Cashew Turtle

So ladies and gents, I was able to wrangle a small sample of this one from the lovely Kittenna who is hanging on to the last of her bag for dear life :) I have to say that I’m really glad I did. Not that I can get any of this again from Frank unless he magically brings it back, but i’m happy to have at least been able to try it!

I’m often not a fan of nutty teas. I’d rather eat them than drink them i guess :) This isn’t exactly a sweet tea, and yet it is. There’s a good caramel chocolate flavour going on here (dark, not milk imo) and then you taste the nuts. Delicious cashew nuts. Yep. I am enjoying this one and can certainly see why Kittenna was hesitant to part with it!

Thanks for the great share Kittenna! I’m sure i’m going to enjoy sucking as much out of the resteeps as i can :)

Could have sworn I did a tasting note for this one when the 12Tas of Christmas came out, but maybe I just tried it. This is yet another sample from the 12Teas that I am trying to finally finish up. I recall the aroma not being very recognizable at the time, but it is much more powerful now, with chocolate and caramel dominating. For me, that’s good news. I am always on the lookout for a good caramel tea, though most let me down.

Steeped this for 2 to 3 minutes in a T-Sac to avoid the harsh taste of the bitter black base that Frank used to use and this yields an aromatic and orangey-brown brew. I find that using a T-Sac can help cut the bitterness as there is less room for particles to escape so I expect this will be a bit smoother than if I brewed it in a strainer.

Finishing up my chocolate chip granola bar (a moment of temptation – usually I go for the fruit and nut ones, but everyone needs a little chocolate, right?) this tea does smell delicious. Hopefully it will compare to the “real” chocolate I just had. OH man, it does. Wow. Typically I don’t like Frank’s blends, but this one is really hitting the spot. The chocolate is building on the aftertaste from my bar and I get the sense of caramel behind all that. It is, in fact, shockingly like a caramel turtle. Two thumbs up on this blend – I’m glad I have enough left for a small cup to enjoy another time. As the cup cools the bitter black tea is creeping up on me, but that’s to be expected. I’ll just have to slurp it quickly! : )

I gather this is some sort of American sweet. Now, this strikes me as rather less peculiar than yesterday’s popcorn, although it’s not a sort of sweet we get in Denmark. In Denmark chocolate turtles are filled with a caramel and rum-y cream, so I will have to try and distract myself away from a firm conviction of how a proper chocolate turtle should be. Obviously my proper chocolate turtle is rather different from yours. The picture on the label make me think more of a snickers bar, only with a different sort of nut, so that’s the image I will try to keep in my head. I’ve never in my life laid eyes on the sweet in question so I have to go by close enoughs.

The aroma is very honeyed. My aunt, who doesn’t like honey, would hate this smell. I rather enjoy honey myself, and I always find it a pleasant note to find in tea. It also smells caramel-y and nutty, so from what I can tell, the aroma is pretty much a hit.

The flavour seems to be primarily caramel with a bit of chocolate on the sides. I can’t immediately find any nuts in it, but I suspect they’re sort of hiding below the other flavours. And as I write this, I discover them coming out gradually in the aftertaste. Nuts, check.

Nuts, caramel and honey. It’s not quite a snickers bar, but it’s close enough. I’m rather enjoying this, but again, I’m glad it’s a small cup, because I think I could also easy have too much of this.

This one looked so delicious I couldn’t resist buying up one of the last packages of it! Or rather, having Amanda buy it up for me :)

The smell is rather heavenly – sweet, malty and toffee-ish. Reminiscent of other 52teas that I enjoy. The flavour is similar – a nice malty black with the above flavours coming out, especially at the end of the sip. I’m not really tasting cashew, but this tea does taste a little nutty, and much like a chocolate turtle. Would probably be even better sweetened, but I’m happy to drink it as is, not knowing of the deliciousness that would result in me sweetening all my teas!

I’m happy I got a pack of this one; need to compare it to things like Pot O’ Gold now to determine a winner. Not that either is available to purchase, just for personal curiousity :)

2nd Day of 12 teas!

Puppies are exhausting, especially when you have to keep an eye on both the puppy and your adult dog to make sure they are being nice to each other… and work a full work day. Due to this, I have been getting around to opening and brewing my teas a little late. But better late than never! It gives me a great way to unwind at the end of long long days.

