Someone on Steepster once described the spontaneous purchase of tea one doesn’t actually really need as a Bad Dog! moment. I can’t remember who it was. Was it you? Anyway, I had one the other day, stopping in at Fru P on the way home from work and making off with the last one of her tea sample Christmas calendars. She had been uncertain about whether or not it was a good idea and whether people would buy them, but they’re all sold out now. 24 samples in a basket which will be useful for other things afterwards. Has a good size for a bread basket, actually. Bad dog! :p
Here’s another one I received from Scheherazade. This one was one I had asked for and I’ve been looking forward to it, I think for obvious reasons.
I have noticed that the sweetness of vanilla frequently works very well on an Assam base. Some of my favourite vanilla teas have been Assam based (although I don’t believe the Perfect Vanilla is. Don’t know what that is, but I don’t think it’s Assam), and I don’t really see any reason why the same should not be the case with caramel. Both are sweet flavours. On top of that, I know from experience that these two flavours also go very well together, but for some reason it’s not really a combination I see very often. If it happens, it’s usually along with something else. A fruit or berry or some kind, but very very rarely on their own like this. If you want this combination, it seems you generally have to mix vanilla and caramel flavoured teas together yourself and hope that the bases of the two and the balance of flavouring in them match each other. I find this is more difficult than one would think. Often one tends to overpower the other.
But anyway! Here is a rare beast of a caramel and vanilla flavoured tea with nothing else in it. And on a promising base to boot.
Awwwww! We interrupt this post by telling you that Luna the Lap-Cat just came running through the kitchen, meowing like crazy, before jumping onto my lap where she’s now purring and impeding both typing and tea-tasting. Don’t know how I’m supposed to drink from my very full mug (I did a me) now without risking spilling on her… That’s how we know it’s getting colder; Luna seeking to spend as much time as possible in a warm lap. We now return you to your scheduled tea post.
The leaves in the little bag smells awesomely sweet of both vanilla and caramel. I can’t really tell about the base there, but they are very large leaves and a bit difficult to measure out. I have enough for two small pots, so there’s half of it left now. I did consider having it with Husband the other day instead of Jewelled Apple, but then realised that would take the whole sample and I selfishly decided it was probably too good for him anyway. After all, half the time the man just gulps his tea down and when you ask him what he thought of it he hasn’t got a clue. This generally means he liked it, because he usually notices when he doesn’t like it. He can drink a whole mug of hot tea, before mine has even cooled off to a sippable temperature.
After steeping, I try to put my nose closer to the mug without disturbing the cat. Probably looks like I’m attempting to do a tortoise impression. It rather reminds me of that toffee flavoured blend I had from LPdT, although that one had cocoa and not caramel. That one was awesome!
Now, if I can get my lips down to the mug, I can probably have a sip. Let me see…
Gosh! What a silly way to drink tea! It doesn’t exactly make it any easier when you are perfectly aware of how silly it is and start giggling. The things I put myself through to avoid spilling hot liquid on a kitty! Few more sips like this and it should be safe to lift the cup, though.
If the base didn’t come out in the aroma at all, it certainly does now. It has that sort of card-y note to it. This is a really peculiar sort of note. Auggy will understand what I mean perfectly, but try to imagine the taste of cardboard if cardboard tasted good. I know what you’re thinking now, but bear with me. When I first saw this note described this way I made this face O.o but the next time I had a cup of Assam, I know exactly what was meant by it. I’ve only ever really encountered it in Assams that I can remember, and not in all of them. The base also has a good deal of raisin-y notes to it, which is also something I tend to associate largely with Assams. I understand Darjeeling is supposed to have these grape-y, raisin-y, wine-y notes as well, but I’ve never really fully grasped that. It’s too difficult for me to get past all the grass to really notice them.
Anyway! The base shines through the flavouring quite clearly here. This is another one of those blends where the flavouring is somewhat subtle, but not something you have to sit there and search for, or, if you like that sort of thing, coax out with various additives. It hits that balance between base and flavouring that I like. In this case I was even able to pick up some characteristics of the base. A tea can totally have this balance without this being possible, strange as it sounds. I suppose it depends on what sort of base was used.
To me, this feels more caramel than vanilla, but I can tell the vanilla must be in there. Mostly because I know it is, granted, but I think caramel on its own when everything really clicks is a darker flavour than this cup is.
I know exactly what my Perfect Vanilla should taste like, and I’ve actually even managed to find it, and I know more or less what the Perfect Caramel should be like, but the Perfect Vanilla and Caramel? I’m not sure, actually. This cup has the balance that I like, but I’m not sure it’s perfect for me. I think I would like the flavours to be richer without being too much stronger, and I’m not even certain if this is at all possible. It doesn’t even make fully sense to me, having a bit of a ‘measuring elastic by the meter’ feel to it. It’s entirely possible that this balance that I’m so attracted to isn’t actually right for me at all with a combination like this. Much to my surprise, my Perfect Vanilla doesn’t really have that balance. It’s way too flavoured for that.
Overall, this is a very good cup indeed, and if I were to be offered more of it I would absolutely take advantage, yet I find myself a little ambivalent about it as well.
I think perhaps I’ve reached the point where I’ve started to over-think things a little.
I just wanted you to know that I know exactly what you mean about “it tastes like cardboard if cardboard were to taste good” because I feel the exact same way about David’s Tea’s Glitter and Gold (it tastes like actual glitter if eating real glitter tasted good). And it’s so true! so round of applause from me!
I love that description. Now I’m going to be looking at all my Assam teas with suspicion as I sip them. :) And Assams are pretty much my favourites!
Hahaha, my husband is the same way!