I first tried this ones ages ago, as a sample from Shmiracles. Not long after Harvey Nichols started stocking it, and I loved it so much I bought a full tin. I’d not opened it until today! As soon as I removed the ring-pull seal, it smelled amazing – pure salted caramel! I used 1 tsp of leaf for my cup, and gave it 3 minutes in boiling water. I added a generous splash of milk, but no sugar because I can tell from the scent that it’s going to be pretty sweet.
To taste, it’s a lot stronger than I remember it being. The initial sip is soft, rich caramel with hints of vanilla and salt, really decadent and dessert-like. Dark chocolate emerges in the mid-sip, along with thick, sweet malt. It’s like drinking chocolate sauce poured over caramel – a rich, high-cocoa dark chocolate that’s leaning towards being bittersweet. The bitterness gains a little prominence at the end of the sip, but at this point it’s actually quite a welcome distraction. How often do I get to say that?!
When I added the milk, I was slightly concerned that it would drown everything out, but there’s no chance of that happening. The flavour is so strong and intense, but I guess it’s freshly opened and it might dissipate a bit over time. A little of intensity fades as the cup cools, so maybe it’s also a hot water thing. Trying this as a cold brew has just become an appealing idea! I love the fact that the base tea here is an Assam. I adore Assam, and I feel like it’s a bit underused in blends at the moment – particularly chocolate or caramel blends, which IMO it’s perfectly suited to. It does make for a strong cup overall – quite tannic in some ways, and thickly malty, but done well (and it’s done exceptionally well here) it can be a great thing.
This one is pretty much the ultimate dessert tea. If you’re looking for a chocolate or caramel black tea, look no further. I could take this one a little less intense, so I’ll probably fiddle around with my brewing parameters a little, but there’s no question as to what this tea is about. Chocolate. Caramel. Malt. I wasn’t sure how our reacquaintance would fair, but it looks like it’s still love at first sip.
