Steven Smith Teamaker

Having this tea again today. It’s kind of a busy day for me, it’s our thanksgiving in my household (Hubby works every Thanksgiving, so, we postpone ours until a more convenient time), so I’ve been busy preparing the bird and trimmings.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2012/12/09/no-25-morning-light-from-steven-smith-teamaker/

Enjoying another cup of this today … I was about to say “this morning” because I did just wake up an hour or so ago, but, yeah, it’s not morning anymore. ha!

Anyway, this is just as delicious the first time I enjoyed it. I love the combination of teas in this blend as well as the touch of Douglas Fir. It’s so lovely!

As I mentioned in my previous note, I visited Steven Smith Teamaker in Portland today … my husband was surprisingly affable earlier this week when I asked him if he would take me to Portland to visit not one but TWO tea shops. He usually grumbles (loudly) when I make such a request, and these grumbles are usually followed by comments such as “you have enough tea” or “you don’t need more tea” or “you’re going to spend more money on tea?” … something like that. Basically stating that he isn’t going to take me shopping for more tea.

But, this week, I think he may have had some residual guilt over spending a lot of money on his Christmas gift (an early gift) – a new PS3 because his old one went kaput – so, he was, as I said, surprisingly agreeable to taking me where ever I wanted to go. And I wanted to go to Steven Smith because they had a new holiday blend – this blend – that I had to try!

First of all, this is a bagged (or should I say sacheted?) tea. It wasn’t made available in loose leaf, and if I had any complaint about the blend at all that would be it. But even as a sacheted tea, it’s amazing. I like that it’s a silky sachet and not a paper bag, because … well, I don’t taste the paper bag in the finished product.

This is incredibly yummy. The black tea blend is rich and smooth … even a tad creamy tasting. Nutty, malty, sweet, and comforting. Some astringency, yes. And then you have the touch of Douglas Fir needles … and this adds a hint of refreshing, exhilarating, pine and mint taste. It’s so crisp and wintery, and yes, very Christmas-y.

I love this and am so glad that my hubby took me to get it. He’s a keeper.

Last time I held off rating this one because I didn’t steep it long enough and it was weak. This time I steeped it four minutes, so hopefully that should be good enough!

Yes, now that this has been brewed stronger it is quite delicious. The base is lovely and caramelly and honeyed, sweet almost, with the bright bergamot on top. The bergamot is particulaly bright in this one, but that’s just about all I get from it… brightness. I wish the bergamot was a bit stronger, or at least a bit more well-rounded. Still, this is quite a delicious cup of Earl Grey and I wouldn’t hesitated to buy it again in a pinch.

I was so excited to come home to a box of tea samples from SimplyJenW full of a lot of teas I’ve been wanting to try. Making a decision was so difficult this morning! First I narrowed it down to some sort of Earl Grey, my usual choice for a bleary Monday morning, but that didn’t actually narrow it all that much. I ended up going with this one, which has been on my shopping list almost since I’ve been on here and was looking up well-liked Earls to try.

The only thing that I’m not sure about with this one is the part-Assam base since I’m not the biggest fan of Assams. We shall see! The steeped tea smells pretty nice, with a healthy dose of bright bergamot. Overall the taste is pretty good but a little weak. I always steep an unknown black tea at 3 minutes because I am sensative to bitterness, but it seems like most people steep this one for at least 4 minutes so I will have to try that next time, especially since there isn’t any bitterness in this cup. I do like the base on this one, actually, and the bergamot is of a middling strongness… not super powerful, but not too weak, either. Well, not too week beyond the overall weakness of the cup. I will hold off rating this one until I get another shot at it. Right now it is a pretty tasty Earl but it doesn’t really stand out to me.

A month or so I stopped in at Steven Smith. It’s a really charming little shop that had been pissing me off for months. You see, they’re only open Mon-Fri and I can usually only make it to Portland on a weekend. Ok, that’s out of my system…

The shop is charming and the gentleman working there was really friendly, which I like. He sat me down and had me sample their four RTD teas. I walked out with two bottles of this one and two of the Hibiscus.

