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Alex Zorach

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

Reviews of Pure Tea (Camellia sinensis)

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Picture of English Afternoon

English Afternoon from New English Teas

Style: Black Tea – Region: Blend

33 / 100 Aroma: 3/10 Flavor: 2/5 Value: 2/5
Apr. 21st, 2010

This teabag just contained dust and fannings. It was surprisingly weak, even when I brewed it for 4 minutes with boiling water, using less than one 8-oz cup with a single teabag.

Aroma weak, nondescript. Smooth...almost no bitterness, and very little astringency. But very little flavor of any sort. Highly disapp...

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Picture of Irish Breakfast Tea Bags

Irish Breakfast Tea Bags from Taylors of Harrogate

Style: Irish Breakfast – Region: Blend

60 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 3/5
Apr. 19th, 2010

This is what I'd expect from this style: a very strong black tea, bitter, full-bodied, and very malty. It isn't my favorite type of tea but for what it is, and for the fact that it's in teabags, I think it's pretty good.

This tea really works best with one teabag per cup. It's strong enough that you can brew it mo...

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Picture of SEN-CHA Green Tea

SEN-CHA Green Tea from Maeda-en

Style: Sencha – Region: Japan

57 / 100 Aroma: 3/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Apr. 17th, 2010

Aroma mostly of sweet corn. There's a hint of roast in there too...but it's not always pleasant...it almost resembles the stale coffee aroma you get if you run hot water through a coffee machine that hasn't been cleaned in a while. Slightly sweet and also with some pleasant bitterness, and very little astringency. T...

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Picture of Afternoon Darjeeling Tea Bags

Afternoon Darjeeling Tea Bags from Taylors of Harrogate

Style: Darjeeling Black Tea – Region: Darjeeling, India

47 / 100 Aroma: 4/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 3/5
Apr. 16th, 2010

Fruity, even for a Darjeeling, and mellow, except for some very strong objectionable qualities that emerge. There's a harshness in the aroma that I could do without...the aftertaste is also very tannic even though at first this tea tastes smooth. Astringent for a Darjeeling.

Disappointing. Definitely recognizable...

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Picture of Tung Ting Oolong

Tung Ting Oolong from Hsin Tung Yang

Style: Jade Oolong – Region: Taiwan / Formosa

63 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 3/5
Apr. 13th, 2010

I bought this in a 60g canister for $4 in Philadelphia's chinatown, and I wasn't expecting much because it seemed cheap for this style. This is barely recognizable as a Tung Ting / Dong Ding oolong: the leaves are broken, although in fairly large pieces, and although it's on the lighter side for an oolong, it seems to...

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Picture of Triple-Cup Extra Green

Triple-Cup Extra Green from Foojoy

Style: Green Tea – Region: Zhejiang, China

70 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Apr. 12th, 2010

Aroma fresh and grassy, with a hint of toastiness and a faint suggestion of mint. Very delicate flavor: I'd call this one slightly brisk but not bitter. Remarkably full-bodied given the lightness of the flavor. The astringency builds somewhat upon drinking it but even by the end it's still enjoyable.

This tea is ...

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Picture of 'Wu Yi' Water Fairy Oolong

'Wu Yi' Water Fairy Oolong from Upton Tea Imports

Style: Shui Hsien Oolong – Region: Fujian, China

80 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Apr. 9th, 2010

While I'm not normally a fan of "fake" teas, I'm eager to try ones that are honestly presented as imitating styles originating in other regions.

Aroma is very toasty, more like roasted Yerba Mate than other roasted teas. Nutty and earthy, with a sweet aftertaste that lingers. There is actually a lot of complexity ...

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Picture of 2005 Jing Mai Autumnal

2005 Jing Mai Autumnal from The Tao of Tea

Style: Ripened (Shou) Pu-erh – Region: Lancang, Yunnan, China

89 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Apr. 8th, 2010

(Lot # Bing-Autumn10612-01)

This is my favorite shu/shou (ripened) Pu-erh of all time.

I did not enjoy this tea at first but it has since grown on me after drinking about a third of the cake. I found this tea to improve considerably as it has continued to age. Interestingly, I find it tastes more like aged shen...