When I opened this tea I was hit with caramel smell. Thick and gooey. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the label. Not only did I guess the caramel right, but it sounded and smelled delicious! The leaves had little cashew pieces that made me smile.

Steeped it gave off a wonderful nutty caramel smell. I tried it unsweetened first, and as I expected, the flavor didn’t quite pop out. Added sugar and POOF! burst of flavor. I didn’t get chocolate, but definitely a smooth nutty caramel taste. I enjoyed it thoroughly!

Now, finally, laying in bed as the rain softly hits my window, with an empty tea cup on my night table, a sleeping beautiful doggy at the foot of my bed and a snoring puppy in her kennel, all is bound to work out all right.

Happiness is a warm dog and puppy and a hot cup of tea! : )

OK, so I’ve been sick again and I got behind in the 12 Days of Christmas. I’m not sure which day this is, but I know it’s not today’s, nor one in the future. I’m going to try to be good about this the rest of the time and follow the instructions like a good gal.

On to the tea.

This smells heavenly – if heaven were made of chocolate and cashews, and I think in my own heaven that would be a floor. This reminds me of the turtles I used to get as a kid visiting in upstate New York, stopping by for our weekly fix at Abbott’s (a custard place), back when I could eat such things.

Steeped for about four minutes, since it’s a black tea, and the liquor is a deep choco-brown.

First sip – and it tastes exactly like it smells! (Of course, since Frank blended it.) I down three more sips; I want to gulp it, but it would scald my throat… I’m allergic to an enzyme in milk chocolate (as well as other dairy products) so normally I can’t indulge. This is a real treat!

This tastes like chocolate and nutty goodness. The only problem? Now I want a “real” turtle. I’ll have to “settle” for a second cuppa.

Backlog!
So I got a sampler package of teas from the VERY generous Steepsterite, Jenn and oh my goodness! this one was tasty.
It was typically sweet the way most dessert teas are… sort of caramely, with a background note of cashew. I overdid the first steep a tad so ended up with a slightly bitter brew, but it stood up without any sugar (barely, I do wish I had added a sprinkle or two). The second steep was the best, being that I did not oversteep! and the third was a touch weak but I didn’t even expect to get that much out of it so I was quite pleased! I could drink this alllll day.
I doubt I would order this one again specifically, since it isn’t all that different from other dessert teas and I would have to pay shipping. I wish they had a shop in Toronto! I loved trying it. and if I ever put in an order for Pancake tea (which I love!! but I can’t recall the precise name) then I may throw this in.
Anyhow, I’m at work… but this is the only internet time I will have for awhile, since we are switching providers at home and the tech won’t be in til later this week pouts
(My other job, where I am tomorrow blocks this site. Smart ones, they are!)

52teas 12 Days of Christmas Sampler 2011 – Day 2

Okay, so I’m really behind on these reviews. I should be on tea 5 right now, but life has been a little hectic.

The boyfriend went missing yesterday. He said he was going Christmas shopping, but he didn’t answer his phone all day and was late to dinner with my Dad. He said he lost track of time, but I could also tell he had been drinking. The boy can’t lie to me. He’s completely transparent.

He came clean later and admitted that he had gone to a bar at some point during the 11-hour shopping excursion. But he also came home with no bags or boxes and acted extremely weird during dinner. He hardly ate anything and couldn’t articulate sentences.

I have no idea what’s going on with him. I have a vague suspicion that a diamond might be in my future, since he disappeared upstairs with my dad before dinner. That might explain his weird behavior. I’m not sure though, and I don’t want to get my hopes up if it turns out to be nothing. But something definitely happened yesterday.

Anyway, on to the reason you’re reading this. Get to the tea review already!!

I can tell this sampler pack is going to be dangerous to my pocketbook. I want to buy pouches of everything I’ve tried already! Wow! I just can’t stop saying WOW! The dry leaf smells incredible! I’ve never had a cashew turtle before, but I think I’d love it! I really had to resist the urge to pick out all the chocolate pieces and pop ‘em in my mouth!

Two and a half minutes later, the brewed aroma isn’t quite as fragrant as the dry leaf. But I can still detect the chocolate and caramel notes. Tasting it…wow! There I go again. It’s just wow!

I can taste chocolate and caramel and even a light nuttiness. The black tea base blends well and adds just a touch of bitterness. It’s not overwhelming, and it went away with the addition of a little almond milk. Really yummy.

