Bayswater Tea Co.

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Recent Tasting Notes

This one is strange. Very strange. It’s an almost savory tea, and yet I can consider it iced with some honey or sugar syrup.

The basil is prominent. The tea is smooth, and even though I accidentally let it sit out and cool for an hour and a half, it still tastes nice. The lemon is more lemon oil or lemon zest, but I think with sugar added it’d turn more lemonade.

I’m not sure how frequently I’d ever drink this (I’ll have to try it iced… maybe I’d go through it faster!) but it’s definitely something to consider trying.

(I let the water cool while I washed my tea dishes. IDK what the temp was. I think it took about 10 minutes?)

Edit: It’s really good with my batch-cook of the day: ham, pea, roasted squash and goat cheese pasta… :) If I had added some basil to the food, it would have been perfect!

Preparation
2 min, 0 sec
JustJames

hah! i’ve left my steep so long so many times that now it’s a benchmark for tea quality, lol.

OMGsrsly

I think this one would go weird if I let it steep for that long! Thankfully I managed to pour the tea before I ran out the door to play with kittens. :)

Kittenna

Cool! I’m excited to try my sample of this :D

OMGsrsly

I can’t wait to try it cold-brewed and flash-chilled. See how it goes. I think it’d be really good sweetened with some lemonade. :)

JustJames

and another goes onto my shopping list!!!

OMGsrsly

James, at least this one’s really reasonable. They have an online inventory (needs updating) and don’t have a web shop, but 1) they ship, and 2) they’re just in Kits so they’re super easy to get to when you next visit, and have some spare time.

JustJames

i never have spare time when i’m there… it’s there and back in one big stressful day seeing a specialist. but maybe something can be arranged. i have a cousin i could visit perhaps. hmmm. she’ll think i’m a nut wanting to go tea shopping, but who cares? la!

TeaLady441

Hopefully you can sneak over there sometime! It seemed like a really nice little tea shop, and the prices were all very reasonable! She said that they’ll update the web shop next month or so, but you can always email her for an order and she’ll ship to you, but for $10-13. I don’t think she gets much of a deal on shipping so we’re just paying her cost plus the price of a box or something.

I have a feeling that when I’m in ON I’ll have to get someone to send me more of these teas. :D

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76

I was too harsh on this tea the first time, and too quick to send it off to send it off. There’s nothing wrong with malt, nougat, and nutella spread. It even managed to cancel out the homemade and lethal spicy kimchi jigae I ate today- I need to work on my spice measurements, big time.

I probably should’ve gone with a tea full of ginger and food as bland as socks, with the painful stomach bug I seem to have, but sweet and spice generally win out too often in my life.

Flavors: Hazelnut, Malt, Marshmallow

Preparation
Boiling
Fjellrev

Hope you feel better soon!

OMGsrsly

Oh no! Maybe make some congee and have that with kimchi?

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76

Omg, this is Sweet. I ate one of the nougats from the dry blend and the tea tastes just like it. Along with hazelnut creamer. And a little salt. I added milk and the creamer got creamier. This is almost too rich, guys. I feel like my mouth is coated with butter, sugar, and nutella.

I’m putting this one under potential late fall and winter blends.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec
TeaLady441

Oooh, maybe I should have bought 100g? I think Kittena is taking 25g, and Sil will probably want a sample too…

But then we can always get more…

Crowkettle

My one complaint is the tea component doesn’t factor in too much; the nougat nutella thing completely swamps it. It reminds me of flavoured hot chocolate a little.

Sil

Oh man….. On the plus side cavo, when you’re hear this gives us things to intentionally swap with the folks out west for :)

Sil

Wow I said hear not here….I am tired

OMGsrsly

Oh, that’ll be good as a dessert tea. And I bet it will be delicious made into popsicles, too. I might consider adding some Irish Breakfast to up the TEA factor though.. :)

Crowkettle

Mixing this with Irish Breakfast sounds like a fantastic idea. Or a chocolatey black base. Then it might taste like a ferrero rocher.

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Had earlier (much earlier) this morning, with some sugar. I prefer it with milky stuff, but couldn’t be bothered to open another packet of coconut milk.

I had to get up suuuuper early (for me!) because the water was being shut off and I really wanted to shower at home instead of at work. Haha. Amazingly, I was successful, but it’s time for a coffee break. Tea just isn’t doing it for me right now!

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML
Plunkybug

I like this one best with milk too.

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Mmm. Grapefruit. Bergamot. Milk. Caffeine.

Such an odd tea, but so delicious.

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This is so good! SO grapefruity. Makes it quite different from regular EG.

I had this with a bit of milk this evening, and it was delicious. It’s really good iced with honey as well.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 30 sec 2 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML
Cameron B.