This is a really light, floral, fruity concoction that I’d be satisfied to drink all day, every day. It’s made with apple and pear infused water in small batches.It’s naturally a little sweet. It’s also very refreshing.

I recommend a trip into the shop if you can make it on a weekday. I also really highly recommend this tea. It’s extra yummy.

Backlogging a bit…

On one of my all-to-regular Monday visits to Smith HQ, I had the pleasure of trying this. It was my first Darjeeling of the 2012 batch, and – boy – was it different. Where most first flushes taste like spring leaves and spices, this had an added toasty element I didn’t quite expect. With the spicy-grape and leafy underpinning, this was a more-than-pleasant intro to the new Darjeeling crop.

Enjoying the last of this tea from LiberTeas (THANKYOU!) while I make an insane amount of bacon and prepare to put it both in my mouth, and on my tuna melt. We’ll see if any makes it to the tuna melt.

I digress! The perfect blend of spices, and it is spicy! Super peppery kick at the back of the throat, a great way to start the last day of this long weekend! Yummy in my tummy.

Would you look at the time? It’s 10:22 am.. whaat? You know what that means?
I have a job where I can pop on Steepster on my breaks! Yay!
Unfortunately I really only have the resources to drink one tea a work-day – the tea I make and bring in the morning. The reason being I can’t leave the reception desk except at lunch time! But anyways – Steepster access is one good perk about my job.

Oh, and this is one good tea! Wow I’m as bad as Rich Terfry at segues! CBC Radio 2 anyone?

I have to jump on the bandwagon with this tea – it is extremely well balanced. It’s what I expect a chai to be when I order it from a coffee house – not too gingery, or clovey, or cardamom-y or spicy! Phew. I would have loved to simmer this in hot milk instead of adding cold milk to the brew – that always brings out a whole other depth of flavour, but this is very enjoyable this morning with some milk and sugar. I do wish it had a little more kick in the butt this morning, but that’s just me being a tired panda ;)

Humongous thanks to LiberTEAS for giving me this tea in our recent swap! It’s been a great treat to try these offerings from Steven Smith Teamaker! Thank you!!!

If you like classic Ceylons, this should fit the bill.

I hadn’t drank this for a while and decided to have it with breakfast this morning.

I’m still putting this at a 78. I really want it to have more bergamot. It remains inoffensive and not a bad choice for a chilly morning. Still…it really needs more bergamot.

One of the many teas I picked up at Whole Foods in Portland yesterday. This is the sachet version rather than loose.

This is a really inoffensive Earl Grey. The combination of Ceylon and Assam are a nice blend that make this a little more full bodied. The bergamot is extremely light. (I prefer heavy on the bergamot.)

I sweetened this up a bit with some honey and also brewed the sachet a second time. Both times came out about even.

I will continue to drink this as an afternoon tea.

I would add this to my permanent collection if I could.

Thanks to LiberTeas for the sample! I thought it would be a good kick in the butt this morning, but it’s much more than that!

Smooth, not bitter, and sweet! A great whiskey aftertaste – but the sweetness of the whiskey. Great body in this tea. I’m drinking with no additions – it doesn’t need any. Although… I think it would be a great iced tea with a hint of sugar. And a splash of whiskey.

Full-flavoured, nice colour. My wife, being a big Ceylon fan liked it better than I did, though it was pleasant enough. Well rounded, classically astringent and very drinkable.

This was a very refreshing tea. The mrytle was a bit more than was strictly required, but was not so out of balance that it destroyed the tea. In general it was a nice well-rounded cup.

