I don’t quite get candy apple when I smell this tea dry. Somehow, it’s not quite sweet or candy-like, and it has an almost bitter, spicy undertone. I’d like to think it’s the cinnamon, but I’m not sure. There are identifiable apple pieces, however, which is encouraging.
So far, though, this tea doesn’t quite match up to Tea Palace’s Jewelled Apple, which is by far my favourite candy apple flavoured tea. Even dry, the smell of that is an absolute knockout. Still, on to the tasting.
Brewed, some of the sweetness I was expecting does start to develop. Unfortunately, though, the black tea base completely overwhelms it. I can detect a slight apple-spice flavour, but it’s neither strong nor prominent. As with most of Adagio’s holiday teas, I feel the base is wrong for the flavour. It’s just too much, and has a slightly bitter aftertaste I don’t care for in this context.
I still feel that this is a pleasant enough tea. The candy apple flavour isn’t strong enough for my liking, though, and so in this respect it loses some of its appeal. Great idea in theory, uninspiring in practice.
Sorry you didn’t like this one. I agree that it has very little (if any) recognizable candy apple flavor.