Tea House

Smell 3/5:  Almost impossible to detect, sweet, enjoyable

Flavor 3/5: Light, bitter, weak

 Colour 4/5: Straw, cloudy

 Deposit: Yes

 Infused: 5 min

 Caffeine-free: No

Tea type: Bags

Manufacturer's advice: Put one bag per a cup, pour over 200ml 75°C water and let it infuse 2 - minutes

Storage: Keep it in a dry place where humidity does not exceed 70%.

 Price 1/5: £2.03/20 (£0.10 per bag)

Price in Euros: €2.35

Weight: 30g

Bags 5/5: Excellence in packaging using a special foil sachets. Sachets by themselves are adorable, made from foil with a beautiful image of Jasmine flowers and leaves on a black background. On the to is written in back on a green background Green Jasmine, but on the bottom in black on golden background – China Green Jasmine.

Package 4/5: It is in golden colour with Jasmin flowers and green leaves on it and a nice tea brand logo on the top of the box. The tea name is written in white colour.

Purchased: Maxima/Talsi

Manufacturer: SIA Bargi/Latvia

Additional notes: Origin – China. Each tea leaf is plucked by a hand and produced originally without chemicals.

 Acknowledgement: Thanks to my mother (Ritma Bierande) for donating this tea to my Tea House collection

Tested: Talsi/Latvia

Date: 05/10/23

Smell 4/5:  Sweetish, specific. It is hard to compare with something.

 Flavour 3/5: Very light, sweetish, gentle.

 Colour 3/5: It has a traditional black tea colour.

 Deposit: There won’t be deposit if it is infused in a communal teapot.

 Infused: 5 min

 Caffeine free: -

Tea type: Loose

Manufacturer's description: -

Manufacturer's advice: -

Storage: I suppose it has to be stored in a cool and dry place.

 Price: -

Purchased: China

Weight: -

Bag 5/5:  It is a very beautiful little shiny bag in red colour, where the name of it is written in shiny golden colour. It has scenery of a big rock next to a river or a lake with a reflection in water. Also there we can see three floating prams with people on them.

Bag 5/5: It is easy to open as it has a little cut on it on one of its sides.

Manufacturer: -

Additional information: It was not possible to detect all information because it was written in Chinese. Everyone who can complete this form is very welcome to do it.

Tested: Beihai/China

Date: 03.06.23

Smell 3/5:  It is possible to notice lemon aroma, lightly bitter.

Flavour 4/5: Bitter, we can feel Ceylon black tea where through is streaming extremely light lemon flavor. Overall, it is a lovely tea.

 Colour 4/5: Dark, brown, typical black tea colour.

 Deposit: Yes

 Infused: 5 min

 Caffeine-free: No

Tea type: Bags

Manufacturer's description: Ceylon tea with lemon aroma.

Manufacturer's advice: Brew 3 – 5 minutes.

Storage: Store in a cool and dry place.

 Price 1/5: £1.65/20 bags  (£0.08 per bag)

Price in Euros: €1,91

Weight: 30g

Bags 4/5: They have about comfort, putting bags into a mug and adding little strings and a yellow tag with brewing instruction and a brand’s logo on it.  Bags have been sealed off in big silver foil bag, which on outside is in dark green color having tea leaves prints, brief history of Dilmah founder. It has advert that says – A minimum 15% of our pretax profits directly benefit people and planet; Dilmah Carbon Neutral product.

Package 4/5: It is a lovely box with a half a lemon on it on the black background, Dilmah logo on the top. We can see in vague somewhere farther lemons on the image. It highlights the fact that it is Real Tea.

Purchased: Top/Cēsis

Manufacturer: Dilmah Ceylon Tea Company PLC/Sri Lanka

Additional notes: This is Ceylon black tea with 4% lemon flavor. You can make from 1 bag at least two cups of tea.

Tested: Talsi/Latvia

Date: 05/10/23

Smell: 5/5 It is sweet, very strong and enjoyable.

Flavour; 3/5 It is weak.

 Colour: 5/5 It is beautifully golden. 

