Dilmah

the jasmine is flavourful but the green tea part is overly strong; perhaps i should have steeped it less than three minutes. i do love the scent of jasmine that meets my nose as i lift the mug to my lips.

Skype asks, ‘Does Skype power your passion?’ (white text on pink background) and I admit that the only time I can talk forever on the phone is when I’m in love with the person on the other end, because otherwise I get bored.

M was here, and wanted tea instead of alcohol (wait, what just happened and how) so I managed to find this. I picked it up at the grocery store as some kind of emergency tea when I was here for a couple of days in the fall, and mostly tealess. I guess that worked out well, for what could be more of an emergency than me saying, ‘But there is PEACH VODKA,’ and the other person shaking their head in response?

This is simple and reliable – I steeped it at something like 90C for 2 minutes, dropping a few tea bags into the pot, and there was no bitterness or astringency. It’s a very flat jasmine, none of the personality, deep scent, or floral exuberance I tend to prefer. I like over-the-top jasmines, I really do.

What brings the grade down in this case, though, is that it’s a little papery – a little too obviously a bagged tea. I will have no problem finishing the rest of this box up, and I might even get some more to keep around for emergencies, like if Sil shows up like a ninja and sips my other 156 teas down in the night… but it’s not something I’d ever crave.

[Purchased at Luthagens Livs in Uppsala, fall 2013.]

I found this tea at Whole Foods the last time I was in MD visiting the boyfriend. I’m drinking it while he makes me an omelette; I’m a lucky girl! Anyway, I like the ceylon base of this tea a lot and there is a hint of an almond aftertaste but it’s very subtle. Overall, it’s a very pleasant tea, but I much prefer the almond tea I get from Coffee and Tea Ltd.

It’s not a bad tea – Dilmah’s rarely are – but I would not drink it again. It’s regular Assam, but a tad more bitter, and slightly less pleasant. I reckon it’s the kind of tea for people who add milk – I don’t.

The tea is not a bad one. However, I was disappointed in it, mostly because I could barely taste the vanilla. It’s pretty much just blueberry tea – which is not what I wanted – and an average one at that.

My first impression of this tea was that it has a remarkable smell – and not a good one. The taste, however, surprised me, and positively so. It’s nothing too distinctive, it actually makes a rather simple cup, but it’s very pleasant and – my favourite part of it – doesn’t leave an aftertaste. It’s a very good post-meal tea.

A sample from KittyLovesTea. I’m naturally suspicious of peach tea. I’ve tried a few, and almost all of them have been unbearably fake-tasting. The kind of peach a kid’s lipgloss might be flavoured with. The smell of this one dry concerns me. It’s exactly the kind of over sweet, cloying, thick artificial peach that I dislike most. I’ve never had a real peach that tasted anything remotely like this (and other peach teas) smell.

As ever, though, I’m up for giving it a chance. Brewed, it’s not actually so bad. There is quite a thick, artificial peach taste, but the base tea is nice and smooth, and it peeks through in just the right places. I actually added milk to this, based on how dark it brewed up after only a couple of minutes, and I think that’s helped to give it a creaminess that it maybe wouldn’t have had otherwise. The suggestion on the sachet this bag came in was to ice it, and I think it might be very refreshing like that. Unfortunately, this doesn’t have quite the natural, fresh peach taste I was really hoping for, so it’s probably not one I’d seek out again. It’s just a little too far on the wrong side of cloying for my tastes. My search for the perfect peach tea continues.

Dilmah is ethically sourced and amazing, brewing time 3-5 minutes only and mixes well with plant milks. This company has been around for over 4 generations and you can tell because they make the nicest black tea on the market.

A mellow, yet very flavorful tea. When I got my shipment in from Amazon, there were close to a dozen assorted free samples in the box, and I tried a few of those first. I wasn’t that impressed with the ones I tried, except for the afternoon tea, so I was a little bit afraid of what this tea was going to taste like. But my fears were unfounded, because this is a delightful afternoon type tea and will take its place there on my daily schedule.

