Caramel

I know by this time of day I usually move on to Greens, Whites, Rooibos, Minty, etc types but I can’t stop tasting the lovely teas AUGGY sent me! So…here’s another one!

This doesn’t smell like FAKE Caramel…that’s a plus. Not that I am a Caramel Pro by any means. Actually, I’m not really one to usually choose caramel flavored anything…but…there have been some teas I have had recently that have been quite good and they’ve contained Caramel! So…

This flavored tea is soothing and somewhat sweet. The black tea isn’t overpowering nor is it bitter. The Caramel isn’t too in-your-face and it seems to go with the Black tea perfectly. What a union! This is nice!

The other tea I bought in Paris!

It’s not actually the first time I’ve had it since then, but now I sort of have the semi-energy to post about it.

I have come to trust Auggy’s taste in tea implicitly. Seriously, our tea tastes are so similar it’s amazing, so when I saw her posting about this a little while before I went on holiday, I immediately added it to the list of stuff to look for. Thanks for that, Auggy.

I had a caramel tea from Luka before and it had little caramel bits in it. This one doesn’t and it’s not really the same kind of tea at all. Luka’s caramel black had a sort of creamy taste, (as I recall anyway) where as this is more tea-y with a flavour of caramel than caramel-y with a flavour of tea.

I like that.

This one is also making me want to explore this brand a bit more. Hmmm… Yes…

I’ve heard about this tea so many times on Steepster that I have been dying to try a sample for a while, and whatshesaid indulged me :)

Unfortunately, however, consumed in the presence of other caramelly teas, I’m finding this one to be lacking and almost flavourless. I also may have understeeped, so it’s a good thing that I was given enough to make a second cup! I’ll give it another shot sometime in the future, and write a better tasting note then!

Thanks for the sample, whatshesaid!

I’m giving a bump up to the rating of this one. I keep thinking, “Ah yes, a nice caramel tea.” But no, it’s not. It’s really a great caramel tea. The smell is fantastic – thick and silky and just guh. Like those candy commercials where they have caramel flowing into caramel-colored silk? Yeah, it smells like that.

But if a tea tastes like dirty socks I’m not going to fall in love with it, silky rich smell or not. Thankfully, no dirty socks here. On the first sip of this tea I’m always reminded of Lupicia’s English Caramel because this is surprisingly unsweet. Unlike English Caramel, however, it thankfully goes nowhere near bittersweet. Instead, it’s silky (but not too heavy) straight caramel chew that somehow manages to be candy but not be sugary-sweet.

Then the sip ends and that’s where the sweet seems to really hit me – it expands in my mouth and suddenly I feel like I’ve been sucking on caramel-flavored nectar. When I had finished with my 12oz I actually felt like it had coated my mouth with a post-caramel-chew flavor/feeling.

It’s just an all around delightful tea, thus the rating bump. I think it’s a grand feat for a tea to manage such smooth, silky dessert-tea-ness, especially without sugar or milk. I’m already dreading the day I run out.

goddamn it i can’t believe i just steeped this for 9 min :(

am i right that it would be kinda respectable to dump some out and add water until it’s not bitter? that’s a thing that people do?

…. WAIT WAIT wait. how is it possible that this tea isn’t horribly bitter?!?!?!
i didn’t add water or anything and sure it may not be the best steep of this tea but i swear i am amazed that i can drink it and it’s only slightly more potent than i would like. after 9 minutes!!! how is that even possible?!

this accidental power steep has kinda given me a whole new level of appreciation for this tea. grace under pressure. i’m gonna drink much more of you caramel! cuz now that i’ve seen your inner beauty, i understand you much more.

I’ve been wanting to try this one for a while now and today seemed like the day. This is also my first Kusmi, so I’m excited.

The dry leaves smell wonderful, but surprisingly it’s not just any old caramel I’m smelling. It’s buttery and nutty and… just yum. It must be that French thing. They can make anything elegant. That’s what this smell is: elegant. This isn’t your Halloween candy caramel. It’s a caramel from a very high end box of candies, indeed.