I apologize for being behind on these Christmas sampler reviews. I’ll try to catch up today. I’m currently surrounded by a large mound of clothing that needs to be washed. I did about six loads of laundry yesterday, but there’s still a lot left over. So, it’s a perfect day to relax, drink tea, and blog on Steepster!

I don’t quite know what to say about this. So far I’ve tried it straight up, and with sugar. I have to say I prefer it straight. First steep was actually nice. I can’t say if it was something I’d purchase again, or put on a permanent list, but I was glad to taste it! I’ve heard so much about 52 teas! It’s nutty, but I don’t taste any cocoa.

Yum! I tried this yesterday, and I over-steeped it a bit, and it was a little bitter. Today, it is much better. 2 1/2 minutes in the Breville at 205°F instead of boiling… and it is perfect. Chocolate-y and rich! The Assam is malty and strong, and really adds to the richness of the chocolate flavor perfectly. The caramel is not an afterthought either… it is almost on equal footing with the chocolate flavor. The sweet, nutty flavor of the cashew gives this cup some dimension.

Love this! Awesome!

Uggg, had a horrible sleep. My bunny Benson was being an absolute terror all night. He has this wooden house in his cage for hiding out and chewing. I guess since he has been cranky about his shedding, he took it out on that wooden house waking me up multiple times of him clawing and pushing the house around the cage. I had enough and got up and took out the house and he tried to escape the cage. Bratty Bunny! I’m hoping this fun sounding tea sample from Kittena would perk me up!

DRY: lightly nutty smell.. oooh cashew piece!

STEEPED: A classic brown coloured black tea, but with a chocolately nutty smell.

TASTE: Smooth, nutty and slightly malty black tea. Not bitter or astringent.
Sweetened with rock sugar, slightly caramelly creamy with a soft nuttyness. Totally reminds me of a chocolate turtle!

I got distracted with emails and my tea got cold and it’s pretty good cold, sweetened!

COMMENTS: Turtles Turtles, rahrahrah, turtles turtles ha ha ha, I love turtles! (whoa.. does this commercial jingle date me? I youtubed it and I only saw 1980s commercials lol!)

Very yummy, if this tea gets reblended, I’ll probably snag it.

EDIT: resteeped it because I’m lazy and CT became more mellow – still caramelly nutty with a hint of chocolate!

I keep meaning to have this tea the next morning the day before but then when I wake up forgetting. It happens. I liked it pretty well the first time I had it. I was slightly heavy on the leaf and steeped a bit longer than I usually do for 52teas black teas. I’ve been of the mind that they could be a bit stronger, and I was right. I taste nutty, caramel, and vanilla but no chocolate specifically. Very good. The increase in steeping time left the second steep a bit weak for my taste.

2nd steep: 7 mins

Surgery went well! As soon as I got home I checked the mailbox and YIPPEE TEA! My Cashew Turtle and Cherry Cheesecake Green arrived. I was SO excited to try this one, I immediately ripped open a package and inhaled deeply. The dry leaves smelled AMAZING. Like… the best thing ever. Caramel makes me weak in the knees.
Steeped 1 tsp per 8 ounces for 3 minutes at 205 degrees in my Breville.
And.. for the first time I’m disappointed with a 52. :( I expected more flavor. I feel like maybe the bold tea base overpowered and drowned out the turtle flavor. I really tried to taste turtle but all I really tasted was bold black tea..that I didn’t particularly like. I did notice a slight aftertaste of turtle but it was very faint. I’m curious if maybe I steep for a shorter time/lower temperature I’ll be able to taste the turtle flavors more. I tried adding sweetener and cream and still no noticeable difference.
If only this tasted more like it smelled! I’d be in love. I’m going to wait to numerically rate this until I’ve experimented with it more. I really wanted to love this :(:(

Edit
(Boyfriend had the same results unfortunately :(, my taste perception was not altered by my surgery.)

Day 2 of the 12 teas of Christmas…

Woohoo! This was another tea that I hadn’t tried yet! Steeped 2 tsp. tea in 500 ml. water in the Breville at below parameters.

Playing my “guess what it is before you look game” once again had me stumped; and this time the smell wasn’t remotely familiar so I at least knew I would be getting a blend I hadn’t had before. Once I knew what it was, the chocolate and caramel scents were more evident. At first it actually didn’t smell very good, but once I was aware of what I was smelling it became much more pleasant – and mouthwatering!

