This is actually my second time having this tea. From the first, I remember a light, sweet maple flavor edged by the “nuts” (in this case, the sunflower seeds. which i ate afterwards).
I heated the water to about 203 degrees, and am letting it steep for four minutes, as per the instructions.
Dry, the leaves give off a very pleasant maple scent that whets my appetite. Tea-petite? (I’m feeling a little silly this morning.) And it’s actually been six minutes, so let’s see if I can drink the tea yet.
I can suck it through my teeth, but can’t quite “drink” yet. That first sip came close to burning my tongue, but didn’t quite make it there. But, that gorgeous maple swishes across my taste buds again, sweet and complex. I’m still getting hints of the “almond” but it’s not an in-your-face flavor. It’s more like it rounds out the edges of the maple, giving it more complexity.
A few minutes later….
Ok, that’s drinkable now without burning my tongue. At this point, the sunflower seeds are coming out swinging, relegating the maple to to sweeten the background. Still nice, and I’m glad the maple hasn’t disappeared yet. I think I preferred the maple in the forefront, though. The nuts in the foreground give the tea a tinge of bitterness. It’s not unpleasant, but I liked it a little better the other way.
Probably about the only thing that keeps me from ordering a large of this one is that I now have way too much tea for the space I’ve got, and I really need to finish some of it. (Not that that always stops meChocolateRoseTruffleI’mlookingatyou.) I’m not sure whether I’ll miss this tea when it’s gone, but I’m sure going to enjoy it while I’ve got it.
Flavors: Bitter, Maple Syrup, Nutty, Sweet
