Home » People » Alex Zorach » Reviews
No Image

Alex Zorach

RateTea Editor

Tea Blog - Website

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

Reviews of Black Tea

Only Teas From
Only

Page 1 2 3 ... 5 6 7 8 9 ... 18 19 20 of 20 pages with 496 results

Picture of Darjeeling Tea - Specialty Classics

Darjeeling Tea - Specialty Classics from Basilur

Style: Darjeeling Black Tea – Region: Darjeeling, India

70 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 3/5
Sep. 14th, 2016

This was served to me at a wedding and I was able to take a few different tea bags to try them later. I was surprised at the quality of this one.

The tea bag is not extraordinarily aromatic, but the brewed cup has a very nice, strong black tea smell. It reminds me a lot of sticking my nose into a bin of fresh, loo...

Link Link to This Review
Read Full Review
Picture of Green Label Tea (Tanzania)

Green Label Tea (Tanzania) from Green Label Tea (Tanzania)

Style: Black Tea – Region: Tanzania

77 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Jul. 24th, 2016

Thank you to Jim, who brought this back for me from Tanzania!

I was really impressed by the quality of this tea. It is among the best finely-broken CTC teas that I've tried. It reminded me quite a lot of the Fahari Ya Kenya Tea, although I think I preferred that tea slightly to this one.

Like the Fahari Ya tea,...

Link Link to This Review
Read Full Review
Picture of Lapsang Souchong Wild Black Tea (Ye Sheng Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong)

Lapsang Souchong Wild Black Tea (Ye Sheng Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong) from TeaVivre

Style: Lapsang Souchong – Region: Wuyi, Fujian, China

94 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Jun. 16th, 2016

A lovely tea, mellow, and complex, among my favorite Lapsang Souchongs ever sampled. Thank you again to TeaVivre for the sample! This is a traditional Chinese lapsang souchong, it lacks the strong smoky aroma that the more widely-known style of tea popular in the West has. Compared to other traditional Lapsang Souch...

Link Link to This Review
Read Full Review
Picture of Panyang Congou

Panyang Congou from Harney and Sons

Style: Panyang Congou – Region: Fujian, China

43 / 100 Aroma: 4/10 Flavor: 2/5 Value: 2/5
Jun. 13th, 2016

This was the most disappointing pure tea I've ever tried from Harney & Sons.

Dry leaf not very aromatic, but the aroma is pleasant. The leaf is pretty, with fine wiry pieces, fairly finely broken...the faint aroma suggests spice and dried fruit, like fig or date.

The brewed cup is surprisingly lacking in aroma. ...

Link Link to This Review
Read Full Review
Picture of Kairbetta Frost

Kairbetta Frost from Harney and Sons

Style: Black Tea – Region: Nilgiri, India

80 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
May. 16th, 2016

This tea is the most like a Darjeeling that I've ever had from outside Darjeeling and neighboring areas (like Nepal, Sikkim, etc.). It barely resembled other Nilgiri teas, so I'd recommend it more for people who like Darjeeling than people who like Nilgiri black teas.

Dry leaf looks wiry and robust, inconsistent le...

Link Link to This Review
Read Full Review
Picture of Hao Ya A

Hao Ya A from Harney and Sons

Style: Keemun Hao Ya A – Region: Anhui, China

98 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Apr. 22nd, 2016

I have had a lot of Keemun, but never before sampled Hao Ya A. The overall experience of drinking this tea was somewhat different from what I expected. It's similar, but recognizably different from the Hao Ya B, and I'm not convinced that I like it better. I like both, and this one is not that much more expensive (s...

Link Link to This Review
Read Full Review
Picture of Hao Ya B (Keemun)

Hao Ya B (Keemun) from Harney and Sons

Style: Keemun Hao Ya B – Region: China

98 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Apr. 22nd, 2016

I thought this was an exceptional tea and was my favorite traditional Keemun ever sapmled.

Dry leaf is fine and dark in color, pleasantly aromatic, and the aroma is quite complex, it suggests fruit, spice, and dried flowers, a little like potpourri, with vegetal and chocolatey notes. The smell reminds me of Christm...

Link Link to This Review
Read Full Review
Picture of Keemun Mao Feng

Keemun Mao Feng from Harney and Sons

Style: Keemun Mao Feng – Region: Qimen, Anhui, China

91 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Apr. 12th, 2016

I loved this tea. It reminded me a lot of the Spring Keemun from Andrews & Dunham, both in the smell and taste, and the appearance of the leaf.

