Reviews of Teas & Herbal Teas from Simpson & Vail
Page 1 2 of 2 pages with 42 results
Colombian Leafy Black Organic Tea from Simpson & Vail
Style: Black Tea – Region: Colombia95 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Dec. 30th, 2022
I've tried what I'm pretty sure is this same exact grade of tea from the same garden, but sold by Upton Tea Imports, a while back, and I loved it. I loved it this time too!
The brewed cup has a strong and complex aroma. It has a moderate toastiness to it, with notes of cocoa and strong notes of wintergreen, which I ...
Rwanda OPA Rukeri from Simpson & Vail
Style: Black Tea – Region: Rwanda96 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Dec. 18th, 2022
Simply exceptional! This is one of the teas that I think is much better than its commercial description suggests! This is the second tea I've tried from Rukeri estate; the first was a BOP grade from Upton Imports. This tea was similar and I loved both.
The dry leaf is finely broken, much more so than I expect for th...
Tanzania Luponde Black Organic Tea FOP from Simpson & Vail
Style: Black Tea – Region: Tanzania81 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Dec. 4th, 2022
This was one of the higher-quality teas I've tried from Tanzania, pleasing to drink, unique and interesting, also extraordinarily value-priced.
The dry leaf has a pleasant and potent aroma, malty and with a hint of caraway and fruity notes. The leaf is on the intact / whole side of what I would expect for the FOP gr...
Assam - Itakhooli Estate from Simpson & Vail
Style: Assam – Region: Tinsukia, Assam, India79 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Nov. 24th, 2022
This was a rather strong, but high-quality Assam sold for an exceptionally good price.
The dry leaf has a potent aroma, spicy and fruity. I already notice the raspberry notes even in the dry leaf. But the aroma somehow betrays a slight harshness: I can tell this is going to be a tea with a bit of an edge, even befor...
Georgian BOP from Simpson & Vail
Style: Black Tea – Region: Georgia70 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Nov. 20th, 2022
I have been wanting to try a tea from Georgia for a long time; the past few times I've gotten teas from Simpson & Vail, this tea has not been available, so I was excited to see it come back into their catalogue.
This tea was also really fascinating, very different from other black teas I've tried, even different fro...
Japanese Black Tea from Simpson & Vail
Style: Black Tea – Region: Japan97 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Nov. 18th, 2022
I was really impressed by this tea. I found it delightful, and also easy to brew and easy to drink. Smooth, aromatic, and pleasing in flavor. I've only ever tried one other black tea from Japan, but this one was by far the better of the two, and ranks among the top-tier black teas I've sampled from any region.
The d...
Assam - Dikom Estate, GTGFOP1, Black Indian Tea from Simpson & Vail
Style: Assam – Region: Dibrugarh, Assam, India84 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Nov. 18th, 2022
This was a smoother, higher-grade Assam that had a much lighter character than is typical for an Assam.
The dry leaf is pretty aesthetically pleasing, it actually looks much nicer than the picture S&V provided on their website: lots of tip, which looks more pale and less golden than some. Its aroma is rather fruity ...
Colombian Sweet Black Organic Tea (Wiry 2) from Simpson & Vail
Style: Black Tea – Region: Colombia98 / 100 Aroma: 10/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Nov. 8th, 2018
Yet another Colombian tea from the Bitaco estate. Thank you Simpson & Vail for the samples! It's been exciting how many of these I've been able to try lately, and I love every one. They are only subtly different, but I am still able to appreciate the differences. This one, as the name suggests, was the sweetest one I'v...
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Nepal Organic Gold Pathivara Black Tea from Simpson & Vail
Style: Black Tea – Region: Nepal99 / 100 Aroma: 10/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Oct. 31st, 2018
Without a doubt my favorite tea I've ever tried from Nepal. A singular tea with an intoxicating floral fragrance and an ethereal quality overall. Another sample from Simpson & Vail, thank you, and apologies for taking so long to post this one!
This tea was fascinating: visually, the leaf looks more like a Chinese te...
Darjeeling, Puttabong Estate, 1st Flush from Simpson & Vail
Style: Darjeeling First Flush – Region: Darjeeling, India84 / 100 Aroma: 10/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Oct. 25th, 2018
A tricky-to-brew tea that reminded me a lot of green oolongs from Taiwan, and required a lower water temperature to brew to satisfaction.
The dry leaf, quite broken, is an intense green color, like a lot of good Darjeeling first flush. It looks exactly like pictured in the company photo (I appreciate honest photogra...
Nilgiri Korakundah Estate - Organic FOP/FBOP from Simpson & Vail
Style: Black Tea – Region: Nilgiri, India71 / 100 Aroma: 10/10 Flavor: 2/5 Value: 4/5
Oct. 16th, 2018
A beautifully aromatic tea that a strong bitterness and thin body. I found it tricky to brew to satisfaction. I have now sampled three teas from Korakundah estate, and I find they are all a bit like this, although I think this was by far my favorite of the three. Thank you to Simpson & Vail for the free sample!
The ...
Nepal Guranse Estate Organic Oolong Tea from Simpson & Vail
Style: Oolong Tea – Region: Nepal84 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
May. 3rd, 2018
A good tea that resembled Darjeeling first flush teas and probably would have convinced me it was a "black" tea if it had not been labeled as an oolong. It's more like a Himalayan black tea that had something different or unusual about it. Not what I expected; it was nothing like Chinese oolongs, nor like Darjeeling oo...
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Assam Nokhroy Estate Black Tea (STGSOP1) from Simpson & Vail
Style: Assam – Region: Tinsukia, Assam, India91 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Apr. 17th, 2018
This was a wonderfully smooth-flavored Assam, yet with good strength and complexity, and a great price. Thank you to Simpson & Vail for this sample!