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Picture of Pai Mu Tan Imperial

Pai Mu Tan Imperial from Upton Tea Imports

Style: White Peony Tea – Region: China

47 / 100 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 2/5
Apr. 6th, 2010

A darker white tea. This doesn't even resemble ZW56, Upton's other organic Pai Mu Tan offering. Much darker; if you just gave it to me I'd probably guess incorrectly that it was a Shou Mei.

Aroma is mostly of autumn leaves, with only a hint of peony and a faint suggestion of some other vegetal tones. Also, unusua...

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Picture of London Cuppa Loose Tea

London Cuppa Loose Tea from The London Cuppa

Style: Black Tea – Region: Blend

57 / 100 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 3/5
Apr. 5th, 2010

Very finely broken black tea--no semblance of whole leaf left in the mix. Aroma is mostly malty with a hint of rice-like tones. Fairly tannic even if brewed weakly.

The instructions on the tin said 3-4 minutes; 4 minutes yields a very strong cup, which some people may like, but I preferred 2 or less.

Overall ch...

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Picture of English Breakfast

English Breakfast from Darvilles of Windsor

Style: English Breakfast – Region: Blend

70 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Apr. 3rd, 2010

This is a very strong black tea. While I tend to prefer slightly more mellow black teas, this tea is among one of the better teas of such strength that I've tried. Unusually malty for an English breakfast, and the malt is rich and fulfilling. Almost more like an Irish breakfast. Strongly bitter and strongly astring...

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Picture of English Breakfast

English Breakfast from Hampstead Tea

Style: English Breakfast – Region: India

63 / 100 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 4/5
Apr. 2nd, 2010

Aroma is rice-like, and very slightly malty, with a slight hint of smokiness, and somewhat fruity. Most of these qualities are very subtle. It's hard to say whether the aroma is balanced or muddled...it somehow straddles these two possibilities. I am not crazy about how the different aspects of the aroma blend toget...

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Picture of Greenfield Estate BOP1

Greenfield Estate BOP1 from Upton Tea Imports

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

63 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 3/5
Mar. 25th, 2010

A solid, if somewhat generic black tea that is dark and full-bodied but tends on the mellow side of flavor.

The aroma is typical for a Ceylon black tea, and has only mild nuances of dried fruit and nut (like Upton suggests). I'm not really feeling the "citrus notes" but I do notice a sweet aftertaste. There's much...

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Picture of Huo Shan Yellow Buds

Huo Shan Yellow Buds from Upton Tea Imports

Style: Huangya – Region: Huoshan, Anhui, China

63 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 2/5 Value: 2/5
Mar. 23rd, 2010

This is the first yellow tea I've sampled and in many respects it resembles a green tea.

The aroma is fairly rich; there are some of the grassy tones that characterize many green teas, but these are weak and in the background. A bit peppery like Upton describes, and also a bit perfumey. Subtle, but with a lot of d...

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Picture of Prince of Wales

Prince of Wales from Twinings

Style: Black Tea – Region: China

53 / 100 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Mar. 22nd, 2010

Fairly light overall, especially compared to Twinings' other black teas. There's some complexity in the aroma, in my opinion, more than their other black teas with the exception of their Ceylon (my favorite). Smooth...less astringency or bitterness. I find you can steep this one a little longer without it becoming t...

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Picture of Luxury Blend Tea

Luxury Blend Tea from Chai Bora

Style: Black Tea – Region: Tanzania

57 / 100 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 4/5
Mar. 19th, 2010

I was pleasantly surprised with this teabag; it's just fannings/dust and doesn't look like much, but even the dry teabag is pleasantly aromatic. The name surprised me--I was expecting a kind of spiced tea but then I realized that "Chai Bora" is just the brand name. And "chai" just means tea after all!

The brewed t...

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Picture of Tie-Guan-Yin Oolong First Grade

Tie-Guan-Yin Oolong First Grade from Upton Tea Imports

Style: Tie Guan Yin – Region: China

67 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 4/5
Mar. 16th, 2010

The tightly curled brown leaves unfurl only partially when brewing...producing a tea that's completely clear and golden in color.