The tea’s aroma is mostly that same, very buttery and nutty caramel with a vanilla note. It steeps to a lighter color than I’d thought it would, but a pretty one. A sort of rosy amber.

I’m tasting a sweet, smooth, caramel-laced tea, with an extra caramel boost at the tail of the sip and it is terrifically comforting.

Now. How does this compare to Caramel-Toffee by Dammann Freres? Gosh, I might have to try them next to each other to say for sure. They’re both really delicious. I suspect the Dammann Freres may be creamier and that it may ultimately win out, but it may be one of those things where they’re similar but just different enough so that you can’t really choose one over the other and it’s really about what mood you’re in (like Florence and The Du Loup).

This is my very first Kusmi tea! I have just about ordered from this company a couple of times, only to decide I would wait. So big thank you to whatshesaid for a sample of this! The dry leaves smell lightly of black tea and sweet caramel, and the tea aroma is of warm caramel. I’m probably still half asleep right now and the first sip took me by surprise, it’s pretty sweet on it’s own with a authentic caramel flavor and there’s a nice maltiness from the black tea. There’s a rich caramel aftertaste that is just like biting into a piece of caramel candy. I added a little milk and sweetener and it became a smooth cup, but this is one of those rare teas that I could actually drink without either one and be perfectly content. It doesn’t seem to oversteep, either. When I poured the rest from my teapot (where the leaves were still steeping) into my cup, the rich caramel flavor had only intensified, with no bitterness. This may be my first tea that it just caramel flavored, so I probably don’t have much to compare it to, but I am pretty happy with this tea!

-Dry blend has medium black tea leaves and twigs.
-Dry leaves smell lightly of black tea and sweet caramel. Tea liquor aroma is of warm caramel.
-Tea liquor is a clear medium orange brown color.
-Malty and sweet caramel flavor and finish. Rich caramel aftertaste.
-Milk and sweetener optional.
-Very good tea. Lightly flavored. A smooth and sweet cup. Reminiscent of caramel candies.

Special thanks to Tamm for letting me try this one since I’ve been thinking about buying a tin of it…

I steeped mine for around 4 minutes and am drinking it straight up plain today… the Kusmi teas I’ve tried were all the Russian blends so the simplicity of this is a refreshing change of pace. A nice smooth, medium bodied black tea. The caramel flavor is subtle with just a hint of sweetness and doesn’t seem artificial to me. This was a great choice for after lunch with a cookie! :)

I tried adding soymilk to it but I think I preferred it plain actually…

This was enjoyable for a flavored black tea but it doesn’t need a permanent home in my ever growing stash.

The Final Sipdown: Day 6.2

It’s a slightly overcast, though otherwise no less beautiful fall day. After momentarily debating over which tea to ELIMINATE next [sorry, I write a word like ELIMINATE and feel as though it needs to be said in all caps], Auggy reminded me that she had sent over some of Kusmi’s Caramel in the last package I received from her.

No brainer.

Using the entire sample [and it was sizeable], I made a large pot in the Breville and poured about a third of it into my tumbler to take while I took the dog out for a walk. Apart from the fact that the tumbler [I keep wanting to type that as tumblr] I have keeps the tea HOTHOTHOT for a long time [great when I’m drinking throughout the day, not so much in the short term], it was a delightful companion to my afternoon excursion.

That said, drinking tea whilst walking a very curious dog does not lend itself to paying attention to nuances within a tea. So I was happy that I had a near full pot waiting me when I returned so that I could log it properly.

This tea is smoooooth. It tastes of caramel, but not in an overtly flavored way. The black tea flavor is nearly always threading in and out of the caramel flavor in a pleasant, complimentary manner. At times I get notes of dates and cocoa, but the caramel is the star here and it is delicious. As the tea cools, I tend to get more astringency from it, but the aftertaste always is silky, part-salty-part-sweet caramel.

