180 Tasting Notes
This was good, but I found that it had a very mild flavor, which was surprising for something containing cloves! It tasted more like a spice cake (which could be a carrot spice cake, I suppose) than a cupcake to me. Nothing in there to simulate cream cheese or sweet frosting.
I do have to say that it’s an improvement on David’s Tea Carrot Cake, which stunk of artificial perfume. This one actually smelled of the ingredients – mostly cinnamon & clove. It would make a good autumnal tea, with its harvest spices, so it’s interesting that they did a limited release of it during the spring months.
As a side note, what is up with calendula petals in all in my tea?! I was curious about it yesterday, so I did a little research, and apparently, calendula petal is “the poor man’s saffron.” It’s supposed to have a slightly bitter, peppery flavor that can be either tangy or salty, and it’s commonly used in soup stock. Seems like an odd choice for tea, to me! (Not that I think I’m tasting any of those flavors, but that’s the flavor it’s supposed to impart.)
I’m having a very blueberry morning today; oatmeal sweetened with TSTE Blueberry sugar and a hot cup of Blueberry Black (also sweetened with said sugar). Delicious. And the smell… I could huff my pouch of this tea all day long. It’s better than a scented candle.
See previous tasting note for details.
Preparation
Exactly what flavor do Calundula petals impart on tea? They’re in a ton of the flavoreds that I have – Weeping Angel, Rhubard + Custard, Carrot Cupcake, this one, and on and on – but what do they do? Do they add any flavor or just look pretty? It’s a great mystery to me.
Anyways, I’m sampling this one thanks to QueenofTarts. The steeped smell is that of honeyed vanilla. It actually reminds me more of honeybush than rooibos – sort of a sweet, woody scent.
I took a sip of it plain at around 5 minutes, but it didn’t taste much. So I added some brown rock sugar and let it steep for another minute or so. The taste is still mild, but it’s better. Again it’s reminding me of honeybush. The taste is honeyed, with kind of a vaguely syrupy quality. I’m finding that the vanilla is noticeable more in the aftertaste than in the sip itself.
Preparation
This is one of those rare teas where I have to add extras to really enjoy it. With milk and a couple brown sugar crystals, it’s pretty delicious. Without additions, it’s just pretty ok.
That said, it makes a darn fine dessert tea when it’s all dressed-up!
Preparation
I’m not the biggest Adagio fan… but I really like this tea. Especially in the morning, when I can trick myself into thinking that I’m having some sort of fancy/yuppie coffee drink. Like a caramel-chino-macchiato whatever. (Not gonna lie; I don’t really know what those words mean.)
So… yeah, this tea is good. Very caramelly and sweet enough not to need any additions to make it taste that way.
Preparation
This one smells great. Reminds of when I used to buy ridiculously overpriced flavored coffee from the local donut shop :-)
It tastes surprisingly mild, though. Not really a bad thing, but I was expecting a bolder flavor based on the smell. Hazelnut is predominant flavor – I don’t find the vanilla unless I’m really concentrating on the sip and trying to pick it out. Not sure I would have gotten it at all had I not read the description before sipping.
It’s good if you’re looking for a mildly nutty cuppa.
Preparation
I wanted something really creamy so I added a little cream to my cup. Amazing!
I mean, it’s good plain, too, but now I can now see the custard connection. Creamy, rhubarb deliciousness.
Finally, a tea that gets a sweet-tart flavor right, and doesn’t just dump a pound of hibiscus in the mix and call it a day. Seriously, hibiscus is NOT a suitable fruit substitute! Thank you, Bluebird, for getting that.
