Reviews of Teas & Herbal Teas from Upton Tea Imports
Page 1 2 3 ... 13 14 15 16 17 of 17 pages with 413 results
Oolong Standard Grade from Upton Tea Imports
Style: Oolong Tea – Region: Taiwan / Formosa53 / 100 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 3/5
Feb. 26th, 2010
Upton has renamed their teas or changed their item codes between TT10 and TT11, which makes discussing them confusing. The old TT10, Season's Pick Formosa Fannings, was discontinued. This is the same tea that used to be called TT11 but it's now TT10. (Update, they now renamed it back to TT11. lol.)
This is a radi...
Roasted Oolong from Upton Tea Imports
Style: Tie Guan Yin – Region: China77 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Feb. 25th, 2010
Aroma is mellow and smooth, with a pleasant woody quality. Stronger in flavor than Upton's similarly-priced non-roasted Tie Guan Yin's. I found this tea to be subtle; it grew on me, and I enjoyed the last cup I made from the sample significantly more than the first. Oddly, I find that much of the flavor sinks to the...
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Season's Pick Organic White Fannings from Upton Tea Imports
Style: White Tea – Region: China57 / 100 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 4/5
Feb. 25th, 2010
I find Upton's description of this tea to be very accurate, and I like their brewing instructions.
On the dark end for a white tea, but lighter than some shou mei's. Surprisingly aromatic for fannings! The aroma is bold and earthy, slightly crisp and fresh, and, as Upton describes, there are some nutty tones in th...
Season's Pick Formosa Fannings from Upton Tea Imports
Style: Oolong Tea – Region: Taiwan / Formosa50 / 100 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 2/5
Feb. 22nd, 2010
The leaf of this tea is significantly coarser than many grades I have also seen called fannings.
The brewed tea is deep reddish brown. The aroma isn't terribly strong, and is mostly earthy with some nutty tones. Little bitterness, but also, little complexity.
I find that this tea is too mellow for my tastes if ...
Organic Pai Mu Tan from Upton Tea Imports
Style: White Peony Tea – Region: China50 / 100 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 1/5 Value: 2/5
Feb. 16th, 2010
This particular pai mu tan smells more like an actual peony than any others I've tried.. The aroma is actually fairly powerful, although when you sip the cup it is a bit bland...this tea doesn't have much flavor. There is a very mild, unpleasant sourness to this tea too. Smooth, but I don't notice any sweetness at a...
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Australian Lemon Myrtle Organic from Upton Tea Imports
Style: Lemon Myrtle – Region: Australia87 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Feb. 15th, 2010
The aroma of both the tea and the dried leaf are intensely lemony, much more so than the other lemon herbs I've tried, including lemongrass, lemon balm, and lemon verbena. More like lemongrass than the others, and least like lemon balm. The lemon quality is so overpowering that it's hard to notice other aspects of th...
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Formosa Oolong Spring Dragon from Upton Tea Imports
Style: Flavored Oolong – Region: Taiwan / Formosa80 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 3/5
Feb. 12th, 2010
Aroma is light and floral; it's almost impossible to tell where the tea ends and the lilac begins: the two fragrances blend seamlessly. This tea does have a hint of the soapy quality that I find plagues some Tung Tings, in contrast to TT86, which wasn't my favorite tea, but lacked this soapiness.
I was disappointed...
Organic KuKi Cha Green Kamakura from Upton Tea Imports
Style: Kukicha – Region: Kanagawa, Japan73 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Feb. 10th, 2010
The aroma of the dry tea is straw-like, but the brewed tea is a lot more like sencha, including a hint of the characteristic seaweed-like quality. In many ways it's typical for a Japanese green tea. There are a few woody tones in the aroma but they have a very different character from the woody qualities present in s...
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Nuwara Eliya BOP from Upton Tea Imports
Style: Ceylon Black Tea – Region: Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka70 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Feb. 3rd, 2010
This is the first broken-leaf Ceylon from Upton that has been drinkable to me, and I'm surprised to find it completely lacking in the harshness that the other ones I've tried have had.
The aroma is totally unlike any black tea I have tried...it reminds me of rice and rice pastries. I like Upton's description "brigh...
Yunnan Green Supreme Organic from Upton Tea Imports
Style: Green Tea – Region: Yunnan, China73 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 3/5
Feb. 2nd, 2010
This tea has a pungent aroma unlike any other green tea I've sampled before. It reminds me of a hoppy beer like an India Pale Ale, and the bitterness in the tea is similar to that of a strong IPA. The aroma is more like a typical black tea than a green tea to me--I would probably guess incorrectly that it was black t...
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Oliphant Estate OPA Green from Upton Tea Imports
Style: Green Tea – Region: Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka89 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Feb. 1st, 2010
I have started to see enough of a pattern that I can at least suspect that I tend to like green teas from Sri Lanka.
The dry leaves of this tea are whole and very full, slightly curled, and dark green, and a few of the leaves have a reddish tinge. The dry leaves have a tobacco-like smell.
The cup is richly aroma...
East Frisian BOP from Upton Tea Imports
Style: East Frisian Tea (Ostfriesentee) – Region: Blend67 / 100 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Jan. 29th, 2010
Strong but without an edge; malty, full-bodied, but not overly tannic. The dry leaf has a pleasantly strong vegetal aroma, unusual for a black tea, but I was disappointed to find little of this characteristic come through in the brewed cup.
Not the most interesting tea, perhaps, but a very enjoyable tea to drink, m...
