TP40: Rose Congou

Big thank you to SimplyJenW for this sample!! it’s quite yummy!
Hot, the “red” tea aspect is very strong here with a background floral-honey note. It’s almost bitter but I may be mistaking that for depth.
As it cools, the honeysuckle rose comes out more, padded by a nice chocolate background and a pleasant cocoa aftertaste. however in the middle of the swallow there is a brief bitter moment that catches me by surprise each time. I don’t mind it at all though. It’s a nice contrast to the rest of the tea.
Ahhh, now this is a complex tea! just how I love’em :)

Compared to my Rose Congou from Tea Emporium, this is a bit smoother and more intense, and rounder. Overall, they are both great teas… just in different ways.
If I had to choose one, I think it’d be the Upton variety- if not for the shipping and customs charges that is. and you know me, I don’t really do online orders. Supporting the locals has become my latest thing, so I try to stick by that as much as possible! (nevermind that it’s cheaper!)
Either way, this will always be one of those teas that I come back to. My cupboard may be empty of it at times, but I think it’s still an “essential”… because I love my rose teas that much!!
Thanks again SimplyJenW!!

Thank you SimplyJenW for this tasty tea.

I figured this tea would be fragrant, but WOW-it was even more fragrant than I thought it would be! Amazing aroma of roses. I really like Congou teas, and I think this tea was perfect for the rose flavoring.

The cup color was brownish red, and I could smell the cup from several feet away. When I tasted this tea my first thought was, “Delicious!”, and I could swear I’ve had this tea before. Years ago from another vendor, yet, I couldn’t remember actually having it. I’ve had a few different Congou teas over the years, and I could definitely taste it here. I have some of Upton’s Congou Select, which is naturally sweet, lightly smokey, and has fruity overtones. I’m pretty sure they don’t use that Congou as this tea base, because this tea is not smokey, but I was definitely getting fruity notes here. I think part of that is from the Congou tea, and perhaps more is from the fermentation of the rose petals.

This tea is smooth, naturally sweet, and very aromatic. The base tea is strong enough to be noticed, and the rose petals and aromas make for a very calming cup of tea. IMHO, the rose aromas are not overpowering or cloying in their sweetness. They are strong but not overdone. The Congou and the roses compliment each other nicely! Even after a second cup steeped at 5 minutes, the cup is well balanced, smooth and sweet. The Congou was deeper in flavor and not bitter at all.

A really great Springtime tea-sweet and delicious! Nothing says Spring like roses, especially when they’re in my cup! :))

Cupped: Wednesday, March 21, 2012.

Reviewed: Thursday, March 22, 2012.

Awhile ago, the gracious Ashmanra gave me a lovely Twinings Rose blend tea.
I adored it.
So, I ordered this tea.
The first time I tried it I was both surprised and slightly disappointed.
I am assuming that the Twinings tea has some added flavoring.
This tea does not.
Which results in it not having that high rose perfume-y odor and taste.
(which tasted like drinking a rose garden on a summer afternoon)
This tea is different.
Its lightly floral with a hint of spice.
It is certainly good quality black tea, with a bit brightness.
For some reason this tea makes me think of the Dowager Countess.
I am not sure why, her name is Violet after all, not Rose.
But, the character of this tea really reminds me of her.
Always ladylike, bright, and a bit of spice and like the grand lady herself…I was not sure if I liked it at first, but it grew on me.
I think I would still like to find a more floral (perfume-y?) rose tea.
But, I will enjoy this while I have it.

I must thank LORI for sending me this delightful tea. Rose is an aroma and a flavor that I really enjoy when it is executed properly and does not seem synthetic. Upton Tea Imports, always reliable, always steady, always dependable, does a fantastic job with this blend.

If you like rose teas, I am confident that you will like this one. The aroma and taste are strong and steady and a tiny bit spicy, but the sweetness is never overbearing or cloying. I will order a full size next time I place an order with Uptons. It’s a great afternoon tea.

This tea came to me courtesy of JacquelineM! Thank you!

I had this today in a side by side tasting with Harney’s Rose Scented. The results were unexpected for me as I thought I would prefer one over the other. I didn’t anticipate the bases of these teas being so different.

First, the rose scent and flavor is lighter in this one, though it isn’t overly heavy in the Harney offering. The tea base is a bit stronger, and I think that made this one take milk and sugar better than the Harney one, which I liked best plain. I expect that the Tuesday tea party attendees, who always add both milk and sugar to their tea, will like this one best, and the Wednesday guest who never ever adds sugar and only very rarely milk will like the Harney one best! As the Upton cup cools I can taste the rose a little more and it seems to get sweeter. Very good tea!

Yummy. The rose scent was gently present as I poured the cup of tea. I made a fairly light pot, only steeping for three minutes, but it was enough. The flavor is balanced, with just enough rose. Its a keeper.

So among the tea orders that I made during my self-imposed 52teas hiatus, was a small order from Upton Teas. I grabbed a big thing of my favorite Earl Grey (from a batch of samples that I ordered….holy shit almost a year ago), which is the Earl Grey Blue Flower, and a couple of samples of stuff that had caught my attention when others had reviewed it, including this. I generally like rose flavored stuff and thought I would like a rose flavored tea to sip when I am feeling hoity toity.

I realize now, of course, that the rose-flavored tea void in my life was meant to be filled by Teas, etc.‘s Rosy Earl Grey. It was definitely not meant to be filled by this tea, although anyone reading this should definitely bear in mind that my reasons for not being too enamored with the tea could easily be someone else’s reasons for liking it. In other words, this isn’t a bad tea, it’s just not a tea that I personally need/want and that has everything to do with my preferences and nothing to do with the tea.

Basically, everything about this tea is subtle. Inasmuch as anything rose flavored can be subtle, so, you definitely know the rose is there but it’s not as obnoxiously fragrant as a rose tea can be. The black tea base is similarly light and blends really well with the rose flavoring, creating a lovely light flavor that is easy to drink absentmindedly. This is not a tea that demands attention; it is content to sit and wait for you to drink it at your leisure. Which is, of course, why I am not overfond of it. I don’t really do subtle (although there is a line of inyourfaceness that I don’t want my teas to cross), and I drink far too much black tea as it is so if I’m gonna be drinking something unassuming and easy to overlook, I may as well give my body a break from the caffeine and just have some water. Not everyone’s philosophy, I am well aware! But that’s how I look at it, which is why I put this firmly in ‘eh’ territory.

On the plus side, this tea is well nigh impossible to oversteep.

Very light rose flavor but not overwhelming…it even had a subtle vanilla flavor. I would definitely recommend this tea

I love rose anything and this is a fantastic rose tea. It’s flavoured nicely and it’s so well-rounded. Stands a resteep really well without losing any of its flavour and punch – I think that comes from the quality base. I’m astonished at the price, what a steal! Thank you Jackie for this sample, I’ll definitely purchase some more to keep in my stash. I prefer this after lunch but I’ve had a mug in the morning and it sets the tone for the day. Lovely stuff.

1/25/14 Morning pot to fend of a chilly busy day. 3g/6oz/212F/5min. Fantastic aroma of roses both from the dry leaf and only slightly subdued in the brew. Drinking this first thing in the morning is giving it short shrift. Slightly sweetened with sugar, the rose flavors are present, but faded. More ‘old sachet’ then ‘blooming in June’. This would be largely the fault of the age of the tea – this was packed for me in ‘10. It’s been stored well sealed in my dark cool cupboard. The age detectable, but in a pleasant way. A summer afternoon in the attic above the rose garden kind of way.