I have spent the majority of today sipping on this whilst Little Dog sleeps nearby, I catch up on DVR’d things, and I recover from yesterday. Thoroughly enjoyable, and should I find myself at Dean & Deluca in the near future, I hope I’ll be able to snag a tin of this [though I don’t recall seeing it the last time I was there]. Part of me is now wishing I had used one of my self-alloted five saves to keep part of this sample later, but it’s just giving me another reason to push through TFS so I can justify purchasing a tin.

Little Dog | http://bit.ly/cgMywy
Foliage | http://bit.ly/cb6e5y

And just to reiterate: I ABSOLUTELY ENDORSE THIS TEA.

Teas Downed: 14

Thank you whatshesaid (who forever more will always make me think of whatsherface)

I finally got a chance to try this one from our swap today and it’s quite nice. It reminds me of a less creamy caramel creme. I prefer the base tea in this one though. I’ll have to try adding a splash of milk to this at some point as well. Good thing i’ve got a few cups of this to try out :)

This tea comes to me this morning courtesy of… Angrboda. Thank you, my sweet overseas tea friend.

I don’t even know where to begin with this tea. I want to start out by screaming, “THIS IS AMAZING STUFF!” However, I think I’ll restrain myself and begin at the beginning…

The scent: The scent of this tea is just like caramel. It’s such a rich, toffee-like aroma that I have an urge to lick the tea. (It’s difficult to quell.) I digress.

The taste of this tea is out of this world. It’s so good. The black tea is thankfully not at all bitter, but instead smooth and perfect for the caramel “essences” as Kusmi calls them. These “essences” are the caramel of my childhood. The rich, toasted (not overly sweetened) caramel that my mom used to make for us once a year during the holidays, but which we pined for and whined for all year long. It’s not a very sweet tea, and it’s not at all a sugary tea. Instead, it’s a dessert tea that I would be proud to serve at a formal event. I can see this tea not only in my lime green mug, but also in a delicate teacup of bone china.

Wow, Kusmi, you’re amazing, yet so far away hanging out there in Europe. Add another stop to my European trip… Denmark and now France (comment tu me manques…)

Thank you, Angrboda!

I’m drinking my afternoon cup of tea a little earlier than I usually do today because I want to have not one but two afternoon cups! I just have so much tea that I can’t wait to try it all, and for some reason today I really want some.

I’m thrilled to get a chance to try this one, sent to me by Angrboda! This is definitely one of those teas that gets raved about so much I really wanted to try it. The caramel smell of the dried leaf is very nice… I could just smell it all day, I think. It’s caramel but not a very buttery caramel, but I can’t quite put my finger on how to describe it. The brewed tea has much more black tea in the aroma, with a burnt-sugar caramel aroma behind it. I feel like the caramel makes itself known a bit more in the flavor, and it’s definitely a roasted-sugar type caramel as opposed to a buttery-creamy caramel. It actually distinctly reminds me of some kind of burnt-sugar candy I bought in London once. It pairs pretty flawlessly with the black tea base, which is pretty smooth but it still has a bit of a kick to it, by which I suppose I mean it’s fairly bold. I was surprised by the low suggested steep temp on this one, but upon drinking it I feel like the black tea might have overtaken the caramel at a higher temp. Overall a definitely delicious tea!

Angrboda was kind enough to send me some of this tea! It was quite a surprise too! I’m still feeling amazed and so grateful!! :) It was sure a delicious surprise. I l-o-o-o-o-v-e caramel and I love Kusmi, so I did not waste a second and hurried to the kitchen to make a pot of this for my husband and I. It smelled so. good. in the package!!

The first thing that struck me was how multidimensional the caramel was. It was smooth, chewy, that under layer of burnt richness yet somehow sweet. The second thing that struck me was how wonderfully it interacted with the tea base. Again, smooth kept coming to mind. Even my husband said “Gosh this tea is good!”

Totally my favorite caramel I’ve tried so far. Kusmi nailed this one. I wouldn’t change a thing.

Thanks to Shmiracles for this treat!

As it’s steeping it smells like a toasty caramel amidst the black tea. I’m finding Kusmi black teas seem to have a distinct scent to them.

