Sunday, January 25, 2009

The Simple Leaf’s Black Frost Review

Type: Black
Origin: Chamraj Estate in Nilgiris, India
Price: $4.95 for 1oz; $13.95 for 4oz.
Vendor: The Simple Leaf
Brewing Method: 1 teaspoon of leaves (2.5 – 3.0 grams), 1 cup of filtered water, heated to 190°F-208°F, steeped for 4-5 minutes.
Overall Score: 4.4 out of 5

Black Frost is a black tea from India. The leaves are small rolled bits. However, I say “small” compared to the other teas from The Simple Leaf – the leaves are far from being just dust. The aroma of the dry leaves is very hearty and bold. I smell a lot of earthy tones, as well.

The aroma of the tea is smoky and woodsy. Not as smoky as an Assam tea, though. The color of the liquor is a deep orange.







This tea has such a smooth taste to it. There was no sharp kick (that I was expecting with a black tea) when it first hit my tongue. It was almost like it glided all the way down. The overall taste is earthy with a little smokiness. I didn’t find this brew bitter, but my mouth was left a little dry afterwards.

I would say this is a nice hearty, full bodied tea, but mellower than an Irish Breakfast type of tea – meaning that it is not too harsh. I am sure it would stand up nicely to milk or sugar.

4 comments:

Steph said...

Love the candles and the little fishies!

Jason Walker said...

Brittiny- did you notice the greeness in the opened wet leaves? I too noticed the full body, and smoky aroma, but was hoping for more apricot and fruit notes characteristic of blacks.

Jason
walkerteareview.com
http://walkerteareview.com/?p=109

Brittiny said...

Steph - Thanks so much!! :)

Brittiny said...

Jason - After watching your review, I do remember noticing that the steeped leaves were lighter in color than "normal" black tea leaves. I should have noted this in the review.

My review of this tea was pretty short because all I could think to say was that the tea had a smoky flavor and aroma to it - I couldn't really find anymore notable characteristics.