Roasted Yerba Maté from Upton Tea Imports
Style: Yerba Maté – Region: Brazil77 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Jan. 29th, 2010
Naturally very sweet. The roast is mellow and does not seem to impart any bitterness or burnt qualities. A creamy, vanilla-like quality is dominant in the aroma. A hint of smokiness is present, especially in the aftertaste. The flavor and aroma of this drink are very pleasant and complex.
I have tried brewing th...
Vietnam Black Pekoe from Upton Tea Imports
Style: Black Tea – Region: Vietnam63 / 100 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Jan. 28th, 2010
A pleasantly mellow tea, unlike anything else I've tried before. Definitely noticeable as a Vietnamese tea; it's interesting how both their black and green teas share certain characteristics in common.
Very smooth, little bitterness, even when steeped for a long time. I find a hint of lemon in the aroma, which is ...
Formosa Special White Tea from Upton Tea Imports
Style: White Tea – Region: Taiwan / Formosa47 / 100 Aroma: 4/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 2/5
Jan. 27th, 2010
I found this tea disappointing, especially for its price, which makes it interesting for me to see that it has been dropped from Upton's carryings.
The aroma of this tea reminds me of a green tea. The cup has a clean and crisp quality, like a good Japanese sencha, but without much bitterness or sharpness. There ar...
Japanese Supersencha Kamakura from Upton Tea Imports
Style: Sencha – Region: Kanagawa, Japan83 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Jan. 26th, 2010
This one surprised me; Upton threw it in as a free sample. I probably would have not bought it on my own because of the price, but now that I've tried it I think it offers pretty good value, although it is still expensive.
When brewed, this tea is opaque, less so than matcha but more so than most other sencha that ...
Lapacho (Pao d'archo) Bold Leaf from Upton Tea Imports
Style: Lapacho / Taheebo (Pao d'Arco) – Region: Brazil57 / 100 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 3/5
Jan. 21st, 2010
Mild, woody aroma, with a hint of wintergreen. The smell reminds me of the inside of some people's homes...it's a homey, comfortable, familiar sort of smell, but slightly medicinal. This tea is slightly sweet, and very mellow.
After drinking two cups (the sample only really makes three) I'm still not sure how I fe...
Holy Basil Green Leaf from Upton Tea Imports
Style: Tulsi / Holy Basil – Region: India70 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Jan. 13th, 2010
Very different from the purple-leaf variety, which I like better.
This has a very strong metallic character in the taste, and the aroma suggests a metallic character too. The aroma is more similar to the purple variety, perhaps less of a cinnamon character and more clove.
I've also tried the green-leafed Tulsi f...
Java Green Gunpowder from Upton Tea Imports
Style: Gunpowder Green Tea – Region: Indonesia60 / 100 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 4/5
Jan. 11th, 2010
My first Indonesian tea sampled, and I was a bit disappointed, even though I like this style of tea.
This tea is considerably less smoky than most Chinese gunpowder teas I've had...only a moderate amount of smoke. It has a cool quality to the aroma, and a tangy flavor with some bitterness. More similar in all resp...
Lapsang Souchong Black Dragon from Upton Tea Imports
Style: Lapsang Souchong – Region: China100 / 100 Aroma: 10/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Jan. 9th, 2010
This is one of my favorite teas. It stands head and shoulders above most other Lapsangs, almost poetical in the achievement of its goals. Not to be missed!
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Castleton Estate TGBOP Ch. First Flush (DJ-25) from Upton Tea Imports
Style: Darjeeling First Flush – Region: Darjeeling, India77 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Jan. 8th, 2010
Very green character, even more than typical for a first-flush, both in the appearance of the leaves and the aroma. The cup is a deep amber color. The aroma is light and mostly floral, almost reminiscent of queen Anne's lace blossoms. On my second brewing I did detect a faint suggestion of spearmint in the aroma, an...
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Dimbula BOP from Upton Tea Imports
Style: Ceylon Black Tea – Region: Matale, Sri Lanka (Dimbula)37 / 100 Aroma: 4/10 Flavor: 2/5 Value: 1/5
Jan. 7th, 2010
In contrast to Upton's broken-leaf teas from Darjeeling and other Himalayan regions, I am continuously disappointed by Upton's broken-leaf Ceylons, and this one continues the pattern.
Brewed as recommended, this tea is undrinkably strong. I recommend using less leaf and a much shorter steeping time. Even then, it'...
Steinthal Estate TGBOP First Flush (DJ-25) Organic from Upton Tea Imports
Style: Darjeeling First Flush – Region: Darjeeling, India63 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 2/5 Value: 3/5
Jan. 5th, 2010
Disappointing for a first flush and even among broken-leaf Darjeelings. There's a heaviness to the flavor, even though it is smooth. I'm detecting neither the "fresh floral note" nor the "hint of citrus".
I'm not sure what to recommend with the brewing; if you go longer this tea becomes heavy, although not too bit...
Vietnam Green Sencha from Upton Tea Imports
Style: Sencha – Region: Vietnam80 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Jan. 2nd, 2010
I would not recognize this tea as sencha from either the appearance of the leaves or the aroma of the dried leaf or brewed cup. There's only a faint suggestion of the characteristic sencha aroma, barely emerging and then vanishing.
The aroma is vegetal, but less seaweedy than sencha, and more savory. Tastes more s...
Holy Basil Purple Leaf from Upton Tea Imports
Style: Tulsi / Holy Basil – Region: India97 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Dec. 27th, 2009
I had not tried tulsi (except possibly unknowingly as a seasoning) when I sampled this, and I fell in love after the first sip. The aroma is hard to describe, but very complex...I especially notice the anise and cinnamon, but I am usually not the biggest fan of these aromas, and I loved this tea. This is a very rich,...
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