Infused: 15 min

Manufacturer's description: It is a perfect blend with vitamin B3. It helps support normal psychological functions and ready for good night's sleep.

 Price: 4/5 £0.69/20 bags. £0,04 per bag.

Weight: 40g

Box: 4/5 It is a nice design box with apple and camomile images. 

Bags: 3/5 They are very simple square-shaped bags without a string. 

Produced for: Aldi Stores in England and Ireland. 

Manufacturer: Unknown

Tested: Bradford/West Yorkshire/England.

Date: February 2023

Smell 5/5:  Strong sweet and sour aroma

Flavour 5/5: At the beginning, it is light, tenderly sour with sweetness. Sour aftertaste. The taste could be more vivid. Letting the tea bag infuse for 15 minutes it tastes strong and enjoyable. 

 Colour 3/5: Burgundy

 Deposit: Hard to detect due to dark colour.

 Infused: 7 minutes

 Caffeine-free: Yes

Tea type: Herbal

Manufacturer's Description: This is an excellent blend, which includes the unique flavour of pomegranate.

Manufacturer's advice: Place a tea bag into a cup, pour over 100˚C water and leave it for 3 – 4 minutes.

 Storage: Store in a cool, dry and odourless environment

 Price /5: -/20 tea bags

Weight: 40g

Bags 5/5: This manufacturer has reached excellence in representing tea bags. Every tea bag has its beautiful wrap to keep aroma. Additionally, they have attached strings to tea bags with a golden colour tag, where is written tea brand.

 Package 4/5:  It is a lovely burgundy colour box with a pomegranate image on the right side and a lovely tea cup on the other side with a tea bag in it. The tea brand logo is placed in the middle of the golden square

Purchased: -

Produced: Turkey

Manufacturer: -

Additional notes: -

Acknowledgement: Thanks to my Godmother for donating this tea to my Tea House collection

 Tested: Bradford/West Yorkshire/England

Date: 16/09/23

Smell 1/5: Awful, disgusting, almost unbearable. I have not experienced such a terrible aroma. I cannot even describe it, because there is nothing to compare with it.  

Flavour 4/5:  Very weak, sweetish, enjoyable, watery.

Comments: 

 Colour 5/5: Beautifully bright orange.

 Deposit: No

 Infused: 1 min

 Caffeine-free: Yes

Tea type: Herbal

Manufacturer's description: It has soft flavour with aromatic smell

Manufacturer's advice: Put one bag in a cup, pour over 85°C water and infuse for a minute.

Storage: Keep at room temperature in cool, dry and no sunny place.

 Price 1/5: £7.36//25 bags (£0.29/1bag)

Price in Euros:  €8.50

Weight: 50g

Bags 4/5: They have thought a lot of comfort, putting bags into a mug and adding little strings and a red tag with brand logo on top. Bags have been sealed off in big silver foil bag.

Package 3/5:  It is as simple looking box in terracotta colour. We can see a man with a long beard wearing a long gown and behind him it might be a scruffy fence. Over all it is a lovely image. The brand logo is no the right-hand side written in golden colour

Purchased: Talsi

Manufacturer: Fohow Health Products LTD/China

Additional notes: The tea does not include hormones and harmful chemicals, and does not bring poisonous and side-effects. It helps release toxins. The last sentence is description from a discributor.

Recommended by a distributor - use 1 bag for 1 Liter of hot water and brew it for a minute. It is possible to use 1 bag 3 times. The second time infuse the tea for 10 minutes in a hot water, but for the third time hold the bag as long as you can in a litre of hot water.

Acknowledgement: Thanks to my mother (Ritma Bierande) for donating this tea to my Tea House collection.

Tested: Talsi/Latvia

Date: 05.10.23

Smell: 5/5 It is gentle and enjoyable with a roast aroma. 

 Flavour:  3/5 It is lightly roasted with poignant touch, and bitter.

 Colour:  5/5 Golden green

Infused: 15 min.

 Price: Unknown 

Weight: 100ml

 Bag: 5/5 It is a beautiful golden bag with a white vertical stripe where the name of the tea is written.

