Maple Flavored Black Tea

This is quite yummy!! thanks to Ninavampi for sharing a sample with me!
There isn’t as much maple flavour as I’d have liked… I added quite a bit of agave to bring it out (1.5 teaspoons)
With milk, it wasn’t nearly as flavourful. I sampled a bit of it that way, I’m glad I listened to my instincts and didn’t just dump milk in the mug like I usually do. In any case, I’m feeling much better after a cuppa.
I’m staying at home sick today, since I sound like Rod Stewart meets a squeaky mouse.
Ginger tea is usually how I go in times like this, but I drank a strong infusion of chammy/ginger/honey through the night and I think I’m saturated for the moment :P
Besides, maple seems to have a similar effect to honey. I gotta say it again… YUM!
EDIT: Okay so after a second steep, with some agave of course, I’m getting more of a maple note… all thick and lingering in my throat like the real stuff. Wow. I am lovin it!

I am super happy. Ecstatic. Thrilled. : )

They opened a small tea shop in Ecuador. It isn’t very large, but it is quaint and enjoyable. And honestly, a huge step for tea in Ecuador. I always had to bring all of my tea from the US or Europe whenever someone came to visit! But, now I get to buy some of my own tea, at decent price, right here in Quito!

The tea shop is called Le The, and they sell a decent variety of teas. Most of them flavored, which is all right with me. I asked them what company they imported their tea from, and the store clerk didn’t know. So after I chose a few varieties I came home and went to work on Google! Since they kept the names on the teas I was able to find that all of the teas in the shop came from English Tea Shop! Confirmed! I am so excited! I am going to be able to get some of my tea right in the comfort of my own country! I love trying new teas!

The first tea I tried was this one. I only found it bagged on the site, but I bought it loose leaf. The leaves were small and dark. Didn’t smell very much like maple, but more like a light lapsang souchong. I decided to try it since I loved 52teas pancake tea so much. The blackness of the tea was pretty monotonous, but not really knowing what to expect, I went ahead with my 2 teaspoons for 16oz of boiling water.

The liquor also smelled smokey, and I got a bit worried. I do not like smokey teas. Not at all. They taste like chimney soot to me (sorry to those who enjoy them!)… I decided to go ahead and sweeten it before I tried it, just in case. I used 1 heaping teaspoon of brown sugar. I took my time stirring and dissolving the sugar. I was nervous that it would taste like a smokey sweet mess.

And… Sip… Sip…. Yum!!! I like it! It actually reminds me quite a bit of 52teas pancake blend! Not quite as smooth and a tad bit more smokey, but still enjoyable. It didn’t take me long to finish up my cup with a contented smile on my face. I didn’t get any chimney soot flavor, there was more of a Maple and Camp Fire flavored Cotton Candy thing going on (hope that makes sense!).

I am happy this tea is decent. I am happy that I can go wander around a (even if small) tea shop! And I am happy that I get to write about it and there is a possibility that someone out there has also had the chance to try it!

OK, happy giddy excitedness is all in writing now! : ) I might have to try this tea again and readjust the rating because my excitement might be influencing my taste buds…

The ETS was selling 25 count pouches of this tea bagged for pretty cheap so I decided to give it a try. It’s has a sickly sweet smell so I thought I would try drinking it straight thinking it would not need sugar- it is not as sweet as it smells and was a little bitter. But once I added a bit of sugar it was quite sweet and tasted just like maple syrup. I don’t think I would buy this tea again but it’s not bad. I bet kids would love it.