Beautiful high quality oolong. Wonderful peachy flavours and light on the palate

This is for the tea sachets, not loose leaf. I spent the weekend in Rochester NY, and my son had mentioned that he was in Wegmans Pittsford store, and there was a huge tea selection. Anyone who knows Wegmans knows they rock. I was already familiar with the brands they were likely to carry, so jotted down a few things to look for before going. Since Pittsford is their “Super” (mega super duper flagship) Wegmans (they are based in Rochester), this was written on my list, since SimplyJen found it at a store here in Ohio. And they had it !!!! (did I mention Wegmans rocks?). I wasn’t expecting the Harney ones (maybe 8 choices) but none I recognized as ones I wanted to try. I managed to leave the store with only 2 teas (very proud) lol. I did put 3 back, after remembering my cupboards back home. For the record, I’ve never seen Steven Smith or Harney at any of the other Wegmans (from smaller to bigger ones). That one also had a “Tea Bar” serving tea by the cup, with what looked like 20-30 selections. Was there after driving all day from Ohio (not in mood to explore further).

Anyway! This tea! Testing with honey (no coffeemate, which is usual for Earls). Fearing bitter, I only steeped 4 minutes, instead of their instructions for 5. There is no bitterness, and the tea manages to be strong and obvious. I’m not picking up strong bergamot flavoring with only sweetener, and I would prefer it stronger. Halfway through cup, going to add some coffeemate sweet cream …

Since I’m used to drinking my morning Earl Grey with honey and creamer, this is a fairer comparison I think. Now I can taste the bergamot “playing” with the cream and giving it more emphasis. I like, but don’t love. But it might be steeped too long for my tastes (the Assam is booming the most). Will re-try at 3.

Wegmans price for 15 sachets (boxed) was $9.99 … does anyone know how the loose leaf compares?

Earl Grey is my favorite tea. That’s why my family bought me this lovely tea. I had tried it long ago, and couldn’t remember the name. Thank goodness for family giving it to me again! The tea leaves are of a better quality than that of other “Sacheted” teas. The aroma of Bergamot was quite strong as well. However, the brewed tea itself was not very strong, and was actually weak. Aside from this, the tea was well rounded, not very malty, and over all a mild-tasting Earl Grey. I would get this tea again, however, it is not my favorite Earl Grey.

Second tea of the morning…. (SRP #9)

(Loose leaf version) From my foodzie box from LiberTEAS. I still have a ton of samples in that box. At least another 12, and I am sure I have tried close to 10. It has been very fun!

This is definitely Springtime in a cup. It is light, floral, and slightly sweet all on its own. I have to admit that the few things I have tried from this company have been stellar. The jasmine does not overpower the green tea base, and it is just relaxing.

It has been great to get kind of a feel for the quality before diving into a purchase because there are no samples available except for a variety pack of bagged teas, and the shipping is a little steep. I do feel his prices on loose leaf are pretty good, especially for the quality. I know there will be an order to this company in my future. I do have access to a few bagged teas locally, but I am pretty fond of loose leaf, and it just seems like a better value.

Mug method at about 175 for 2 minutes. No additions.

Tea of the afternoon…..

I have been checking out all of the produce markets in my area, and to my surprise, one of them stocks a few Steven Smith teas. Score! I was so hoping this was among their offerings, because I am a sucker for a good Earl. Or, I guess it is a Lord for this blend! It has been on my list because my picks for Earl Grey seem to line up pretty well with what LiberTEAs likes in an Earl, and this was one of her favorites. This is the first I have had with an Assam in the base. I quite like this. I can tell a good amount of effort was put into this blend so that the bergamot does not overpower the base, nor the bergamot get lost in the heartiness of the tea base. Could it be in my favorites? Quite possibly. And I have 14 more sachets to figure it out! I will have to check out the other Steven Smith teas I can get locally. (Mustard Seed Market for those in the area…)

Travel mug method…..boiling water, about 14 oz, one individually wrapped sachet (unwrapped, of course!), 4 minutes. Lightly sweetened. YUM!

I’m finishing off the last that I had of this tea in my stash, it is one that will be missed. One of the nicest Assam teas I’ve had. Lovely, rich, malty … caramel-y. YUMMMM!