Mild but pleasant smell to the dry leaf, which looks very curly in shape, little snail-like curls a lot like bi luo chun. Smells sweeter than other Keemun Mao Feng, but st...

Link Link to This Review
Read Full Review
Picture of Yunnan Golden Tips

Yunnan Golden Tips from Harney and Sons

Style: Yunnan Gold – Region: Yunnan, China

77 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 3/5
Apr. 8th, 2016

This tea is really strange. I enjoy it most when I don't think of it as a black tea, and I still don't know exactly how I feel about it. I disagree with Harney's assertion that this is "vigorously assertive": to me it lacks the strength and punch of a black tea, and in many respects is more like an oolong or even a m...

Link Link to This Review
Read Full Review
Picture of New Vithanakande

New Vithanakande from Harney and Sons

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

77 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Apr. 6th, 2016

I liked this tea and found it very interesting, it wasn't a favorite at first but it made me write and think a lot, and I found it grew on me. I especially liked this tea's ability to evoke interesting imagery and memories from my childhood with its aromas. Many of the Ceylon teas I've tried over the years have been s...

Link Link to This Review
Read Full Review
Picture of Kenyan Tinderet

Kenyan Tinderet from DAVIDsTEA

Style: Black Tea – Region: Nandi, Kenya

67 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 2/5
Apr. 1st, 2016

Thank you to my friend Sarah for bringing me this one! I love Kenyan teas, and this was a classic Kenyan CTC tea of decent quality. Quite good and pleasant to drink, but I think it is very overpriced.

Dry leaf is not very aromatic, nor is the brewed cup, but I find the flavor very pleasant. DavidsTea describes "l...

Link Link to This Review
Read Full Review
Picture of Golden Monkey

Golden Monkey from Harney and Sons

Style: Golden Monkey – Region: Fujian, China

94 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Mar. 24th, 2016

Truly superb! I haven't tried that many Golden Monkey teas, but after brewing this one multiple times, I think it is my favorite. Its leaf is packed with flavor and, although it had the smoothness of other golden monkey teas, I found it had a strength that was lacking from other examples of this style that I had tried...

Link Link to This Review
Read Full Review
Picture of Colombian Black

Colombian Black from Harney and Sons

Style: Black Tea – Region: Colombia

97 / 100 Aroma: 10/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Mar. 22nd, 2016

An unexpectedly top-notch tea, unlike anything else I've tried. I'm always incredibly curious to try teas from a new country or region, and I was super excited to try this one, since there are very few teas grown in the Americas. Normally, I approach these sorts of teas more as an interesting novelty, not expecting t...

Link Link to This Review
Read Full Review
Picture of Original Blend (Green Label)

Original Blend (Green Label) from Barry's Tea

Style: Irish Breakfast – Region: Blend

63 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Mar. 15th, 2016

This was a humble flat paper tea bag that surprised me with its quality. It was very different from the Gold Blend (the one with the red label) from this same company.

Brews a very rich, dark cup that is thick and full-flavored. The aroma is strongly malty, and upon drinking the whole cup there's a hint of winterg...

Link Link to This Review
Read Full Review
Picture of Kenilworth Ceylon

Kenilworth Ceylon from Harney and Sons

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

70 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Mar. 15th, 2016

A dark and rich tea with smoky notes that were unusual for a Ceylon.

I've tried other Ceylon teas from Kenilworth, and this is not only unlike any other tea from this estate or garden, but unlike any other black teas I'm tried from Sri Lanka. I found it interesting how different this was from other Kenilworth teas,...

Link Link to This Review
Read Full Review
Picture of Organic Assam (Loose)

Organic Assam (Loose) from Harney and Sons

Style: Assam – Region: Assam, India

87 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Feb. 25th, 2016

This was my favorite broken-leaf Assam that I've ever tried. Surprisingly sweet and nuanced for a broken-leaf tea, and an excellent price, especially given that it's organic certified.

Dry leaf has a pleasant fruity and malty smell, typical for an Assam but smelling sweeter. Although it's a finely broken tea, the s...

Link Link to This Review
Read Full Review
Picture of Choco Black Tea

Choco Black Tea from Health & Tea

Style: Black Tea – Region: Taiwan / Formosa

91 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Feb. 22nd, 2016

I loved this tea, which I was excited to receive very recently as a sample from Health & Tea. I love this company's offerings and each year I have continued to become more impressed with them as I've seen their catalog expand. This tea was rich but mellow, complex but smooth, and the main word I'd describe it with is...