This is not your average breakfast “blend”….this is straight ceylon. I don’t like teas with high astringency, so I was a bit hesitant is choosing this from my cupboard for my morning cup of caffeinated tea…but once I added my milk and sugar I was smiling! This ceylon has a full bodied brightness to it that stood up to my milk and honey just fine… it’s not a tea for a blustery winter morning, but for a chilly spring morning it would be perfect…robust but bright. Try this and surprise yourself. I did!

This was my third tea sample from Dilmah and it was the best of the three. A light bodied tea with a smooth taste and no lingering aftertaste.

A pleasant cup of English Breakfast. But not as bold or as malty as others I’ve tried.

A very light body with not much depth in the way of flavor. Has a peculiar aftertaste that I’m not caring for.

I am a sucker for almond. Whenever I travel to colder climes, if I see a coffee cart on the street I’m all over an “almond steamer”….which is just basically steamed milk with Torani Almond syrup. How could I go wrong with this tea?

I couldn’t. Opening the foil packaging…well…it was NOM. Amaretto and nice tea. After steeping for 4 minutes (I knew I would be adding milk and honey)there wasn’t much almond smell, but after I added a bit of the above accoutrements, and took my first sip….well….it was NOM!!! If you drink flavored teas on a regular basis, you’ll be able to tell that there is a NICE tea backing the almond flavor. It’s not the usual garbage that they used for flavored tea. The ceylon is lighter and brighter than the tea used in most. It lets the almond flavor float a little lighter on your tongue….like a flaky pastry…..NOM. I’ve already ordered two more tins from Amazon. I’ll be keeping this in my pantry as a gorgeous alternative for tea and toast!

I was gifted with this tea, so it wouldn’t normally be something I would purchase. I am not currently a “fancy” tea drinker (but working on it!)….my tea of choice is usually a breakfast blend, which is quite sad to diehard tea drinkers, so this was my first time trying to experience a true ceylon. In the tin (a really niiiiiice tin, by the way!) I could certainly smell the mandarin….not fakey mandarin, but bright and a bit tart. It complimented the smell of the tea well. After leaving the tea to agonize for 2.5 minutes, I smelled the cup….where did the juicy mandarin go? I couldn’t smell it as much as when it was in the tin, but it was there. Once I added the touch of milk, there was just the faintest hint of mandarin. This tea is smooth. Very smooth and lighter than what I’m used to drinking. I got a bit of a bitter taste, but I am hypersensitive to even the smallest amount of bitter in tea (which can sometimes just be the tannins, I’m guessing!) and that’s why I add milk and usually some honey. Perhaps on next tasting I will try adding some honey to this tea, but I couldn’t to this cup, as my husband grabbed it, drank it and LOVED it. He said the difference was similar to two buck chuck at Trader Joes and a nicer wine. There was a smooth depth to this tea that made for easy and enjoyable drinking, even though he really couldn’t find the mandarin note either. Husband also said he won’t have any trouble finishing the tin off.

Not quite as strong as i would like it, unfortunately. Still decent though, and doesn’t really oversteep so I can leave it in the cup/thermos.

Dry Tea Bags：First Touch Vanilla, But It Disappear quickly.
After Steel：Vanilla Aroma again,
First Taste Just be Normal Ceylon,
Then Vanilla appear.

Friendly reminder：
Don’t add Honey because it will take over the vanilla Taste.

It’s not terribly complex, but absolutely lovely nonetheless. Both flavors are well balanced. The dry leaf smells very sweet, but it mellows out once steeped.

Dry Tea Bags：Chinese Dessert – “Almond Milk”
After Steep：Little Bit Almond But Easily to get color-ed.
Drink Temp：65’c
The Black Tea Taste So Mild, Lighter than any flavor of Dilmah.
Good Match for almond taste, Well-Balance.

I believe I have ToiToi to thank for this sample, but I haven’t seen her on Steepster for a while…

This was also a very nice tea. I’m not a huge fan of most Celon teas, but I of course had to find that out by trying a whole bunch. ;-) This one is very smooth and easy to drink.

The aroma has a sickeningly sweet, synthetic sort of smell, and the taste follows suit.

If you’ve ever had strawberry/raspberry scented children’s toys, then imagine that smell. Try to picture what it would taste like. Drinking this tea reminded me of those children’s toys, but not in a good way. It wasn’t nostalgic. It was like I was eating toys from my childhood. The raspberry flavoring smells and tastes too artificial.