Duke Cardiff's Blend

Still working my way through the Simpson and Vail order I received yesterday. This tea smells very fruity in the tin and has purple flowers in it. :)

This was steeped for around 3 minutes and soymilk was added, but I think it would be very good plain as well. This tea is hefty enough for morning but would also be good as an afternoon tea. The currant flavor is light and not too sickening like some currant teas can be. The description says China and India teas but I’m not sure I could place which ones – perhaps a yunnan and an assam? In any case I definitely like this blend and am happy I got a tin of this. It will be a great everyday drinker.

Amy Oh and Nicole had me curious about this one so I got it! Glad I did! It’s way different than I was expecting but that is what I like most about it. The various black teas used in the base make up a flavor of its own and it does have notes of grape and/or currant as others as well as the product description noted. There is a bit of smoke but more notably the peppery black tea popping thru. And there are fruity/floral notes, too! This is very different but quite good, indeed!

Very noticeable grape scent from the steeped tea. Seems lightly sweet though there is no sweetener in the blend and I added none. I know that true currants do not come from grapes but the grape smell and taste is so distinct as to make me wonder if dried currants were used in this blend because I think most dried currants do come from grapes – Black Corinth grapes.

A very enjoyable blend. I may have to keep this one on hand.

Hi friends! Sorry I haven’t been writing any notes the past couple of weeks, I’ve been dealing with a minor wrist injury and obviously typing is not an ideal activity for recovery ha ha. I’m still here and reading! Just not writing much.

Anyway, I placed an order from S&V, mostly because there were some teas I wanted for my DIY swap advent. So I picked up some holiday teas and green rooibos blends I liked from last year’s advent, and a few other bits and bobs, including this. This is actually the same tea as their Charles Dickens literary blend, but available in smaller sizes (for some reason literary and National Parks teas are only available in 4 ounces). I remembered really enjoying it in the advent, so got a 1 ounce bag to try.

It’s delightful. Perfect balance of flavorful yet smooth black tea with an interesting mineral note from the rolled oolong, and just the right amount of blackcurrant. Just such a nice combination for an everyday tea. I’ll definitely be putting the full-size tin of Charles Dickens on my list for next time!

The background story on Simpson & Vail’s website about George the customer, and the inspiration for this tea, was heartwarming. As usual, Simpson and Vail has a good hand with blending their teas and for a good price. It’s a nice brisk breakfast or afternoon blend with black tea and oolong. There is a touch of fruit in there but I didn’t pick it up really. It mainly comes across to me as a straight out tea blend but a good one.

Thank you so much for this one, Tamarindel! I thought this blend wouldn’t be for me since I’m not a black currant fan but why are S&V teas always so GOOD?!?! If there is a successful black currant flavor, this is one of them. And the pairing with the black tea is wonderful. I wish I knew what types of black tea were used (description says China and India black)… especially once in a while in the scoop there is a tea that looks rolled up like gunpowder green or a really dark oolong. I don’t think the flavor is deep enough for that tea to be a black pearl, but this should be black tea so I’m not sure. The brew is a deep red. The base itself is fruity with hints of floral and whatever it tastes like is perfect with the black currant. A medium level strength brew. If I stocked up on a black currant tea, this would be it!
Steep #1 // 1 teaspoon for a full mug// 10 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep

This blend has a pleasant fruity flavor, a bit sweet, but doesn’t pack quite the punch I was expecting. I guess I just assumed it was a breakfast tea, but it’s really more of a light afternoon tea. I get a lot of grape from this, though the label says currant. I guess the flavors are sort of close.

One thing I’m picking up from all these Simpson & Vail teas is this after-effect, more a sensation than a flavor, that I usually associate with decaf tea. It’s hard to put my finger on, kind of a drying of the mouth. I know that’s usually associated with astringency, but none of these teas taste astringent, so I don’t even know what to call it. It’s weird though, because the bases in these teas aren’t even the same, so I don’t know why they would all share this trait.