Sounds amazing! I’ve really enjoyed the other citrus earl greys I’ve had, but I’ve never tried grapefruit.

OMGsrsly

Mmm, grapefruit. I think you’re on my parcel list (that I’m totally failing at. Failswapper OMG, here.). I’ll add it to your stash. :)

Bear With Me

I may have 500g heading my way….

Kittenna

I liked this one when I had it the first time. Still have a couple cups left, IIRC – I was so very impressed with the grapefruit flavour. Only twice have I actually tasted properly grapefruity tea – Butiki’s, and this one.

Cameron B.

Kittenna – have you tried Grapefruit Green from Lupicia? I thought it was very good. :)

Kittenna

It appears I have, and I actually probably have some as well (2 years old now!) I rated it fairly low though – but to be fair, it was from a Happy Bag and maybe it was older than it should have been.

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Sipdown! But this wasn’t in my Steepster cupboard, boo. Oh well.

I had half a cup left so I made it this morning and chugged it before I left the house. Yum. Definitely want more of this one.

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I steeped this up and added milk and sugar crystals this morning. It’s cooling on the table outside the lab, and I take a sip (gulp!) every time I walk past. It really does go well with milk, the grapefruit flavour lends a bright summery note that is no where near “furniture polish” territory.

I think this one would be AMAZING iced, maybe with a couple grapefruit juice ice cubes.

A 2.5 minute steep was perfect. No astringency or bitterness or anything. 3 minutes for the Creme Brulee I had last night was almost too long, so I’d suggest being a little conservative with your steep times.

This is a tea I can see buying again. It’s an Earl Grey, yes, but it’s different enough that it’s refreshing the flavour in my mind instead of being the same old thing.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 2 min, 30 sec
Crowkettle

I need to try this with milk now that you’ve shown the citrus doesn’t make it curdle. ;)

OMGsrsly

My evil secret: I used soy creamer. Takes a LOT for that stuff to curdle!

Bear With Me

holy crap I need this, BIG TIME! O.o

Crowkettle

OMGsrsly thought of you right away when we smelled this one, and I think Heather brought some back for you! :)

OMGsrsly

(It was supposed to be a surprise!) Haha. Yeah, I bought 50g and kept some to try. I really like it, though…

Bear With Me

dies laughing i kind of guessed as soon as I’d hit “send”, but got too distracted reading about this stupid prednisone crap the endo has me on for the next week :P I love you guys! :D

Bear With Me

….I apparently fail at formatting O.o

Crowkettle

Whoops. Apparently I was more out of it yesterday then I’d thought, and totally missed that. My rep for spoiling surprises builds. Sorry Shayne and OMGsrsly! >.<

OMGsrsly

:D No worries. I mean, I did text Shayne and ask about Earl Greys…

Crowkettle

No!!! Don’t try to sugarcoat it. D: This is exactly what happened when Dumbledore died in the sixth book. I can’t believe I did it again!

Ah, anyways.. I hope you like this one, Shayne. I really enjoyed it too. :)

Bear With Me

she actually did text me about earl greys yesterday! so between that, and the fact that she knows I’m addicted to grapefruit teas, I kinda put two and two together ;)

TeaLady441

Wait? What? Dumbledore dies??? /0\

TeaLady441

Hahah. J/k. :)
(Although I think I did have that spoiled for me – thankfully no one could wreck 7 for me)

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76

Hmmm.. I had Ruby Pie earlier so this was a bad one to follow up with as it just doesn’t compare. It DOES have Strawberry, but… it’s no Ruby Pie.

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76

Woo! First tasting note for this tea! (i.e., no pressure?)

This wasn’t on the website so we weren’t prepared for this tea when we came in to the shop. We leaned in to smell it and the aroma overpowered our senses and intoxicated us. We all had to have some. Or most of us.

“And, how is it?” you might ask. Or probably are, seeing as you are reading this on Steepster.

It’s great. It’s warm, and cinnamony and comforting, and the strawberry is sweet while the rhubarb is tart and sweet. It’s very nice. I keep expecting a bit of pastry in there too, but it’s not fair to compare it to Butiki’s Ruby Pie. It never pretended to be more than Strawberry Rhubarb, and it delivered.

ETA: A minute or so after my last cup, and I notice that the rhubarb just lingers in my mouth. I thought it was the dreaded astringency I hate so much, but it was just slightly tart and slightly sweet rhubarb. :D

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec
OMGsrsly

Mmm, I’m going to have to try this one tomorrow. Today is all planned out!

Crowkettle

I regret being the only one who didn’t get some of this. Next time. :)

OMGsrsly

I don’t really get cinnamon from this. So neat how we all taste it differently. :)

TeaLady441

Strange! I wonder if I imagined it due to its association with similar flavour profiles! I’ll have to try it again to see!

