So laying in bed this morning with a serious junk food hangover (it was Ben’s birthday party yesterday, totally worth the junk binge) I had a thought. Or more like a series of thoughts. I love doing tea research, (ok I just love doing research) I love writing about tea and keeping extensive notes on the subject. Since I plan on researching and writing about tea for my own purposes, maybe my dear readers would also like to read my research. So here is the question, would you all be interested in periodic informative posts on tea? It would be random, no more than once a week, probably every other week to once a month.
Today’s tea was part of the 2013 Autumn Collection at DAVIDsTEA, and for once there still is some left on their online store. Sugar and Spice is a blend of Black Tea, Apples, Cinnamon cassia, Cloves, Carrots, Marigold Petals, Orange Peel, and Natural Vanilla Flavoring. I opened my little sample package and immediately was hit with an overwhelming pang of homesickness. The dry leaves smell just like the carrot cake my mom would make for my birthday when I was a wee little one. The aroma is rich and sweet, blending carrots, spices, and vanilla for an added extra frosting like treat.
Once I toss the leaves in some water to steep, the now soggy leaves smell even more like carrot cake and more like a malty black tea. Imagine that it is carrot cake sitting next to a cup of tea and you have the perfect mental image. The spices are more subdued when wet. The liquid is sweet and spicy, a perfect blend of cloves and cinnamon, with a hint of vanilla. There is of course a bit of carrot cake, but not as strong as the wet or dry leaves.
Tasting time, and I admit, I am holding this tea to some high standards after the nostalgic, mouthwatering party that was the dry leaves. The taste is spicy and earthy, like an unsweetened carrot cake. The spices are subtle, no kick in the face of cinnamon and mouth numbing cloves, always a plus with spiced teas. The initial earthy taste fades to a subtle sweetness, like apples and carrot juice, with lingering warmth from the spices. This tea made my heart feel good, and it tasted good, so overall I say that is a win.
For photos and blog: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/03/davdstea-sugar-and-spice-tea-review.html
Flavors: Cinnamon, Cloves, Earth, Malt, Vanilla
