Indigo Tea Company

This tea is just another tea that Randy Jackson would call “aight”. It’s most certainly blueberry but neither the black tea nor the blueberry are strong enough for my taste.

I would recommend this tea to a blueberry afficianado looking for a lighter afternoon fruity tea

I got a sample of this from Doulton (Thanks!). It’s pretty good. Reminds me a lot of Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime tea. I’m definitely tasting wintergreen and vanilla. Not tasting the star anise and some of the other ingredients.

I think this one will grow on me. I’ve seen it suggested both hot and iced in reviews for the same from various companies. This one I tried warm, because in the Minnesotan Tundra warm is good, with about 1tsp of sugar. I also steeped it for 45sec longer than the suggested steep time, as my past experience with green teas have been a more subtle taste that I am typically enjoy. I think I will scale it back by 15sec in the future, as the spearmint was a bit much on this cup. The flavor is what you would expect: spearmint, with it fading to a clean “grassy” after effect. It left my mouth feeling clean, and once it cooled down a bit, it lent itself to being drunk rather than sipped. I think in the summer this will make a great sweetened iced tea, as many have suggested. I think once I get the steep time, and the drinking temperature worked out, this will become a cupboard staple :)

This has probably been my favorite flavored tea I have tried since I switched from pop to tea. I only mention the switch to give you an idea of where my tastebud’s fall, I’m not generally inclined to the subtle :) Maybe I’ll get there on day. Anyway, this tea might have been better named “Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal”, as me and my wife both agree that’s what it smells like, however the taste is at a midpoint between Apple Pie, and the Oatmeal. I put about 2 teaspoons of honey/1teaspoon sugar in the bottom of a 12oz cup, and used 2tsp of tea in the infuser (as the instructions suggested 1tsp/6oz, unlike the 1per 8oz i’ve seen on most other teas I’ve bought elsewhere). The result, after 3:45 steeping time (3:00 suggested) was a very definite, full flavored Apple Pie/Oatmeal taste that is perfect for sitting around on a cloudy Minnesotan Sunday afternoon. I would strongly recommend this to anyone who enjoys boldly flavored teas.

This is my second batch purchased of this tea and I still enjoy it. Not quite as “buttery” as it seemed the first time around, but my palate has matured since the first tasting note. Still a quality sencha, and will continue to be my go-to choice for a green.

This time my steeping went as follows:

First cup after water was taken off the boil for 2 minutes. Steeped for 1.

Second cup used water cooled after 4-5 minutes, steeped for 3.

Third cup used remaining hot water, allowed to steep until first two cups consumed.

All three steepings were flavorful, the first cup being the “fullest” as you would expect. A very welcome cupping on a cold January evening with cold/sore throat season creeping in.

I’m a green tea neophyte, and this was the first green tea that was strictly green that I’ve had the courage yet to try. Leaves are indeed very fine, the mesh infuser in my BeeHouse teapot didn’t catch everything, so the cup had some residual bits that ended up in the bottom of the cup. I followed the recommended steeping directions to-the-letter and removed the infuser after one minute.

Very fresh aroma, light mouthfeel, pleasant pale green/yellow liqueur. Flavor notes that ranged from an almost imperceptible floral to a buttery sweet “green vegetable” flavor that reminded me of fresh peas. Neither was overpowering or in competition with the other.

Refreshing, but definitively a green that should be enjoyed in a special context – would be great as an accompaniment to a savory pastry (such as a Spinach-Swiss scone that I occasionally get from my local organic bakery). I have digestive concerns with liquid sugars and true citrus, so I don’t by habit add anything to my teas, but I could imagine this tea would also be terrific with a squeeze of lemon or grated peel infused during steeping.

It’s definitely occupying a prominent place in my cupboard, though I’ll be enjoying it as an occasional treat.

I was very unsure about this tea. I wondered how the smell would effect my allergies, but it turned out that I had nothing to worry about. I totally loved this tea. It was good plain, but I added a little sugar and it was wonderful!