This one is lovely. A nice strong black with a hint of caramel. I’m really enjoying it straight. I may add some brown sugar once I get down to half a cup or so to see what happens.

Okay I couldn’t wait to add the brown sugar and I’m glad I didn’t. Just delicious!

I have an insatiable sweet tooth. In fact, I probably have a mouth full of sweet teeth. If you put sugar on asparagus, I’m interested and there! I was very excited when I read about Kusmi’s Caramel Tea. This blend sounded like it would combine two of my favorite indulgences, sweets and tea.

I brewed this tea for four minutes at 195 degrees. A broth with an amber color emerged.

I expected (or was hoping for) an aroma that would be similar to a caramel apple on a stick. This was not the case, though. The faint smell was more like pipe tobacco. It was sweet but unlike my recollection of caramel.

When the first sip hit my tastebuds, I found myself asking, “Where’s the caramel?” There was a pleasing tea taste but I didn’t experience the presence of the advertised confection. However, with each sip, more sweetness and a slight caramel taste began to emerge and linger. Maybe I don’t detect a major caramel attendance because I’ve bombarded my senses with candy, cookies, cakes, pies, and ice cream for my entire life. If you partake of the sweeter things in life with more self-control than I, perhaps you will find a stronger and more luscious caramel occupation.

Either way, this is a nice pleasant tea with no bitter aftertaste. I’m not sure that I will drink this tea in the morning. Its attempt to be a “dessert tea” may make it more suitable for the afternoon.

Another sampling from TeaEqualsBliss – thank you!

This is one that I’ve been most interested to try. I’ve read a few very positive reviews on Steepster for it and it peaked my curiosity.

The aroma is delicious – I do love caramel! A sweet, browned sugar scent.

The tea base is strong and I’m getting a little bitterness from it, but not so much that it’s unpleasant. Not as sweet tasting as the aroma lead me to believe but it is tasty (although, I must admit that I do prefer my own caramel blend)

Oh gee, look at all the fancy ratings for this one!! There must be something wrong with mine. What’d you do to it Shmiracles?! lol j/k (^^)

This tastes like a cheap bagged tea with artificial funky caramel flavor. Yuck!

It’s drinkable, but definitely not to my standards.

I really want to love this, but I find it brews really weak! It’s so black and rich smelling in the tin, but when you add water it isn’t very hearty at all. I know there’s a real “tea word” for that but I’m struggling to remember it.

So, caramel. It does smell fairly caramelly, but doesn’t taste as much. I know I’ve been drinking a lot of super sweet dessert teas over the last few years, the kind that punch you in the face with their (often artificial) sweetness. Obviously this one is intended to be much more subtle and therefore classic. I am trying it with a bit of cream now which is weakening it more. I bet a small amount of sugar would bring out the flavour more but I have sworn off adding sugar to anything. I might try a bit of honey though that could be weird.

To summarize, it’s not as sweet or caramellicious as I’d hoped, but my taste buds have long been ruined by ridiculous saccharine confection blends so I will keep trying this as I hone my tastes!

I enjoy this tea very much, it’s really reliable and tasty. I don’t really think it tastes extremely caramelly, but I can detect it. And I adore the tin <3

THIS TEA IS SO GLORIOUS.

I feel like a millionaire drinking this tea. So refined, and it’s a flavored tea!

The thing that I really love about it is that the flavor of the tea itself is not obscured. The caramel flavor is subtle, adding a smooth, creamy sweetness that lightly flavors a solid, malty black tea. It’s really fabulous, and quite forgiving. I’ve only had it for a week now but I’ve brewed it about 6 times (addict addict addict). It tastes best at about 4 to 4 1/2 minutes—it takes a little longer than other flavored blacks, in my opinion, and I’m not sure why—but if you go under or over, it doesn’t make that much of a difference.

Everything. The tin, the tea, the smell of steeping leaves. This is a great tea. Thanks MUCH to Angrboda for bringing this one to my attention!