/ck/ - Food & Cooking

>>17555677
>Vahdam
The tea itself has incredibly malty smells once brewed, very few of the bergamot notes I wish it would hit. Drinking it is a different story, I can not notice the flavor of the black tea in the slightest, instead I immediately get hit with this strong zesty bitterness. It actually lingers for well over 30 seconds in the mouth after taking a drink. When sipping, I get a strong smell of the zesty notes, however it still smells a bit…perfumey. Oddly enough it still smells like a lemon lollipop in a subtle way, and I can taste that flavor in the tea itself. This lacks a lot of the complexity I wish it had and am rather disappointed as I like Earl Grey. The tea’s liquor is also quite thin which is a tad bit surprising.

>Upton
Let me begin by noting in an effort to taste both teas purely, I had prepared a palate cleanser. However the Vahdam had such a strong lingering I also had to gargle brine and drink a few cups of water to remove the flavor from my mouth. Anyhow, the Upton tea is immediately a nice scent, a subtle yet distinct citrus scent that is complimented by a natural malt of a black tea, I immediately notice how much better and more complex the tea smells yet again. Drinking the tea, I actually can taste the malt of the tea for a second before hit with the flavor of bergamot, which starts weak but quickly grows strong then has the bitter zestiness (though not as bitter as Vahdam’s) you expect, before lingering in the mouth for some time, and I somewhat notice a vague chocolate note after some time. It simply tastes like an Earl Grey should. The liquor of the tea is also thicker, not as thick as one would expect from pu’erh but certainly a perceivable thickness. While writing this, I have noticed I have drank the entire cup, taking longer sips and genuinely just enjoy it more than Vahdam. I also notice it has very little “dust” at the bottom of the cup, while Vahdam I can see a bit more tea dust in the liquor.