Happy first day of Autumn (or spring if you are in the other side of the world from me) everyone! This is my favorite season, by far, I love the leaves and crisp feeling in the air, the excuse to break out my fuzzy blankets and the way the world smells. It just makes me happy, doubly so this year because I will be back in the mountains during peak leaf season, though three months away from Ben and my cats is going to be rough.
I wanted to start the season off with a tea that makes me think of campfires and happy memories, so I chose S’mores! by Whispering Pines Tea Co. This tea is a blend of Fujian Black Tea, Pine Peaks Keemun, Ashes of Autumn Black Tea, Organic Cinnamon Pieces, and Organic Marshmallow Root, mad props for using marshmallow root, too few marshmallow themed things use the root of the mallow, which is sad because it is extremely tasty. The dry leaves smell like an autumn evening sitting next to a crackling fire while eating s’mores! There are notes of smoke, cinnamon, marshmallow sweetness, and a finish of rich cocoa. The leaves smell quite rich and not overwhelmingly sweet, just the way I like my desserts!
Giving the tea a nice steeping, I notice that the wet leaves have a really nice malt note that goes well with the cocoa, marshmallow, and cinnamon notes. The smoke is still there, but it no longer smells like I am sitting next to the campfire, clearly I have wandered off with my s’more. The liquid, oh my, that is very rich! Creamy chocolate, gentle cinnamon warmth, far away smoke, and marshmallow sweetness combine for a nose dance of epic yum. I may have moaned a bit while sniffing this tea, the cats looked at me like I was crazy, their loss.
OMG guys, this tea is too good! It hits that perfect balance of sweet and rich, warming and smoky, and oh so evocative. I can feel the warmth of the campfire from the cinnamon, the smoke of the fire from the Ashes of Autumn tea, and of course the rich cocoa notes and marshmallow root with a nice finish of malt. I like that it is not overly sweet, so it is good on its own or with a dessert as an extra rich treat. My favorite thing about this tea is how evocative it is, I love that it transports me to a place in my memories that makes me happy, really homesick, but happy. But wait, what about graham crackers? I admit the taste of the crackers is not really strong, the malt notes give the ‘essence’ so to speak of graham crackers, but it is not as clear as having the crackers. I am tempted to find some gluten free graham crackers to eat while sipping this tea for extra perfection.
For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/09/whispering-pines-tea-co-smores-tea.html
