-flush Darjeeling was very different from the other one from Jungpana estate, that I just tried from this same company. I prepared them the same ways. I didn't like this tea as much, but it was still good.

The dry leaf is not quite as intensely aromatic, but has a fascinating aroma with a fleeting winte...

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Picture of Jungpana Premium Darjeeling Black Tea Autumn Flush (Organic)

Jungpana Premium Darjeeling Black Tea Autumn Flush (Organic) from Golden Tips

Style: Darjeeling Autumnal Flush – Region: Darjeeling, India

87 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Feb. 10th, 2015

Excellent! Probably the maltiest Darjeeling tea I've ever tried, yet smoother and without the tannic edge of an Assam. Otherwise, typical for an autumnal flush.

Dry leaf has a rich, caramelly aroma, fruit, malty for a Darjeeling, and suggesting sweetness.

Upon brewing produces a cup with a rich fruity aroma, so...

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Picture of Halmari Gold Assam Black Tea Second Flush (Clonal)

Halmari Gold Assam Black Tea Second Flush (Clonal) from Golden Tips

Style: Assam – Region: Dibrugarh, Assam, India

91 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Feb. 3rd, 2015

Golden Tips describes this on their website as a pretty exceptional tea, and I think it fully lived up to the description.

The dry leaf, beautifully curled and full of bright orange tip, is the most aromatic of any Assam I've encountered, with an intensely malty aroma, suggesting rye malt, and spicy as well.

Upon...

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Picture of Assam Boisahabi Malty Second Flush

Assam Boisahabi Malty Second Flush from TeaGschwendner

Style: Assam – Region: Jorhat, Assam, India

84 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Jan. 10th, 2015

A very enjoyable, almost prototypical Assam, but of very good quality. Another of the many samples recently brought back to me from Germany.

Dry leaf aromatic, but doesn't quite betray the true beauty of this tea.

Upon brewing, produces a richly aromatic cup, full-bodied, and with both warming and cooling qualit...

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Picture of Nr. 291, Festive Tea™ Darjeeling FTGFOP1 Okayti First Flush

Nr. 291, Festive Tea™ Darjeeling FTGFOP1 Okayti First Flush from TeaGschwendner

Style: Darjeeling First Flush – Region: Darjeeling, India

80 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Dec. 31st, 2014

A very light first flush Darjeeling with a unique character.

A present brought back from Germany, does not look like it's available in the U.S. I found this tea fascinating, as it's an example of a "holiday-themed" tea that is a single-estate pure tea of a high grade, and I normally associate "holiday teas" with fl...

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Picture of Orthodox STGFOP

Orthodox STGFOP from Ghograjan Tea Estate

Style: Assam – Region: Assam, India

88 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Dec. 21st, 2014

Singular among Assams, in its smoothness and unusual vegetal characters.

Dry leaf is not very aromatic, having a faint aroma of malt and fruit, but looks beautifully formed, with intact wiry, twisted leaf with golden tips.

Upon brewing, becomes pleasantly aromatic. Aroma is highly vegetal among Assam teas, remin...

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Picture of Nilgiri SFTGFOP

Nilgiri SFTGFOP from Octavia Tea

Style: Black Tea – Region: Nilgiri, India

90 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Dec. 19th, 2014

An excellent, light-bodied black tea that was new and different for me. Prior to trying this tea, I had tried a handful of Nilgiri teas, but none had wowed me; most tasted a lot like generic black teas. This tea definitely stood out.

Brews up a light-colored cup, with a clear color, a lot like a second-flush Darje...

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Picture of Assam

Assam from Joseph Wesley Black Tea

Style: Assam – Region: Assam, India

56 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 2/5
Nov. 26th, 2014

I gave this tea a poor review back in November of 2014, but my brother picked up some more for me, in Detroit, and I gave it another try. It still was my least favorite of the Joseph Wesley teas.

My old review:

The first tea from Joseph Wesley to truly disappoint. The disparity in quality from the other teas is...

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Picture of Red-Tailed Hawk

Red-Tailed Hawk from Andrews & Dunham Damn Fine Teas

Style: Black Tea – Region: India

80 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 3/5
Nov. 16th, 2014

Sampled at the Philadelphia Coffee and Tea Expo, but I took some home too to brew up.