Dry leaf, which is fine, curly, and has a moderate amount of golden tip, has an interesting aroma, initially there's a slight burned quality, suggestive of candle wax, ...
China Special Snow Dragon Green Tea from Simpson & Vail
Style: Green Tea – Region: Fuding, Fujian, China76 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 3/5
Apr. 14th, 2018
A pleasant green tea with a smooth, mild flavor that tasted a lot better when brewed more strongly. Easy to drink and I'd imagine this would appeal to a broad audience, with perhaps an exception for people who think green tea is bland or weak, because this was on the milder side.
Thank you to Simpson & Vail for the ...
China Cangyuan Yunnan Organic Black Tea from Simpson & Vail
Style: Yunnan Gold – Region: Cangyuan, Yunnan, China99 / 100 Aroma: 10/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Apr. 11th, 2018
This was an exceptional tea and one of my favorite that I've sampled in a very long time. It was somewhat like other Yunnan teas but had unique lemony notes. Thank you to Simpson & Vail for the sample! I'm excited because this one sparked me adding a new sub-region to RateTea, it's the first tea we've listed from Cang...
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Assam Marangi Estate Black Tea (FTGFOP1) from Simpson & Vail
Style: Assam – Region: Golaghat, Assam, India88 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 3/5
Mar. 27th, 2018
This tea had a sublime combination of smoothness and depth characteristic of top-quality teas. The flavor was exceptional but the aroma a little weak and less interesting. Thank you to Simpson & Vail for the sample!
Very curly-looking leaf, beautiful, with a very large portion of orange tips (more than in the compa...
Organic Tippy Colombian Black Tea (T2) from Simpson & Vail
Style: Black Tea – Region: Colombia97 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Mar. 26th, 2018
This was a light tea with a strong savory flavor, that tasted distinctly like lobster!
Another sample from Simpson & Vail, thank you! I've been loving all the black teas I've tried from the Bitaco estate in Colombia, and this is another one. They are all excellent! I'm glad to see this garden and its teas taking o...
Vietnam Ha Giang Black from Simpson & Vail
Style: Black Tea – Region: Ha Giang85 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Mar. 22nd, 2018
A very pleasant tea that was easy to steep and easy to appreciate. Like a good Yunnan tea but a little smoother.
Thank you to Simpson & Vail for the sample!
Dry leaf smells really beautiful and kind of fascinating: malty but with strong vegetal notes. It looks and smells a lot like a Yunnan tea, which makes sense...
Colombian Wiry Green Organic Tea (Formerly Colombian Green Tea) from Simpson & Vail
Style: Green Tea – Region: Colombia77 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Jan. 31st, 2018
Another lost review, apologies for the delay in posting. Thank you to Simpson & Vail for providing me with this one!
The dry leaf is wonderfully fragrant and also has a beautiful visual appearance, with long, narrow, fully intact leaves. The smell is suggestive of a number of high-grade Chinese teas, and made me e...
Assam - Harmutty Estate Black Tea from Simpson & Vail
Style: Assam – Region: Lakhimpur, Assam, India88 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Apr. 10th, 2017
This is among the better Assams I have ever sampled, and offered great value. It's super smooth, but with depth. Thank you to Simpson & Vail for this sample!
Curly dark leaf, smells very malty, sweet, very pleasant.
Upon brewing though the aroma becomes much more complex. It smells sweet, fresh, vegetal and he...
Dunmore East Blend Tea from Simpson & Vail
Style: Black Tea – Region: ?????89 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Apr. 4th, 2017
I loved this! This was a very pleasant blended tea that I thought was versatile and took on different characteristics based on varying the amount of leaf I used, but always tasted good. Brewed strong, it was a little like a strong Irish Breakfast tea; a more mild steeping yielded a gentle cup that would make a good a...
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Assam Tonganagaon, Organic from Simpson & Vail
Style: Assam – Region: Tinsukia, Assam, India82 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Apr. 2nd, 2017
A smoother-than-average Assam that was still quite rich, a little on the tangy/fruity side.
Dry leaf smells very fruity, vegetal, a bit like potpourri, and also somewhat malty. Overall, rich, aromatic, and suggesting sweetness.
Surprisingly subdued for an Assam. The cup is light and a little more tangy than I e...
Colombian Black Tea from Simpson & Vail
Style: Black Tea – Region: Colombia99 / 100 Aroma: 10/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Mar. 21st, 2017
This tea is incredible! Thank you to Simpson & Vail for sending it to me as a sample. I was recently very wowed by a Colombian black tea sold by Harney & Sons, and I was eager to try this one. It is very similar, but I think even better. I suspect this is probably a higher-grade tea from the same tea garden.
Dry...
Darjeeling Ambootia Estate Organic Green Tea from Simpson & Vail
Style: Darjeeling Green Tea – Region: Darjeeling, India77 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 3/5
Jul. 10th, 2012
Dry leaf has a mild herbaceous aroma, and a dusty appearance.
Produces an olive-green cup. Crisp, clear flavor, with honey-like qualities. Aroma is mild, dominated by melow herbaceous tones. Flavor is clean and the tea has a cooling quality. I found its flavor grew on me a bit. Produces two very flavorful infus...
Poabs Organic from Simpson & Vail
Style: Black Tea – Region: Kerala, India60 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 4/5
Jul. 9th, 2012
A powerful, robust, Assam-like tea.
I'm not feeling the description Simpson and Vail gives for this tea; I found it neither smooth nor sweet. This tea brews a strong, dark cup. The aroma and flavor are more like Assam than any tea I've tried outside of Assam. However, there are some nuances that I find most teas ...
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