Tag: Black Tea

Broken Leaf by Teazorean
Black Tea / Straight
$14.83 for 32g

Teazorean has provided me with Broken Leaf for the purposes of providing an honest review.

First Impressions

I mentioned some information of Teazorean’s conservation efforts in my last Teazorean (Orange Pekoe). The loose dry leaf came to me in a cute little tin, kind of the perfect size to tote extra tea in your bag around.  The dry leaf has a mixture of dark brown and reddish brown leaves, and there were some small sticks that I noticed in there as well. The sampler tin holds 10g of tea, I used approximately 3g for my small teapot.

Broken Leaf is a straight black tea. The smell that comes from the black tea leaves was a malty aroma, that reminds me a bit of Assam tea, and there’s some peachy-apricot aromas coming from the tea leaves as well.

Preparation

Teazorean recommends steeping Broken Leaf in 205°F (96°C) for 5 minutes.

First Taste

Broken Leaf steeps to a lovely light golden orange, it’s more pale that I expected for a black tea when I steeped it according to the length of time suggested by Teazorean. On first taste, the first thing that I noticed was the honey sweetness in this tea. Despite the aroma of the dry leaf having a maltiness to it, I noticed that there was quite the minimal malty flavour to it, and there was an apricot finish to each sip.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Broken Leaf two additional times. I found that the first resteep was slightly weaker than the inital steep – there was more apricot flavour that came out in the tea. The second resteep was weaker still, and not as enjoyable as the initial and first resteep. I would say that Broken Leaf is a good choice for one more steep.

My Overall Impression

I liked Teazorean’s Broken Leaf. I found the aroma of the dry leaf and the taste of the steeped tea to be enjoyable. The honeyed sweetness and the apricot flavours are delicious, and I think it’d be a great alternative to the traditional Earl Grey for an afternoon tea because it has a different flavour profile, but still has the robust flavours of a strong black tea.

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Orange Pekoe by Teazorean
Black Tea / Straight
$15.83 for 32g

Teazorean has provided me with Orange Pekoe for the purposes of providing an honest review.

First Impressions

When Teazorean got in contact with me about trying out their teas, I was intrigued. Teazorean describes themselves as a “socially conscious” tea company, where 5% of net proceeds of their products goes towards Whale and Dolphin Conservation. Also to set them apart is the fact that their tea originates from a tea farm in Europe (the only commercial tea farm in Europe!), and can be found in part of the Azores Islands in Portugal – which is a series of volcanic islands.

Orange Pekoe came to me in a sampler-sized tin with 10g of the classic straight black tea. The tea leaves themselves vary in size, with beautiful golden orange tips at the end of some of the leaves. The aroma from the leaves is quite subtle, but there’s a sweet mixture of floral and a robustness that reminds me of Assam.

Preparation

Teazorean recommends steeping Orange Pekoe at 205°F (96°C) for 5 minutes. I followed the recommended steeping instructions for my initial steep of Orange Pekoe.

First Taste

Orange Pekoe steeps to a beautiful golden orange, with a very subtle aroma that wafts up from the tea. I smell a touch of honeyed floral sweetness in this black tea. On first sip, I taste a slight sweetness, floral, with a touch of astringency. I found the flavour to be complex and inviting, while being fairly similar to the orange pekoe teas that I’ve enjoyed in the past. I found the Assam-like qualities to this tea to add a bit of oomph behind this tea, and reminds me of the strength of a classic breakfast tea.

I added a touch of honey and cream to my cup of Orange Pekoe to make it reminiscent of the milk tea of my childhood. I found that the honey helped boost the floral flavours, while the cream helped to tone down the astringency of the tea.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped the Orange Pekoe leaves a few times and managed to resteep them an extra three times. I found that the flavour of the tea stayed true to itself for the first two resteeps, while becoming considerably weaker by the third. I would say that Orange Pekoe would be good for an additional two resteeps.

My Overall Impression

I loved Teazorean’s Orange Pekoe. The natural sweet, floral aroma and flavour to this volcanic island black tea is such a delight to the senses. I’m not terribly fond of the mild astringency that I found, but when I added the sweetener and cream (like I often do with some black teas), the astringency disappears. The robustness of this tea reminds me of breakfast teas, so this could do for a good coffee replacement if you’re looking to switch from coffee to tea. It takes sweeteners and cream/milk very well, so it’d also do well as a latte as well if you’re into tea lattes.

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