When drinking with additives, this did the same thing that the pancake breakfast tea does – it starts out tasting just like what it’s supposed to be, but then fades into just the tea taste. Luckily, just like the pancake breakfast tea, adding in milk and sugar brings the flavors back out, and then some. This is definitely like drinking a liquid chocolate turtle! The caramel and chocolate are equally present, with nutty notes from the cashew taking on more of a background note. The black tea is definitely there too, bringing out more of a dark chocolate taste than there would be otherwise. This is so decadent!

I will have to get more of this one – it ranks up there as one of my favorite 52teas blends for sure!

w00t got my iHeartTeas package from Rachel the other day. Thank you so much! I’m going to start out with the Cashew Turtle sample she generously gifted me.

Oh yeah, and I’m sick for the sixth time since September. What gives, immune system? At least it’s a perfect excuse to sample the teas.

The dry leaf smells exquisite. Like creamy caramel and a drop of chocolate. It really does remind me of the bear claws (made of chocolate, caramel, and cashews) that are really popular in the Canadian Rockies.

When it comes to the flavour, this is pretty much what I imagined it to be, which is a good thing! Velvety caramel which blends perfectly into the black base. I’m not picking up on any cashew, but it doesn’t matter because I like it the way it is right now. I also appreciate the fact that the black tea in itself isn’t too loud, so it gives the caramel some time to shine.

Wowza, first of all, I got my package from Jenn! Thank you!

Mike and I had good fun opening the package! He would open a tea and I had to smell and guess it (HA yeah right!). I got none right. But I don’t care, they all smelled GOOD and that’s what matters!

Tonight, as I listen to Gorillaz and anxiously await going to Combat Improv, I chose this tea. A tea that smelled diiivvviiiine, but that I knew wouldn’t wow me! If that makes sense. Well, it is delish, but not my number one, you know?

The base is nice and strong, perfect to wake me up before a long night of hilarity. I steeped for 2.5 min, drinking straight up. (My 2nd steep will take cream+sug).. it doesn’t need it though. I’m getting some light chocolate notes, a nice caramel body and this wonderful hint of cashews (my favorite of the “nut” family) so I am enjoying this tea for sure.

Wow, tea traded from your friends is so much more special than tea you buy yourself. It feels like I’m having some sort of time-travel-tea-party, and I think that’s what makes me come back to Steepster every night – this sense of a giant tea party and we’re all invited o: I’m lame. but You rule.

I opened the page to add a note last night and I didn’t even do it. Welp.

As soon as I smelled this, I knew I would like it. Caramel and chocolate? Aw yeah. Cashews aren’t my favorite nut but it fits in just right in the tea.

So good. I thought I definitely oversteeped it because loading the washing machine took longer than I thought (nothing like someone putting stuff in there but not running it…what), but it was good. I taste the base tea, and everything works together for a good tasty tea. I don’t want to sweeten it but I feel like just a touch of sugar would really make it even better.

Wow! I really like this one. It’s a dessert tea, sweet, with a base of black tea and a thread of caramel. I don’t really get a nutty flavor to this, but the overall idea of a chocolate turtle is definitely there. I’ll be trying milk with this soon to see how it tastes.

Thanks to LiberTea for passing on a sample!

Wow. If you want a tea that tastes exactly like what it says, this is a good one to try. You can taste the nutty overtones very strongly, and there’s a hint of chocolatey caramel that mixes distinctively with the cashews. If I chew on my ice cubes it’s like I’ve eaten a little sweet treat without the guilt. I am on an iced tea kick, as usual in the summer, and this one is brilliant over ice. I use a splash of half & half to up the creaminess, and I sweeten with splenda. I’m sure it would be just as lovely with other sweeteners, especially honey (I imagine it taking on a honey nut cheerio flavor) — overall I think this tea is really wonderful for a hot summer day, or as an after dinner tea. Really, it’s great any time of day, but I don’t really place time restrictions on tea with the exception of chamomile (bedtime). Love it, love it!!

What a perfect christmas tea! Unfortunately I didn’t read any of the caveats about oversteeping until after I committed the same sin. I typically like my flavored black teas a little stronger, and disregard steeping instructions, but this delicate blend would have none of that! Despite the bitterness, there was excellent deep, dark chocolately flavor mixed with caramel and a hint of nuttiness that made for a decadent indulgence, which helped get through today at work! After all, isn’t that what the holidays are all about?