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Cold brewed 24 hours! WOW!

So delicious. Haha. The kick of spice goes perfectly with my nachos.

I’m sad to see this one go. I’ll have to pick more up for summer!

OMGsrsly

OH! And I also ordered the CUTEST mug/easy gaiwan/travel set thing off Ali Express. Fingers crossed everything works out and it’s as lovely as the pictures. :)

OMGsrsly

And I’m guzzling my second mug of this. Goes well with chocolate, too. Yep, definitely need more!

Sil

noms!

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Much better with a 12 hour steep. :)

Just a bit spicy, but not overwhelming.

I had coffee again this morning because it was easy. Tea tomorrow, I hope! (It’s too late for what I want to drink tonight, but I’ll put some more cold brews together and maybe have something uncaffeinated tonight.)

Dexter

Citrus, spicy herbal stuff – yep I definitely have some of this style… ;))

OMGsrsly

Noooo!!! Dexter, I’m gonna be at 260 soon! And I still have The BOX.

Dexter

LOL ok – I’ll be nice I promise… really though it’s not the 300 that scares me, it’s the quantity – when you are measuring your tea stash in KGs – that’s just TOO MUCH

OMGsrsly

Ok, ok. ;) Share some samples. I promise to drink more tea than coffee these next couple weeks to make room.

Sil

you guys both do decent sample sizes… allows for a few mugs of tea.

OMGsrsly

That’s the scary part, Sil! :P Good for options, not so good for cupboard size.

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I made the last of this and accidentally left it in the fridge for about 36 hours.

O. M. G. My tongue is burning, and I keep sipping thinking it’ll make the burning go away, but it doesn’t stop.

Head. Desk.

OMGsrsly

I can’t stop laughing about it. I mean, really self? It’s CHILI tea! It’s not gonna calm things down!

SarsyPie

LOL oh wow… That is a very long time for a cold steep with chilis! At least your sinuses will be completely clear :p

Sil

i love this long brewed hahaha

OMGsrsly

It was just surprising. And then I didn’t clue in until the mug was basically finished. :)

Sil

hahaha

Memily

ahahahaha

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Cold steeped about 24 hours before I remembered about it. Oops?

Oh well, it’s still good. It’s a hibiscus based fruit tea with moderate orange-ness, and a kick of chili. Goes well with Kapha Organic.

:)

Flavors: Apple, Cranberry, Hibiscus, Lemongrass, Orange, Rosehips, Spicy

Preparation
9 tsp 68 OZ / 2011 ML

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I got more of this tea, because I remember liking it so much.

And it doesn’t disappoint. Cold brewed 1 tbsp in a canning jar (4 cups? 1L or so) for 24 hours. Yummy. A pinch of sugar brightens it up a lot. It is quite tart, with a chili kick at the end. The chili does come out a bit more when iced, but it’s good this way too.

Sil

This one makes me happy too

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Yum. 1 tbsp of this in hot water for an undetermined amount of time. I poured it into a glass and added some ice – enough to make it lukewarm. I really like this one.

It’s super tart, the lemongrass is a fairly strong flavour, and sipping this is giving me some nice heat on my tongue. Not super spicy, but enough to make me aware of what I’m drinking.

I think I need to pick some more of this one up.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C

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Mmm. 1 tbsp in my 16 oz mug.

I also added some cranberry honey. I couldn’t resist.

It smells so nice. A little perfumy, probably because of the lemongrass, but sweet and sour all at once. I can definitely tell there’s cranberry.

This one is really good. I can see it being an amazing iced tea for summer, especially with the bit of warmth from the chili. I’ll have to try it cold steeped at some point, but this one is a fruit tea winner for me.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 6 min, 0 sec

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Oooooooo, spicy!

Also sour, but that’s to be expected of a cranberry tea.

It’s really nice, iced. A good option to the very sweet or very sour herbal iced tea options out there. Tart, juicy, and then POW! some spice. I did sweeten it with a little sugar, because when I tried it warm it was a little too tart for me.

Yum, I’m glad I didn’t share this with anyone! ;)

Preparation
Iced 7 min, 0 sec

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80

Sipdown!

The scent has faded a bit now, and the grapefruit is no longer as sharp. I guess the single clear ziplock sitting in the sun wasn’t the best way to store it. Oh, well. For an Earl Grey I still really like this one. I’d consider getting this one again (for summer).

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 30 sec

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80

I used some milk today, and now it tastes more like a typical earl grey, and less like grapefruit juice with brisk enhancements. The grapefruit is more subdued behind typical bergamot now, yet it’s still distinguishable.

