This is pretty good. Not my favorite Frank blend, but, then, they can’t all be, can they?
The aroma of the dry leaf is so … familiar … but it’s distantly familiar, you know? Like something from my childhood but I can’t quite place it. It smells candy-like but I’m not sure which candy I’m smelling. Like bubblegum and candy apples, maybe?
The aroma of the brewed tea is much more like what I would have expected. Very mulled cider-esque, but a little heavier on the spices than on the apple.
The flavor is nice. This particular combination of flavors/ingredients seem to highlight the astringency of the blend that 52Teas uses, and this is something happens occasionally with Frank’s blends. Some (more often than not) are able to work very harmoniously with the tea, and others tend to bring out some of the harshness in the blend. That is not to say that this blend is bad, because it certainly is not. But it is a little on the astringent side.
That being said, this is incredibly comforting on this chilly day. I didn’t want to get going today, I would have preferred to stay under the covers where it was warm and cozy, but this tea is helping me come to terms with the fact that I cannot stay in bed.