 Tea version: It is loose tea 

Tea type: Green tea 

Preparation: Add 2 full teaspoons, 200 - 300 ml of water, and soak for 2 min at 60*C. It is suitable for multiple infusions. 

Manufacturer: Unknown

 Sold by: Sunday Natural Products GmbH, Germany

Tested: Riga, Latvia

Date: April 2023

Smell 3/5: Strong, bitter. It is a typical black tea, so I think manufacturer here is wrong.

Flavour 5/5: Very powerful, bitter.

Comments: It is not my type of tea, so personally I would give it barely three marks, but I judge it neutrally. It is definitely possible to use one bag at least 2 – 3 times. I agree that taste is full and fresh. If somebody feels sleepy this tea will wake up. Though overall there is nothing remarkable about taste and flavour.

 Colour 4/5: Dark, vividly brown

 Deposit: It is impossible to detect due the dark colour

 Infused: 3 minutes

 Caffeine-free: No 

Tea type: Bags

Manufacturer's description: It has bright aroma and flavour of Ceylon tea. It has balanced bouquet distinguished by original fine, full and fresh cup.

Manufacturer's advice: Put in a cup a bag, pour hot water and let it infuse 3 -5 minutes.

Storage: In a clean, well-aired place without foreign odours with relative humidity below 70%.

 Price /5: Unknown/25 bags

Weight: 50g

Bags 5/5: Excellence in packaging using a special foil sachets.

Package 4/5:  It is a beautiful dark green box with a beautiful mindful image on the top of the box. We can see image in orange and red colours with water and a coast. There are bushes and nice trees. It might be a sunrise scenery. Also, the tea brand is written in white colour and in nice shift

Purchased: Talsi/Latvia

Manufacturer: ORIMI LLC

Additional notes: Made in Russia

 Acknowledgement: Thanks to my mother (Ritma Bierande) for donating this tea to my Tea House collection

Tested: Talsi/Latvia

Date: 04/10/23

Smell 3/5:  Straw, very light, reminds me of wet sauna

Flavour 3/5: Straw, bitter, unpleasant, watery, iron

Comments: Interesting fact is, I could detect iron.

 Colour 5/5:  Straw colour, beautifully golden

 Deposit: Yes

 Infused: 15min

 Caffeine-free: Yes

Tea type: Herbal

Manufacturer's description: It supports urine bowel and urine canals.

Manufacturer's advice: Put one or two bags in a cup, pour over 200ml boiling hot water and infuse it between 10 – 15 minutes.

Storage: Keep in a dry place.

 Price 1/5: £3.46/24 (£0.17per bag)

Price in Euros: €3.99

Weight: 36g

Bags 3/5: They are very simple square-shaped bags without a string.

Package 4/5:  It is a lovely looking whit box with a Arctostaphylos plant and a glass cup with golden tea in it.

Purchased: Mēness Aptieka

Manufacturer: SIA Jonex-Farma/Latvia

Additional notes: 

Acknowledgement: Thanks to my mother (Ritma Bierande) for donating this tea to my Tea House collection

Tested: Talsi/Latvia

Date: 05/10/23

Smell: 5/5 Sweet like honey, very strong.

Flavour: 3/5 gentle, sweetish 

Colour: 4/5 Golden. Flowers float on the top.

 Infused: 15 min.

Price: Unknown

Weight: 70ml

Jar:  4/5 The jar is made from clear plastic, even so, it looks appealing and enjoyable to look at. The red flower buds appear amazing. The label is very simple but in nice colours -  in red-golden colour.

 Tea version: It is loose tea.

Tea type: Herbal

 Prepared: Add a half-hand full of flower buds in a cap and covered it with a kid.

 Manufacturer: Unknown (information is given in Chinese).

Bought: China

Tested: Bradford, West Yorkshire, England.

Date: May 1 2023

Smell 5/5:  Bitter, strong.

Flavour 4/5: Light, bitter, enjoyable.

Comments: There is no that Ceylon black tea powerful flavour.

 Colour 4/5: vividly dark, brown, black, typical black tea colour.

 Deposit: Yes

 Infused: 5 min

 Caffeine-free: No

Tea type: Bags

Manufacturer's description: We have used fine quality Assam and Nilgiri teas

Manufacturer's advice: For a full, fresh flavour, this tea should be brewed in boiling water for 3 – 4 minutes.

