Marsala

Er…so this was supposed to smell and taste like wine? …Okay then. While it steeped it smelled more like cinnamon syrup and the flavour comes across mostly as cinnamon-flavoured black tea. There’s a sweet, slightly grapey undertone that comes out more as the tea cools, but I was expecting something a bit more wine-like to be honest.

I have to be honest. I have yet to find a way to brew or sweeten this tea so that I can drink it (though I’m intrigued by the shorter steep time mentioned by the other reviewer and might give that a try). I just plain don’t like it.

However, I do use it fairly often in my cooking. Last night I used it in Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Pie (a Shepard’s Pie recipe from the comic books) and it definitely enhanced the flavour…the more of the pie I ate, the more I enjoyed it. This isn’t a tea I’ll be replacing when it runs out, but it really is quite tasty when paired with beef in a dish.

First off, on the information for brewing this tea it says 4-6 minutes. When I tried this for the first time, at their event. This stuff was SO bitter. I asked one of the tea ladies to brew some hotter samples. Thinking that the tea had cooled too much and perhaps the real flavor wasn’t shining through. Nah, it was still really really bitter. :( I don’t blame her though, 4-6 minutes is the suggested time.
Determined to “get it right”, I tried this at about 3 minutes. It tastes a lot better.

This reminds me a lot of their Pure Chai tea. The cinnamon and cloves in Marsala really express themselves. Black tea leaves and the “Marsala flavoring” are there too. The bitterness is still present, but it can be lessened with a shorter steep time (3 mins worked for me). Overall, it has a strong and delightful flavor. I loved their Pure Chai, so this was an enjoyable cuppa.

I’m not a wine drinker, so I can’t compare this to the real wine equivalent. Seriously though, if you like the Pure Chai blend this is a good pick. If you want wine, get yourself a bottle of the real stuff.