I feel like the bar is set pretty high, with this tea's name. I'm a birder, and the Red-tailed hawk is a pretty badass bird. But it's also a rather common bird--now that I'm good at spotting birds, in a typical 1 hour trip on the...

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Picture of Assam SFTGBOP Tonga Second Flush

Assam SFTGBOP Tonga Second Flush from TeaGschwendner

Style: Assam – Region: Assam, India

73 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 3/5
Oct. 31st, 2014

A sample from the store in Regensburg, Germany. Thank you for the sample!

Dry leaf has a remarkable aroma, strong, spicy and fruity, reminiscent of potpourri. The smell of the dry leaf is incredibly pleasant, and is what I liked most about this tea, although the rest was enjoyable too.

The brewed cup is much mo...

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Picture of Tee Pyramide Assam BOP Bio

Tee Pyramide Assam BOP Bio from Heimbs

Style: Assam – Region: Assam, India

77 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 2/5
Oct. 26th, 2014

Served at the Carolaschlösschen, the cafe on the Carolasee in the Großer Garten, Dresden, Germany. The most expensive cup of tea I had in Germany (at 4 Euro) but a contender for the best.

This was a very potent Assam, edgy, but with a rich aroma. Strongly malty, with notes of dried fruit. This would be an excel...

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Picture of Fine Aromatic Darjeeling

Fine Aromatic Darjeeling from Pure Tea Selection

Style: Darjeeling Black Tea – Region: Darjeeling, India

87 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Oct. 26th, 2014

Served with breakfast at the Hotel Alt-Görlitz in Görlitz, Germany, an exquisite breakfast, I might add, and this top-notch tea was an excellent addition to it, on par with the rest of the food served there.

A high-quality sachet, filled with large pieces of relatively high-grade tea. Aroma is strongly fruity, of...

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Picture of Darjeeling

Darjeeling from Meßmer (Messmer)

Style: Darjeeling Black Tea – Region: Darjeeling, India

70 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 4/5
Oct. 26th, 2014

Served with breakfast at City Herberge, Dresden. A middle-of-the-road Darjeeling tea bag, not very complex, but recognizable as a Darjeeling, and a couple steps up from a typical black tea (definitely far ahead of Meßmer's regular black tea (Klassik), which did not impress me.

Light-bodied for a black tea, dark am...

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Picture of Ostfriesische Teemischung Broken

Ostfriesische Teemischung Broken from Eilles

Style: East Frisian Tea (Ostfriesentee) – Region: Assam, India

83 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Oct. 20th, 2014

Purchased in the Eilles store in Regensburg, on my recent trip to Germany. I really enjoy this tea; it's a potent black tea blend, but with a very different character from Assam-based Irish breakfast blends. I drunk it unsweetened and with no milk.

Aroma is rich, malty but also vegetal, slightly roasty, suggesting...

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Picture of Darjeeling Royal Second Flush Blatt

Darjeeling Royal Second Flush Blatt from Eilles

Style: Darjeeling Second Flush – Region: Darjeeling, India

80 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Oct. 18th, 2014

An excellent tea served in the cafe of the Hotel Altstadt-Engel Regensburg, Germany, with breakfast. Served in a glass teacup, which was nice because I could see the color as it was brewing.

A smooth, balanced Darjeeling. Light in color and character for a second flush, possibly even passing as 1st flush after bre...

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Picture of Special Frost Nilgiri

Special Frost Nilgiri from The Tea Lab

Style: Oolong Tea – Region: Nilgiri, India

67 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Jul. 7th, 2014

Purchased from The Tea Lab in Lakewood, Ohio, for the reasonable price of $5 an ounce.

This is one of those rare teas that I was super enthusiastic to try. Oolongs were historically not produced in India, and it's even rarer to find one produced anywhere outside of Darjeeling. This is the first Indian-grown oolong...

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Picture of Darjeeling Makaibari

Darjeeling Makaibari from The Tea Lab

Style: Darjeeling Black Tea – Region: Darjeeling, India

83 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Jul. 4th, 2014

A classic Darjeeling, a typical but great-quality example of this region's tea. Rich-colored but light-bodied and mild for a black tea, with a aroma that somehow manages to be both strong and delicate.

Initially sampled at the Tea Lab storefront in Lakewood, Ohio. I then purchased some (for a very reasonable price...

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