Link Link to This Review
Read Full Review
Picture of Tippy Yunnan

Tippy Yunnan from Harney and Sons

Style: Yunnan Gold – Region: Yunnan, China

87 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Feb. 16th, 2016

I thought this an excellent tea and it is definitely among my favorite Dian Hong or Yunnan Red (black teas) that I've ever sampled. It's one of many samples I recently ordered from Harney & Sons.

I chose this for a very cold morning, because I find Yunnan teas to often have a powerful warming quality, and I found i...

Link Link to This Review
Read Full Review
Picture of Jungpana Black Tea

Jungpana Black Tea from Udyan Tea

Style: Darjeeling Autumnal Flush – Region: Darjeeling, India

80 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Feb. 16th, 2016

This tea is subtly different from other Darjeelings. The leaf is big and looks more like a Wuyi oolong than anything from Darjeeling. The aroma is rich and deep, notes of caramel and malt, a hint of the characteristic fruity/floral/vegetal notes, more typical for an autumnal flush Darjeeling.

Upon pouring the wate...

Link Link to This Review
Read Full Review
Picture of Vietnamese Black OP

Vietnamese Black OP from Harney and Sons

Style: Black Tea – Region: Vietnam

73 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Feb. 16th, 2016

A medium-bodied tea with nutty and chocolatey aromas, I can see this being likely to please people who enjoy hot chocolate.

The dry leaf has a strong smell of sweet nutty candy, like marzipan, pistacio, milk chocolat, or hazelnut creme. It reminds me of those Mozartkugeln, the German candies with layers of hazelnut...

Link Link to This Review
Read Full Review
Picture of Uva Highlands

Uva Highlands from Harney and Sons

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

73 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 5/5
Feb. 14th, 2016

A potent, robust tea with a distinct wintergreen aroma that comes out more some times than others. A bit sensitive to brewing conditions, and not for the faint-hearted, but good if you want something strong, especially if you drink tea with milk. I served this to a friend who likes strong Irish Breakfast tea, and she...

Link Link to This Review
Read Full Review
Picture of Gopaldhara Red Thunder Black Tea

Gopaldhara Red Thunder Black Tea from Udyan Tea

Style: Darjeeling Autumnal Flush – Region: Darjeeling, India

77 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Jan. 25th, 2016

I liked this tea, but I would not describe it as "thunder"; it's too mellow. Following the rumbling sound analogy, it would be more like "a natural-gas-powered bus goes by", but I guess that doesn't sound quite as sexy.

Dry leaf has a strong aroma, mostly nutty, suggesting sweetness. The aroma suggests warmth.

...

Link Link to This Review
Read Full Review
Picture of Seeyok Autumnal Black Tea

Seeyok Autumnal Black Tea from Udyan Tea

Style: Darjeeling Autumnal Flush – Region: Darjeeling, India

83 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Jan. 25th, 2016

This was a dark, rich, smooth, and naturally sweet tea with a mysterious pungent aroma, which changed its character a lot resteeping.

Dry leaf is a fairly uniform brown, and has a strong and intriguing aroma, malty and suggesting sweetness, but very fresh and light.

As I pour the water, immediately a strong fruit...

Link Link to This Review
Read Full Review
Picture of Snowview Tippy Black Tea

Snowview Tippy Black Tea from Udyan Tea

Style: Darjeeling Second Flush – Region: Darjeeling, India

77 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Jan. 13th, 2016

Every now and then I encounter a Darjeeling that only seems to shine when paired with the right foods, and this was one. The first couple times I drank it, it was easy to overlook, but when I paired it with a spicy coconut curry soup I made, it seemed to take on a completely different character.

Dry leaf is brown a...

Link Link to This Review
Read Full Review
Picture of Giddapahar AV2 Clonal Black Tea

Giddapahar AV2 Clonal Black Tea from Udyan Tea

Style: Darjeeling Second Flush – Region: Darjeeling, India

70 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 4/5
Jan. 7th, 2016

This was a singular tea that was highly unlike any other teas I've tried. Minimalist in aesthetic, I can see this one appealing to people who like delicate white teas, and it tasted more like a white tea than other black teas. It's not my favorite sort of tea, but I found it intriguing with every sip, and drinking it...

Link Link to This Review
Read Full Review

Page 1 2 3 ... 5 6 7 8 9 ... 18 19 20 of 20 pages with 496 results

FacebookTwitterInstagramTumblrPatreon