Upton Tea Imports

It must get dull to see me drink chai agni night after night. It really feels like the perfect evening quaff to me, though. It is warming, sweet, dark, and homey.

Remember when I said that the Chai Agni was a bit disappointing since it didn’t have enough heat and spice? Well that was apparently due to the sample. Perhaps it didn’t come with enough chilis. I ordered a full sized tin of it and the chilis are warming the cup quite nicely. It is a wonderful chai that balances the various spices perfectly. I can see that this will become one of my favorites.

I’m pouting over something cruel someone said to my beloved. Chai Agni is helping me sulk in comfort. It is a very warming tea.

It’s a nice, warming chai and it goes well with the Vegetables and Seitan in Indian Tamarind Curry Sauce we’re having tonight.

I must admit I’m disappointed. I expected more flavor and a sharp bite from the peppers. Perhaps I need to steep it longer. Don’t get me wrong, I like it and I need a good decaf for evenings. I will probably order more of it, but it could be so much more. I will have to try a longer, more intense steep next time.

Welcome back to my cup, sweet Bohea. We’ve been too long apart. I’d forgotten your raisin sweetness, your handsome golden tipped leaves and your pretty copper liquor. Let’s just sit here for a while and get re-acquainted.

This is one of my very favorite teas and this morning it didn’t disappoint. I love its rich cocoa flavor, its refusal to turn bitter, its willingness to comfort as it energizes me in the morning.

My beloved and I are both tired and achy this morning (hopefully we didn’t catch something in Chicago) so I had this nice mellow black tea to wake me gently and persuade me to get on with the day.

I love this tea. I drank a few cups today and was pleased to note that the second steeping was also quite nice. The leaves are also pretty both wet and dry.

It is my second experience with this tea and I’m struck by how ordinary the dry leaves smell and even the brewed tea smells ordinary. But then I taste it and it is out of this world. I brewed it stronger this morning and that gave it a little bite to go with the buttery smoothness. Mmmm.

What an incredible tea! As advertised, it has a lovely buttery flavor and no bitterness. There is a flowery note that is very similar to a Darjeeling. It claims to have smoky nuances and I can smell that in the dry leaves (which are truly beautiful with the little golden swirls) but it disappears once the tea is brewed.

This is going on my have to have list. It is one of those, “I didn’t know tea could taste like that!” teas

Second Steeping: It is still good (though weaker) in the second steeping and still no bitterness even though I had to steep it longer. It takes on a slight caramel taste in the second steeping.

I felt a keen need for a cocoa-infused chai this morning and this is a glorious one. It is sweet, spicy, and dark with a strong taste of chocolate.

I’m tired and achy so this tea is perfect comfort tea.

Another soothing cup of my favorite chai blend. It looks like I will soon be out of it. I’ve learned that when I experience a pang of fear at the thought of running out of a particular tea, that means the tea is one of my favorites.

I know. Today was supposed to be Oolong Day. I was supposed to sit and experiment with steep times and temperatures of the various oolong teas. It was supposed to be a sophisticated, elegant day. I’d even though of planning our trip to the Art Institute of Chicago as I sipped.

What happened? We decided that today would be a good day for a hike and geocaching adventure through a swamp. That’s what happened. My beloved said, “Don’t worry. It’s been cold enough to kill off the mosquitos. Besides, it’s mid-October there won’t be any mosquitos.”

No mosquitos, hah! I am covered from head to toe in little itchy bites. I don’t want to appreciate my tea while reviewing artistic possibilities. I want my tea to appreciate and love me. If it could kiss my mosquito bites and make them better, that would be ideal.

It is worth it. It smells warm, creamy, spicy, and sweet. It smells like it wants my mosquito bites kissed. Made this way the cardamon comes into its own with a sweet fruity smell. The cinnamon makes it taste like a cookie, the perfect emotional salve. And the taste? Divine! Each layer of cocoa, cardamon, tea, and cinnamon takes over my palate briefly revealing depths within and then retreats for the next flavor star.

I’m drinking the last of my Mélange de Chamonix. Fortunately I’ve ordered more. I really love the cocoa/tea taste and the delightful smell of cardamon and cinnamon.

I didn’t sleep much last night so I’m hoping that Mélange de Chamonix will awaken me and sooth my distressed mind. I am almost out of the sample I received from Upton Tea Imports and the tightness in my chest when I contemplate living without this lovely tea tells me that I must order a full sized canister very soon. No more dilly dallying!

A very nice blend of spices, cocoa, and tea. I drank it with Silk creamer, which married to its flavors to quite well. This tea has a stronger cocoa taste than I expected, though it does not taste of chocolate. It is full-bodied, but without the sly, sweet, creaminess of chocolate.

The first few sips feature the cardamon and cinnamon most prominently. In subsequent sips the cocoa begins to come into its own and it dominates the taste, though it is a benevolent tyrant that allows the other flavors to add their notes as well.

The tea is black with a whisper of floweriness in the notes that comprise it. But it has a hard time getting a word in edgewise compared to the cocoa.

Since I love cocoa, spices, and tea, I love this one. I will be buying a canister of it very soon.

This is a nice, sharp Ceylon black tea with a strong scent of caramel. It is sweet in the cup, almost like candy. I drink my black teas with Silk Creamer and this one complements the Silk extremely well.

Like all Ceylon blacks I’ve had, it has a bit of tannin to the tongue, but it is not objectionable. That dryness is a welcome addition to the sweet. I can’t see drinking this over and over. I think it would become cloying in time but it would be particularly good when craving sweets in the afternoon.

Probably the most robust tea I have had the pleasure of drinking. You want strong and flavorful ? You’ve got it with this one.

Shorter seeping time to gain more of the citrus notes.

Assam is one of those teas that you can drink anytime. It always gives a smooth finish. Very enjoyable

I like this tea especially on a chilly, “ugly,” overcast or rainy afternoon. It is a nice, strong, tea to sip in front of a fire. The “Sunday” blend with vanilla is also quite nice.

It actually took me a few tries before I was sure that I did like the tea. It is best prepared when you want something light; it is not, therefore, a good tea for breakfast or with a heavy-with-flavor meal.