Awesome. My girlfriend and I picked it up because it smelled amazing – more like cranberry than a freaking cranberry itself.

The flavor is smooth, mild and slightly sweet even without sugar. A really great tea to have after dinner or something. Just nice going down. Probably a good tea for new tea drinkers or people new to the bitter tastes associated with black tea.

This has been my morning staple for about three years. The first time I had Yunnan tea it was a Yunnan Gold from Tea Source, I think. My friend thought it smelled like a horse. I was a little more optimistic. I have very faint memories of that tea but I remember it having a bold, deep, earthy flavor.

My next venture into Yunnan territory was another Yunnan Gold from Adagio and, after that, I was hooked. I went to what was, at that time, my local tea shop in Minnesota and picked up a bag of this Yunnan. I’ve been drinking it ever since. It’s the best coffee substitute I’ve come across so far. Strong, deep flavor. Nothing fancy like a Yunnan Gold. Definitely not as complex or rewarding but, for early mornings, it’s perfect. I go through way to much of this stuff to make upgrading to a Gold feasible, anyway.

Stands up wonderfully to cream and sugar.

Well, I’ve learned a lesson today. Don’t review teas based on memory.

I’m in my kitchen sipping on a cup of this lychee black and I’m unimpressed. This doesn’t seem the same tea I first reviewed. Bad batch, maybe? Recessionary loss in quality!? Agh!!

The fragrance of the dry leaf is still good. However… dusty, watery flavor with a slight lychee taste at the front and a weak flavor of whatever kind of black tea was used at the back. Maybe a longer brew would help it out but not enough to make it worth purchasing again.

I maintain that it would make an above average iced tea, though. I’m not picky about iced tea.

I still intend to send you some, takgoti! You’ll probably be able to blast it more thoroughly since I think you have more sophisticated taste bud than I do. Haha.

Lychees are definitely one of my favorite fruits. They remind me of summer days in the back yard of the house where I used to live in Minnesota. They’re like little presents with thin wrapping. You peel them and take in the fresh, deep scent of lychee. There’s nothing quite like that smell.

So when I first discovered lychee tea when I was just getting into loose leaf teas I was ecstatic. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on some. This lychee black tea by Indigo Tea Company is the first and only lychee tea I’ve ever had. I don’t have other lychee tea to compare it to but I think I have the idea.

The dry leaf smells unmistakable like lychees – fresh and fruity. It’s a great thing to have a tin of this tea on a winter day like today in Great Falls, Montana where one would be hard pressed to find fresh lychees. The tea itself has a good black tea flavor with enough depth and body to balance the sweet flavor of lychee juice. Like most flavored teas like this, the added flavor doesn’t stand up to a second steeping well but it’s worth brewing a second time if you’d like.

As the description from Indigo Tea’s web page says, it’s wonderful iced with a little raw sugar. Absolutley perfect for hot days!

One of my favorites from Indigo.

It’s a real classic and has a very subtle but memorable taste. Pretty aromatic, but it’s just an extremely comforting tea. Make sure to steep it in really hot water for a while to get the maximum flavor and bitterness.

If you ever get the chance to visit Indigo Tea Company in Burnsville, MN, try out Neal’s selection of rooibos teas. The guy is one of the nicest people on the planet, and truly knows his tea.

My girlfriend purchased this for me, and it’s unbelievably aromatic and delicious. It’s a bit pricer, but that’s the price you pay for green rooibos. It has a real flavorful punch, even without sugar taking the edge off. Terrific as an iced tea.

One of my favorite oolongs. The description of honey notes is spot on and I actually notice the honey flavor more when it’s iced.

The leaves are big and beautiful and give two good infusions. I usually add half a teaspoon fresh leaves for a third.

I always have some of this tea on hand and drink it almost every day.

2nd steep. Much less of an astringent taste, but I think I enjoy the robust flavor of the first steep more. This was a little bit too soft in flavor for my liking.

1st steep, 3min. This is one of my favorite teas. It is very smooth.