Black Tea

Japanese Black Tea

By William I. Lengeman III

Japan and black tea - they go together like…well. Ummm. Actually black tea and Japan don’t go together all that well at all, at least not as far as most of us are aware. When we think of Japanese tea most of us think of a variety of green teas

Spotlight On Black Tea

By William I. Lengeman III
For most of us – or at least for most of us this side of Asia – tea and black tea are almost synonymous. Though other types of tea have become more popular in the West in recent times, if someone mentions the word tea, it’s likely to conjure up an [...]

Stash Tea’s Decaf Pumpkin Spice

By Lainie Petersen

Pumpkin Spice flavored teas and coffees are always a big hit this time of year, and Stash’s version brews up hot and spicy. Even better, it’s decaf so it won’t add to your pre-holiday jitters.

Chocolate Teas

By A.C. Cargill

Chocolate and tea — two great tastes drawn irresistibly together through the corridors of time — become even more prevalent during the Winter Holidays. Believe it or not, what seems like such a natural combination now was not always so. “Really?” you ask. “Really,” I say.

Tiger Wing ChocoMint Mate

By Lainie Petersen

Review: So what if it’s in a paper tea bag? This stuff is tasty! Plus, its a chocolate fix in a convenient, virtually calorie-free form. What’s not to love?

Tea Review - Pumpkin Spice Black Tea

By A.C. Cargill
The Subject: Pumpkin Spice Black Tea from The English Tea Store.
Rating:

Water temperature: 212° F
Steeping time: 5 minutes
Tea type: Black
Scents, flavorings added: Rooibos, cinnamon, pumpkin flavor
Aroma, dry tea leaves: Cinnamon, vanilla, apple-ish
Aroma in the cup, plain: Cinnamony
Taste in the cup, plain: Not bitter, cinnamony, roasty, apple-ish, vanilla-ish
Aroma in the cup, enhanced: Cinnamony
Taste in the [...]

Tea Review - Stash English Breakfast & Earl Grey Teas

By Lainie Petersen
Tea Names: English Breakfast, Earl Grey
Brand: Stash
Type: Black Tea
Form: Paper tea bags, individually wrapped
Review: If you are looking for inexpensive, classic teas in a convenient form, Stash’s Earl Grey and English Breakfast teas are likely to be right up your alley. The English Breakfast is a veritable United Nations of teas, using [...]

Understeeping Your Tea Can Be Good

By A.C. Cargill
You can get some surprising results when you understeep your tea. A lot is made of timing your tea, but how critical is it really? Will you get a better taste with a shorter or longer steep? Recently, I got a surprise by pouring my black tea “before its time.”
They say accidents are [...]

Tea Review - Madagascar Vanilla by Golden Moon

By Lainie Petersen

Golden Moon blends the tea with both vanilla extract and pieces of vanilla bean. When I sniffed the dry leaf I was surprised at the subtlety of the vanilla nose: most of the vanilla teas that I’ve tried boast a strong vanilla scent.

Tea Review - Harney & Sons Irish Breakfast Teabags

By Lainie Petersen

Review: I’m not much for tea bags, and even less enthused about paper tea bags and the teas that they contain. While paper tea bag tea isn’t necessarily bad, it is typically one-dimensional. The fine particles of tea may produce a brew that is tasty, but it won’t be terribly complex…

Types of Tea