I think I like it slightly more without milk, but this isn’t a bad cup either. That this tea is flexible with the milk makes it an attractive option for the summer-fall transition.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec
Ysaurella

oh that’s a great idea to add grapefruit to a EG ! but if you cannot taste it… it’s a pity

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80

Unsweetened grapefruit juice meets earl grey! Boy, is this straightforward and tart, but in a good way. I think it hit its full potential as a refreshing citrus tea when it cooled down to lukewarm/cool.

Despite not being a fan of earl greys, and being a tad skeptical on the shopkeeper’s enthusiasm for this one, I enjoyed this cup tonight. It’s definitely a summery tea, with some appeal to quiet evenings, curled up with a musty, old book on the family’s couch.. Geez, not quite sure how I’m still awake right now.

I’m glad I decided to split 50g of this with Cavocorax after all, and hope everyone from today’s meetup enjoys their new teas! Goodnight.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec
TeaLady441

Woohoo! I’m happy you enjoyed it. I can’t wait to try it out. :D
It was pretty awesome hanging out too.

Sil

Wish I could have made it! Maybe next time hahaha

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drank Crème Brulee by Bayswater Tea Co.
2291 tasting notes

I only have one cup of this left! And that’s only if I mix it with some Divine Temptation!

Wow.

Anyways, delicious as always. Very coffee-like today. All I added was some creamer.

I think I’ll ‘have’ to pick up 50g of this one, and 100g of Divine Temptation (when I eventually head back out there), because the mix is perfect for the winter!

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 30 sec
Sil

i need to try this one soon… maaaaybe tonight..

Fjellrev

You too! I’ve been ripping through mine and thought I have lost my mind. Also picked up the Chocolate Macchiato and am almost finished it too despite not even writing a note for it yet. Ahhh, she does the creamy ones so well!

Sil

good to know!

OMGsrsly

I didn’t get the macchiato one due to the COFFEE flavour. This one is just burnt sugar enough that I don’t feel the tea is trying too hard to fake it. :) Definitely worth the $4 or whatever it is.

Sil

yeah i suspect i’ll want to pick up a few more teas from bayswater once i get my cupboard a little more in control…

OMGsrsly

LOL. I’m hovering at 209. As I drink one tea, I find another that isn’t in my steepster cupboard! NOOO!

Sil

haha i have less teas than you! woot woot! though that will last for like a day.

OMGsrsly

Just wait till my Verdant stuff comes in. ACK!

Sil

um yeah…then you’ll totally be way higher than me hides the receipt for her verdant order, her tea box from terri, her swap with dexter and kaylee and the 2 orders she’s looking at now from omg…

Fjellrev

Her prices are amazing. I have Verdant coming in too. Mine just cleared customs after eight days. Thankfully I’m nowhere near either of you on the tea count haha.

Sil

incendiare. I can change that.

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drank Crème Brulee by Bayswater Tea Co.
2291 tasting notes

This one is pretty good! The smell is absolutely divine. All sugary and almost latte like. Steeped for 3 minutes using their directions, it’s not quite what I was hoping for. I think that if I use a little extra leaf in my giant mug, it will be perfect. It’s fairly sweet on its own, with a bit of a coffee scent. With a little cream, the delicious sugary dessert flavour comes out a bit more. I’ll probably add some sugar as well, just because I’m craving sweet delicious comforting tastes right now.

It’s leaning a tiny bit towards astringent, so definitely check your water temperature. I let it cool for about 3 minutes while I complained on Facebook that I couldn’t decide what tea to try. :)

I’m not sure I’ll get more of this one right away (Divine Temptation smells GLORIOUS, and might be a little more “me” for flavour), but for a really reasonable flavoured black tea, this is pretty good!

Hope everyone else at the swap and meet-up today likes this one as well. :)

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec
TeaLady441

I love that we ALL bought Divine Temptation. :P It had better be awesome.

OMGsrsly

Fingers crossed! Who will be the first to try it and report back? :)

Sil

It’s kind of like that one time YOU ALL BOUGHT 8 OUNCES of read my lips…

TeaLady441

Hahahahah. I think we have 28 oz combined. :P I gave some of it to OMGsrsly in exchange for some of her Forever Nuts

OMGsrsly

That’s really 7 heaping perfect spoons of forever nuts, too. Why did I buy that much again? Oh right. It was on sale. (Save me from the tea sales!)

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90

This is one of the most amazing teas I have ever tasted. I picked this one up out of curiosity and was completely surprised – it is not at all what you expect. The smell is sweet and floral and almost too strong; but after steeping the tea is simply phenomenal. Delightfully floral, a tad fruity, with just a little heat from the chili. The rooibos base is sweet and marries the all the flavors together with perfection. Simply wonderful! I would drink it at any time of day.

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