Complex aroma, strongly suggesting apricot, and also having some skunky tones, and a hint of olive. Smooth, mellow flavor, contrasting with the aroma, which suggests a sharper tea. No as...

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Picture of Floral Tie-Guan-Yin Superior Grade

Floral Tie-Guan-Yin Superior Grade from Upton Tea Imports

Style: Tie Guan Yin – Region: China

73 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 3/5
Mar. 15th, 2010

Aroma very much like a Dong Ding Jade Oolong, very floral, but with a faint hint of a woody quality absent from those teas; this tea tastes very slightly more oxidized. Very smooth, but leaving a tingling sensation in the mouth. The aroma is very pleasing, but not terribly complex.

Using Upton's instructions I bre...

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Picture of Formosa Oolong Extra Fancy

Formosa Oolong Extra Fancy from Upton Tea Imports

Style: Oolong Tea – Region: Taiwan / Formosa

67 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 3/5
Mar. 12th, 2010

When I bought this tea it was the second-highest-priced grade of the standard "Formosa oolongs" in Upton's catalogue. They've since switched things around and discontinued this tea.

I found this tea, moving up from the lowest grades (TT11-TT17), to be the first one that offered an appreciable difference, the first ...

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Picture of Tie-Guan-Yin Oolong 2nd Grade

Tie-Guan-Yin Oolong 2nd Grade from Upton Tea Imports

Style: Tie Guan Yin – Region: China

67 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 3/5
Mar. 11th, 2010

Aroma is subtle and complex, but on the weak side: mostly of peach, with some weaker earthy tones. Flavor is tangy, with little bitterness. The aftertaste has a mild astringency. Thin-bodied.

Following Upton's recommendations I found worked alright--for a first cup. However, I tried to brew a second cup and ther...

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Picture of Darjeeling

Darjeeling from Darvilles of Windsor

Style: Darjeeling Black Tea – Region: Darjeeling, India

67 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 4/5
Mar. 10th, 2010

This tea's complexity surprised me! Unusually vegetal for a black tea, with a hint of savory qualities. Dark in color, and full-bodied, but delicate. Fairly bitter, especially in the aftertaste...moderately tannic and astringent.

The aroma of this tea would place it on par with some of the better single-estate Da...

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Picture of Oolong Choicest Grade

Oolong Choicest Grade from Upton Tea Imports

Style: Oolong Tea – Region: Taiwan / Formosa

50 / 100 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 2/5
Mar. 10th, 2010

Upton offers a number of different grades of Formosa oolong with only moderate differences in price...this one, by weight, costs less than 50% more than TT11, the "standard grade". Again, the leaf is broken, but in larger pieces than some of the lower grades. The dry leaf has a weak, earthy aroma.

The brewed tea i...

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Picture of Shan Tuyet Snow Green

Shan Tuyet Snow Green from Upton Tea Imports

Style: Green Tea – Region: Vietnam

77 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Mar. 9th, 2010

Brews a rich golden color. The aroma of this tea is more similar to a dragonwell tea than any other green tea I've tried, but the overall experience of drinking it is very different. Very aromatic, with a slightly toasty aroma. The flavor is muted and the tea has a cooler quality than dragonwell, with a hint of smok...

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Picture of Roasted Tea Hoji-cha (16 ct.)

Roasted Tea Hoji-cha (16 ct.) from Yamamotoyama

Style: Hojicha – Region: Japan

63 / 100 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Mar. 9th, 2010

These teabags are strong, with a generous quantity of leaf. The roast is noticeable but light, and this hojicha has a fresh, crisp quality, more like green tea. It's not terribly complex, but overall, I think this is a very good tea that offers outstanding value, especially among teabags.

These teabags are versati...

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Picture of Organic Hojicha

Organic Hojicha from Traditional Medicinals

Style: Hojicha – Region: Japan

57 / 100 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 3/5
Mar. 7th, 2010

On the heavily roasted and dark side, more coffee-like in aroma and fewer of the green tea qualities come through. Good, but not terribly complex.

There also isn't the most generous quantity of leaf in the teabag. The company recommends 8 oz. of water per teabag, and a long infusion. I brewed it this way and it w...

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