 Price /5: /10 bags

Weight: 20g

Bags 4/5: They have thought a lot of comfort, putting bags into a mug and adding little strings and a red tag with writing of New English Tea on top. Bags have been sealed off in plain big silver foil bag. Design wise they have not thought much about impressing consumer.

Package 3/5:  It is a simple white box with an image of black tea leaves and red drawn cups and mugs surrounding the name of the tea

Purchased: -

Manufacturer: New English Teas/England

Additional notes: Packed in India behalf UK.

Acknowledgement: Thanks to my mother (Ritma Bierande) for donating this tea to my Tea House collection

Tested: Talsi/Latvia

Date: 05/10/23

Smell 5/5:  Sweet, like flowers, not leaves, so lovely,

Flavour 4/5: I can feel a gentle untraditional flavour that mingles with tender bitterness.

 Colour 3/5: Vivid yellow

 Deposit: Yes

 Infused: 1 minute

 Caffeine-free: No

Tea type: Loose

Manufacturer's description: The tea garden is located between 1.9 and 2.5 km above sea level, where a forest covers over 80% of the land. Annual rainfall is over 1900 mm, annual temperature is about 13˚. There is unique volcanic ash soil which is very fertile, soil organic matter content is high.

The product adopts green heart Oolong (soft branch) tea tree fresh leaf as raw material. Through advanced tea making process and according to organic production management refined.  

Manufacturer's advice: Boil water to 90˚ - 95˚ and use 10g for each pot. I bag is possible to use it between 6 and 8 times.

Storage: use it within 36 months of the production date. Keep it away from direct sunlight, in 50g grade anti-humidity and at a low temperature. Also, keep it in an airtight container.

Weight: 50g

Package 5/5:  It is a lovely small green metal box with Chinese characters on the lid.

Bags 5/5: These are 5 10g bags in beautifully light green colour, where tea has been kept in a vacuum.  Tea bags contain information. On one side of tea bags, specific places that indicate where to open them.

Purchased: China.

Manufacturer: Yunnan Tengchong Extreme Edge Tea Co. Ltd/Yunnan Province/China

Additional notes: Make it in a big teapot, I suppose. I have never smelt green tea like this. That smell even on its own makes you addicted to this tea. It is the most tasty green tea I have tried so far making me conclude that this manufacturer is excellent at making green tea. Interestingly that tea has been kept in a clear bag that has been put in a decorative green bag along with material that keeps the bag dry.

 Also, the manufacturer states that 1 tea bag (10g) can be used between 6 and 8 times. Here I think the manufacturer meant tea cups or persons, which is correct. I used around 1.5L big teapot and it could last at least 6 for times depending how big are tea cups.

 Tested: Beihai/China

Date: 04.01.24

Smell 4/5:  Tender cinnamon

Flavour 5/5: Vanilla sweet with ginger, cinnamon and liquorice flavours. It burns gently tip of my tongue after drinking it.

 Colour 4/5: Cloudy, bright amber

Tested (ml): 200ml hot water

 Deposit: Yes

 Infused: 10 min

 Caffeine-free: Yes

Tea type: Bags

Manufacturer's description: A caffeine-free lift flushed with cinnamon warmth. Gorgeous organic chai spices, laced with the sultry sweetness of vanilla. Dusky tones blended expertly with five other herbs for the perfect caffeine-free lift. It is a caffeine-free burst of chi spices. The ultimate naturally sweet treat for yourself.

The tea has been approved by  Kosher Certification, Organic Soil Organisation, EU/Non-EU Agriculture and B Lab standards.

A few ingredients – cardamom pod (5%), cinnamon bark (40%), ginger root (20%), licorice root, sweet fennel seeds, vanilla flavour (5%).

Manufacturer's advice: Use water boiled to 100˚ (210˚F) and leave the bag to soak between 5 – 15 minutes.

Storage: No description given.

