Townshend's Tea Company

Wooow yuuumm. Thanks Erin for this deliciousness.

Of course, I am an Earl Grey fan, but this creme- earl grey is quite unique. The dry smell reminded me a lot of chocolate, and the creme taste in the brewed tea was like brown butter.. sweet and dark and caramel along with my good ol Earl. Good times.

One of my Portland tea purchases, this is the first one I’ve tried now that I’m home.

Townshend’s Tea Company describes this tea as having a smokey, earthy taste. When a tea is described as smokey, I think of Lapsang Souchong. This in no way resembled a Lapsong Souchong. I tasted nothing smokey about it…

And that’s probably a good thing. As someone who doesn’t seek out smokey flavored teas, I find this (non-smokey) tea very drinkable. It’s hard to describe: it tastes like other teas I’ve had in nice Chinese restaurants. It’s subtle. It goes really well with food. It’s delicious!

Yum! The vanilla is very strong all around—before and after brewing. It smells a lot like a really plump vanilla bean. The black tea is a perfect match for the vanilla flavor. The description says that the black tea is from Sri Lanka, so I assume it’s a Ceylon. I’m used to Assam black teas, and I enjoyed this one thoroughly with a sprinkle of sugar and a dash of milk. It was even tasty on the second brew. I’m looking forward to trying it iced.

Wow. This really stays on the back of my tongue. Slightly citrus, with a creamy finish. It’s a beautiful thing to wake up to!

Brewed this with hot milk and water, steeped a bit longer than the recommended time.

Another gift from my lovely Secret Santa LiberTEAS! Thanks again. You spoiled me. :)

Imagine you’ve gone skiing for the day. The air is crisp and cold, the snow falls all around you, and by the end of your skiing escapade, you feel like you’ve living in a snow globe, but are completely delighted by winter. You retire to your ski lodge, take off all your wet gear, and get ready to curl up on the sofa in your Irish wool sweater. But, before you do, you start a nice warm, roaring fire in the lodge’s old fireplace to warm yourself and get the feeling back in your cheeks.

This is what this tea tastes like. The smokeiness is lovely and rich, it isn’t stale and ‘ash’-like which is my problem with so many smoky teas. The spices and other flavours in the tea round it out to create a very unique flavour that warms your senses as well as your insides.

Hm, I really enjoyed this one, it’s a lot more subtle than I was expecting, however. Some peach and apricot teas can be almost cloying in the application of fruitiness, but this was perfect for a morning that began too early.

As with many teas, I added a bit of extra tea and time to the process, as I like a strong cup. Taken with a bit of Truvia and skim milk.

I’m beginning to think Townshend’s really can’t do wrong. I’d like to drink more Foxfire teas, but they’re clear across town and I am a lazy sipper.

I went out shopping today looking for something smokey. I keep reading great reviews of smokey teas, and I’ve been enjoying Brioche, which has a slightly burnt flavour. I found a tin of Alberta Street Chai, and a tin of Lapsang Souchong, also by Townshend’s Tea Company.

I used to drink Lapsong Souchong as a child, but that was in England, and maybe we have a more domesticated version there, maybe smokey like an indoor log fire, cozy and safe. I definitely don’t remember it being like these teas!

This Lapsang Souchong is described as “having an aroma and flavor that brings to mind a campfire.” It really does smell of the American outdoors, and this isn’t RV camping, it’s hunters, woodsmen, maybe cowboys. I think this campfire turned into a raging forest fire though. I smell devastation! I haven’t dared taste it yet.

The Alberta Street Chai doesn’t taste like a traditional chai. It tastes like this Lapsang Souchong smells. A fire in the woodshed at the very least. I added some cream and it’s delicious! I’m about to make a second pot.

I may have to have a fireman on standby before I try the other.

This is quite tart and hibiscus like…I’m thankful for the licorice for knocking that level of Hibiscus down to size a little bit. I think this would be better iced – I am currently sipping hot, tho. Not my favorite but it could certainly be worse.

Holy teagasm! This is an amazing tea and bound to make any day feel better. Tastes like Earl Grey mixed with marshmallow and cream, in the best way possible. I used 1.5 tsp as per instructions and a splash of nonfat milk. Stellar.

This was really lovely. The strawberry and lemon are present, but subtle. If it weren’t caffeinated I could drink this all night long.

I’m not a big fan of green tea, usually I say it tastes like lawn clippings. This one was an accidental purchase, but turned out to be really lovely. It’s very mild and while the strawberry scent is intense, the flavor is mellow.

Had it with one Truvia and a dash of nonfat milk.

I bought this tea on a whim, not really expecting to love it and was very pleasantly surprised. It smells beautiful and is highly flavorful, although I think a 5-minute steep would have enhanced the flavors.

It literally forced a grin onto my face that hasn’t left yet this morning.

My favorite black tea by far. Big fan of lychee.

I gave this a try recently, and thought it was fantastic. A great oolong, a bit pricey, but worth it. It smells very green, and grassy, but also floral, like orchids. Really liked the smell; it’s probably one of my favorite teas now.

My to-go cuppa, and sadly, very likely my last caffeine of the day…

Second steep yields a Lapsang Souchong with not much spicy-sweetness at all, and the smokiness being watered-down (even with brewing an additional 2 minutes). It’s definitely a one-steeper. Not a bad thing, just means that I’ll be making an order with Townshend’s much sooner than I thought.

I admit to a certain…skiddishness when it comes to chais. Until recently (cough…Frank…cough), I really hadn’t tried any that, honestly, hadn’t made me want to wash my mouth out after the first sip. I also only recently fell in love with Lapsang Souchong. So when LiberTEAS logged this, and I read the description, I was immediately intrigued. She kindly sent me a sample (thank you so much).

It’s smoky, and sweet-spicy, and delicious. Along with the Lapsang Souchong, I can taste the mate, a hint of the rooibos, and the nutmeg and cloves. Vanilla is there, too, and smooths everything together without being really obvious about it. There’s no real heat to this chai (yay!).

Thank you so much, LiberTEAS, for sending me some of this to try. It’s wonderful, and I’m pretty sure this is my favorite chai blend (though I’ve still not tried yours, yet).

Smooth and less astringent than most Earl Grey teas I’ve had. I think this brew would be enjoyed by any Earl Grey fan.

The leaves look rather pretty with the blue wisps strewn throughout making for an interesting visual. These leaves brew a nice copper liquor.

The aroma is lighter than I expected both dry and brewed. Hints of cream, vanilla and citrus spice are the highlights here.

The cream and bergamot come together for a palate pleasing brew.

This tea’s leaves are perhaps 1/2 inch long at most. The dark forest-green leaves have some lighter tinting in spots that make them very nice to look at. The loose leaf aroma is smooth and deeply vegetal with only slight hints at the bergamot fruit’s citrus.

Once brewed the leaves produce a smooth, even keeled brothy aroma and a clear yellow liquor. With scents of spinach and avacado this lightly vegetal tea smells very promising.

Drinking this brew is a pleasure. The smooth vegetal notes flow over the tongue lightly. It almost reminds me of a light oolong. You catch the oil of bergamot in the finish more than the initial sip. This is a well balanced tea.

This is a really good Earl Grey. Not overly bergamot-y, no perfume-y aftertaste, just delicious bergamot flavor that is sweet yet tart with a hint of sharpness. Lovely!

The black tea base is strong and solid without getting in the way of the bergamot.

Delightful!

OK… my last tasting note for the morning cuz I’m outta here! I made some of this to take with me on my way to my class.

A nice earl grey, not overwhelming in the bergamot department.

It’s really good.

Bye!!!