Creme Brulee

The first thing I notice is the beauty of the leaves. There are lovely, light strands of what look like petals. The leaves are bright and cheerful! The flavor, to me, isn’t creme brulee, but something a bit more fruity. I definitely like this cup of tea. It reminds me of Fruit Loops or Fruity Pebbles in a strange way. While this flavor is different, I’m really enjoying each sip! It’s rich, fruity and sweet. Thanks very much to ladykittykat! I’ll be adding this to my next order from DAVIDsTEA! Yummy!

This is my second time trying this one. I forgot to log it last time. This tea is full of a butterscotch pudding like flavor and I really dig it when I am in the mood for caramel or butterscotch flavored tea. I can taste the rooibos in this a little bit but it’s not overpowering. It’s better than any caramel rooibos I’ve tried. The dry leaves of this tea are really beautiful too!

I have yet to find a rooibos I enjoy. This is next to the docket. The smell dry is deliciously caramel, but steeped it has a somewhat medicinal scent.

Hmm. Tastes medicinal as well. Darn. Perhaps my tastebuds are off today.

Here’s to my first time logging this… it’s been a really long time since I’ve drank this tea but I better get on it cause I have a 100g tin in my cupboard!

Anyways, I’m surprised I’m into this tea at all because I am not a fan of Creme Brulee dessert. So for those of you who don’t like this dessert don’t let that turn you off from trying this tea.

I like this tea because of the green rooibos, and all the added health benefits of drinking rooibos. But what’s really beautiful about it is that its like you’re having a sweet, indulgent drink when in reality you’re drinking something that’s very good for you!
I think the most predominant flavours are the caramel and the rooibos. But if you let it steep too long it does not balance well and it’s no good.
It’s definetly a very sweet, desserty like tea that you need to drink only when you’re really in the mood for something sweet. It’s a soft kind of sweet that goes down smooth, rather than a fruity or sour sweet tea, which is very calming. Plus, its caffeine free, so great for an after dinner “dessert” or something warm to cuddle with in bed.
Considering how long it’s been since I’ve had this tea I was very pleased with how much I enjoyed it tonight.

I would also like to add that the aroma of these tea does not compare well to the taste. Its a lot “harsher” and sweet when you smell it, but really tones down while drinking. Also, the tea leaves are very beautiful, especially the hints of bright red.

I couldn’t taste or smell anything beyond straight red rooibos.

1scant TB for 450mL water, lightly sweetened with stevia, no milk.

I am having a Very Bad Day. Almost four weeks of assorted nuisances have blended, entwined and swollen to create my grotesque today. I am ready to scream. Or cry. But what did the posters in WW2 England say? ‘Keep calm and carry on.’ And what would my war-bride English grandmother say? ‘Cup of tea.’

My nerves are shot, so I figure I need rooibos. Then I remember the new packet of Creme Brulee from David’sTea I thought I might keep on hand for a gift. I, um, opened it. Steeped some.

Mmmmmm, yes, that’s better.

The green rooibos base tastes bright, but not minty or woody as some red rooibos can get, and not dull and grassy like some crappy green rooibos I’ve had. The liquor is a lovely pale brass. The scent is caramelly but not overpoweringly so. The aftertaste is a slight bit woody, but I don’t mind it. Soothing. Very mild. Silky mouth-feel.

Crème brulee is my favorite dessert in the whole world, so I was super excited about this one. I really wanted to like it, but sadly its enticing promises (decadent! creamy! rich! caramel!) just turned out to be sweet nothings. The flavor was very mild and overpowered by the green rooibos. I tried making it stronger than suggested, which just intensified the rooibos flavor, and also tried sweetening it, which just seemed to bring out a chemical aftertaste and made it worse. This one might work if you’re a fan of straight rooibos and just want a hint of flavor, but for a caramel-y dessert rooibos, I found Crème Caramel to be a much tastier cup.

Day 7 of the advent calendar… catching up! So this tea made me quite nervous to try out becuase I tried this tea about 8 months ago and I didn’t like it, perhaps I didn’t brew it properly becuase I tried it today and I was stunned that I actually finished the cup. So it was a good tea to have in the advent calendar becuase it made me give this tea the second chance I would never have given it otherwise. I am not going to get a tin just yet as I will actually drink the 50 grams of it I have now, becuase I ignored it all this time.

this is my tea of the week- i’ve been drinking this for 3 days. It really beautiful to look at and delicious to drink. I enjoy the aroma and sweet taste.

Finishing off this sample. Anyone else go see the best of both worlds star trek TNG eps in the movie theater tonight? So much fun! Anyway, I hate red rooibos but green seems pretty alright to me.i liked this one but won’t be buying any.

Advent Calendar Love Day 7!

I was excited to see a rooibos. I agree with the consensus on the DT facebook and Twitter, they did a horrible job this year spacing out the different types of teas. And some people haven’t been getting the right ones. I hope they still do an advent calendar next year because it seems to have been a big hassle for them.

I want to experiment more with this one. It had a nice light flavour, but I would like it to be more intense. I didn’t steep it that long though, and didn’t add anything to it, so maybe if I do it will be better.

This is another I’ve revisited about discounting it about a year ago. And another I’m glad I did, since again it has been redeemed. I’m seriously beginning to wonder if I didn’t read anything about brewing before and just blithely did 5 min at boiling for everything. What waste if I did!

Anyways, this one. Definitely sweet with hints of caramel. Not necessarily how I prefer my creme brulee, but it is a nice enough dessert tea that I am ranking it with a smile. Again, though, I’m not sure if I’ll crave this one. When I want something caramel sweet I’m definitely more apt to reach for a caramel candy or chocolate than a tea. I’ll have to see what a second cup of this after the wall completion does to my thoughts on it.

