Pear Caramel

This is one of those teas that gets pushed towards the back of my tea stash and as a result I don’t pick it too often. I think part of this is because I’m not a huge fan of The Spice and Tea Exchange. I LOVE going into their store and I love the little sample teas that they have, but more often than not I get home and steep those cute little samples and I find them lacking in some way, or often with an odd flavor. (Wondering is this could be because they are in a store with so many other prominent scents from the other spices, etc.?) Anyway, I wasn’t too picky this morning and just randomly chose a tea from my drawer and this was the lucky winner. I didn’t have much hope while steeping it, and even made a second container of my old standby tea to take along with me to school just in case I didn’t like this one. I’m happy to say that I was surprised! This isn’t a tea that is bursting with flavor or that has a lot of fun undertones that you want to keep sipping just to figure it out – it’s more of just an all-around pleasant tea. It may be one that I turn to a little more frequently after my unexpected experience with it this morning.

-Dry blend has medium black tea leaves and twigs with a few pieces of dried pears.
-Dry leaves smell faintly of fresh pears. Tea liquor aroma is of strong black tea with a hint of sweet caramel and fruit.
-Tea liquor is a clear medium golden brown color.
-Earthy and malty flavor with a subtle caramel finish. Very light pear aftertaste.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Fair tea. Faint flavor of sweet pear and caramel with a light maltiness.

Backlog… #1 of many :)
I never should have purchased this tea. It smelled a bit musty, which is usually my first hint that it won’t agree with me.
For some reason, I get caramel… a whole lot of vanilla (not my thing) and a sugary sort of pear note way off in the background.
Right off the bat I knew it would be too strong for me, so I gave my Aunt the first steep and took the second one for myself. It was ok that way, better than the sip I had of the first steep anyhow!
There isn’t much else to say about it, for me. I will do my best to find this one a good home. Don’t let my standoff with vanilla keep you away! any takers?

It’s miserably warm outside but I’ve decided it’s time for a cup of tea regardless. The Spice and Tea Exchange’s Pear Caramel is the last tea I have yet to try from a recent outing, and I’ve been eager to taste test it.

Brewed it’s a lovely translucent amber color, and smells like…. tea. Hm. Upon tasting, it’s sweet, but not the dripping with juice, wet pear I was hopinh for. There’s a very very subtle burnt sugar flavor, which I’m assuming is the caramel. There’s also something very floral about it, though I can’t pin point it.

I’m underwhelmed. I’m going to try a second steeping on the leaves once I’m done with this pot and let them sit longer and see how that goes.