 Price (£): 4.75/20 bags

Price per bag (£): 0.27

Price per 1kg (£): 118.75

Weight: 40g

Bags: They are wrapped individually in paper burgundy, brown colour sachets (Class 3) and the bags have string with a tag at the end. Which is nice. I would like to call it almost perfection as the manufacturer uses simple paper for sachets. They do not look that are protective enough from a wet environment. As Pukka charges such a high price for their tea it is a shame for them to save on good quality material for sachets.

Class 1 – Greenfield

Class 2 – Yoga Tea

Class 3 - Pukka

Package 5/5: It has a lovely design with vanilla flowers on it.

Purchased: Tesco/Kings Cross/Halifax

Manufacturer: Pukka Herbs/packed in the UK

Additional notes: I could smell a strong aroma after opening the box. When I opened the sachet, I could smell lovely cinnamon which reminded me of Christmas.

Interestingly, the manufacturer has not mentioned anything about licorice root's possible side effects.  People suffering from hypertension (high blood pressure 140/90 mmHg or higher) should avoid excessive consumption.

Also, it surprised me that the manufacturer has not mentioned anything about tea storage. It seems common sense how to store tea, still, I see it as a standard description on the packaging.

Besides it was interesting to learn that the tea needs to be brewed between 5 – 15 minutes (!).

I loved every single sip of this tea. The manufacturer has done an amazing job.

Donated: The was donated to Gaia Holmes’s workshop classes at Kings Cross Library, Halifax, England. I just wanted all the classmates to enjoy it during a brake or work session.

Fact: It is the most expensive tea that has been purchased for the Tea House collection weight-wise.

Tested: Bradford/England

Date: 04/06/24

Smell 5/5:  It smells roasted reminding me of roasted nuts or seeds. It is the most original smell I have felt.  

Flavour 3/5: Tastes roasted, very light, lovely. It would be a great drink on its own, just to enjoy. However, for me, it was not as exciting as I expected. I wished the flavour could be much stronger and vivid.

 Colour 5/5: Bright green, clear

 Deposit: Yes

 Infused: 5 min

 Caffeine-free: Yes

Tea type: Bags

Manufacturer's description: This is the aroma from the foot of Mt Fujo. Shizuoka Genmai-Cha is made of deeply steamed tea leaves from Shizuoka where Mt. Fuji stands, with Japanese Brown rice and Matcha Green Tea powder.

Manufacturer's advice: Place one tea bag in a cap. Pour 90˚C hot water over the tea bag and brew for 1 – 2 minutes to the desired strength. Remove the tea bag and serve.

Storage: Keep it in a cool dry place.

 Price /5:  £2.95 (16 bags)

Price per bag 1/5: £0.18per bag

Weight: 31g

Bags 5/5: The manufacturer has excellence in understanding how to pack tea bags. Every tea bag has been put in a special foil sachet, representing the manufacturer in English on one side and partly different language on the other. Sachets are white from the outside with green and blueprints on them. The bags have a little strap with a tag that represents the manufacturer and its symbol in blueprints. Here we understand why we pay such much for so little quantity of the bags.

Package 3/5: It looks like a simple box with a beautiful mountain view and a white cap with vividly green tea in it.

Purchased: Wing Yip Superstore, Oldham Rd, Ancoats, Manchester

Manufacturer: Takaokaya/USA

Additional notes: It is 100% brown rice tea with Matcha Powder. The manufacturer has used roasted rice. The tea leaves provider is Masuuda-en Tea Farm, Shizuoka, Japan.

Unfortunately, Tea House, could not award this tea for the best flavour of the month, because it needed to be richer and stronger.

Tested: Bradford/England

Date: 04/12/23

White tea of renbi

Smell 5/5:  Sweet like flowers, maybe like honey

Flavour 4/5: Weak with light sourness, which seems pleasant. I can feel a tender bitterness.

 Colour 5/5: Vividly bright amber

 Deposit: yes

 Infused: 10 min

 Caffeine-free: No

Tea type: loose

Manufacturer's description: It has a cliff Lin smell. This is white tea which originated from Anji, Zhejiang province, China. Also, this white tea is different from changmou.

Manufacturer's advice: -

Storage: Unknown

 Price: Unknown

Weight: It was not provided on the package.