I thought I was going to be over the moon in love with this tea, based on the smell and the name. I LOVE creme brulee. With great big hearty hearts. So I was disappointed when I tried this one. It didn’t remind me of creme brulee at all. I got the mild taste of the green rooibos, and a bit of creaminess, but not what I was expecting. Oh well. Can’t win them all. I’m still glad I got to try it.

This tea smells fantastic. I will probably always prefer red rooibos. Though I rather like this green rooibos. The flavour isn’t that strong, but is still sweet and creamy. I do taste the creme brulee.

Thanks to QueenOfTarts for this sample.

Mmmmm, another creamy tea winner for me. Bonus because this one is caffeine-free, therefore perfect for before bed when, say, Cream of Earl Grey or Buttered Rum wouldn’t be such a good idea. The dry leaf smells ok, somewhat creamy, but not hugely appealing to me. Luckily the tea is another thing entirely. The smell is sweet and creamy, just like the taste, although the somewhat fruity(?) rooibos flavour peeks through mid-late sip, which makes it a bit more three-dimensional than just sweet and creamy!

ETA: The second steep (~5min) loses much of the creme brulee qualities in my opinion, and mostly just tastes like a smooth rooibos. Not unpleasant, but certainly nothing special.

I personally think I prefer Toasted Walnut and Buttered Rum to this one, but due to the rooibos instead of caffeinated base, I think it will hold a nice place in my cupboard unless I find a better caffeine-free desserty tea!

I think because I’ve had such amazing creme brulee before that this tea won’t live up to it.. and it’s disappointing… I can only just taste something like it.. but honestly, I’d prefer to eat an actual creme brulee, ooh with vanilla… oh!! and a shortbread… drool.

I’m always hesitant to try teas which are supposed to be something else because I notice that I get sucked in easily, yet the tea almost always disappoints.

I took my chances with the Creme Brulee because I liked the Creme Caramel (I bought them at the same time).

I like the Creme Brulee, but it tastes to me more like custard pudding, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s different. Tastes very nice with or without milk, but as usual, I prefer the former.

I like Creme Caramel better as the tea itself has more body and more distinction.

Good, but farcry from being my favourite.
If you like dessert teas, this would be a great addition to your collection.

Hm. I just ordered myself 50g of this, and it was today’s tea calendar tea. I was really enthusiastic to try it but now I’m not sure.

It was pretty strange as when I opened the tin there was no smell to the tea that I could detect. I have a bit of a cold, but any DavidsTea I’ve encountered has been very noticeable. There was a bit of a scent once I brewed it. The infusion also made a lovely amber colour.

It’s not very flavourful for me. I mostly taste the rooibos, which is nice. I go back and forth between sips, on one thinking I don’t taste anything but rooibos and on the other thinking I am getting the creme brulee taste.

Anyway, I’ll investigate further when my order arrives.

I had curling the night I made this and I wanted to bring some zest into myself before the game. This entire package smelled like a delectable french bakery and I was in love with the aroma so much I contemplated eating the tea!

I of course, did not and opted instead for a giant mugful. While there was a hint of caramel and custard, it was bland otherwise that got worse as it cooled down. It tasted like sugary water by the end of my curling session and I had completely forgotten I even had the tea until I opened my cupboard to organize it!

It was a forgettable tea, sadly. And there will be no more of it inhabiting my cupboard.

Steeped: 1 tbsp in my 2-cup pot with freshly boiled water.

First Cup: Brewed 5 minutes. Clear.
There’s a sweet, citrusy flavour to this, and a roundness to the taste. Quite enjoyable.

Second cup: Same steep. Brewed approx 10 minutes. Clear.
Pretty much the same as the first cup. Perhaps a bit stronger, but that’s to be expected. I’m definitely enjoying this… and it does have a nice dessert-ish flavour to it. Not the most well-versed in crème brulée, but from what I remember, it may be reminiscent of the real dish.

Third cup: Same steep. Brewed approx 15 minutes. Clear.
Flavour is stronger. I let it cool, but it’s not as nice when it’s not hot.

Fourth cup: Last of the first steep. Brewed 20-30 minutes. Clear.
A little too strong by now. It seems thicker as well, and again cooler. The tea definitely is best hot and brewed a bit less than this.

Fifth cup: Resteep. Brewed 10 minutes. Clear.
Flavour is lighter. Still citrusy, smooth and rounded, and nice. The lingering taste is gone, though. I rather miss it….

Sixth cup: Same resteep. Brewed approx 30 minutes. Clear.
Ok. So, I gave up on the teacup and poured the rest into a larger mug. The teacup just… wasn’t the best way to go for drinking this tea on my own. But oh well. That being said, I think the tea may be best served in a dainty mug, halfway between these two vessels. Something to keep in mind for next time.
As for the tea itself, the resteeped flavour is stronger now, more reminiscent of the first cup. The smooth, creamy aftertaste is back, if still not as strong as it was on the first steep overall. The tea cooled as I drank and again I am reminded that this tea tastes much better hot.

Overall impression: A very nice flavour. I’m surprised by the ingredients in this one — it tastes like it should have something citrusy or creamy or something in it, but it’s just rooibos and flowers. Still, delicious, especially warm. And smelling the dry tea is wonderful as well!

My rating: 84. A-. It would’ve made a straight A if it were as good cooled as it is hot. Still, it’s got a lovely flavour for a dessert tea, making a great and calorie free alternative to the real food.