Package 5/5:  A tea bag has been put into an airtight metal box which is beige with a dark brown lid on it. The surface of the metal box contains information about the tea.

Purchased: China

Manufacturer: It was not clear who is the manufacturer.

Additional notes: The smell is absolutely amazing and so much enjoyable, but the flavour is pretty watery.

The package did not contain much reasonable information to mention about.

The word changmou made me pay more attention and I found online this – Chanoyu (I assume this is the correct definition) means hot water for tea - One of its oldest names in the Japanese language. This is the term preferred by many chajin (tea person/practitioner). This word has more artistic and aesthetic connotations.

Chanoyu is the expression of performance art, it is meditation in motion, it is hospitality, it is aesthetic philosophy, it is a spiritual connection between guest and host, etc. This multifaceted nature is part of Chanoyu’s beauty and a key factor in its longevity and popularity. Of all of the countless cultural phenomena that have sprung around tea since its discovery, from the Song dynasty tea competitions, and the lavish chayorai tea parties of 14th century Japan, none have survived and thrived in the way that Chanoyu has.

Tested: Beihai, China

Date: 09/01/23

Smell /5:  I can smell strong peppermint after opening a sachet. Strong peppermint with light liquorice when a tea bag is infused in water

Flavour 5/5: Fresh peppermint with liquorice undertones. There was another unreconcilable flavour. I suggest that it might be eucalyptus. It leaves a wonderful long long-lasting breath in aftertaste.

 Colour 5/5: Golden, like honey

Tested (ml): 200ml hot water

 Deposit: Yes

 Infused: 6 minutes

 Caffeine-free: Yes

Tea type: Herbal

Manufacturer's description: Minty and refreshing. It is for everyone who needs to re-energise their mind. This delicious tea with ginseng, eucalyptus and fresh mint gives you a moment to take a breath – a little break to nurture mental clarity to focus on what matters. 

A few ingredients – eucalyptus (4%), ginger, lemon balm (15%), lemon grass, liquorice, orange oil, peppermint (18%), peppermint oil, spearmint (12%).

The tea has a Soil Association symbol meaning it is organic as well as a leaf symbol on it which means EU Agriculture approves it.

Debio okologisk approved organic and sustainable productions in Norway.

KRAV symbol or the standards to IFOAM Basic Standards in Sweden.

Manufacturer's advice: 250ml water100˚C, brew for 6 minutes.

Storage: Not explained.

 Price (£): 2.79/17 bags

Price per bag (£): 0.16

Weight: (g): 32.2

Price per kg (£): 86.65

Bags 4/5: Almost excellent in packaging tea bags if they would use foil sachets then it would reduce the possibility of being accidentally wettened and damaged. Tea bags have a string and a red tag at the end. Beautifully represented tea bags.

Package 5/5: It is beautifully designed.

Purchased: Paul’s Natural Foods, Elescar Heritage Centre, Wath Rd, Elescar, Barnsley, England.

Manufacturer: Yogi Tea GmbH, Germany

Additional notes: This tea is wonderful indeed. I loved the peppermint and liquorice blend of flavours.

I found an inexperienced ingredient – orange and peppermint oil.

Also, a new thing was a word – Ayurvedic. It made me search online for an explanation.  Ayurvedic medicine is a system of traditional medicine native to India, which uses a range of treatments, including panchakarma, yoga, massage, acupuncture and herbal medicine, to encourage health and well-being.

Additionally, I noticed that the manufacturer has recommended brewing it at least for 6 minutes, which seems unusual as normal brewing time is 3 – 5 minutes at least.

Interestingly the manufacturer does not warn about liquorice presence in the tea. People suffering from hypertension should avoid excessive consumption because it contains liquorice.

Besides there are only 17 bags which made me wonder why is that and the weight is 32.2g.

I learned that the manufacturer has used paper that is glossy from the inside to make sachets. It makes me conclude that this is a pretty good attempt to protect tea from a wet environment because it is a thicker and stronger material.  Though, it is hard to say whether it is equal quality of the foil. 

Tested: Bradford, England

Date: 14/05/24