TeaGschwendner

mmm really enjoyed this one today, moving in to those cool weather teas where i just want warm comforting goodness

good. drink. happy. yay

Mastress Alita’s Sipdown Challenge January 2022: A Cream-Flavoured Tea

This sipdown took a bit of work. Also came to the realization that, while I enjoy this tea and think it’s neat, it’s not my favourite and I’ve been drinking “around” it. I ordered from this company about two years ago and only this and Gina Amaretta are left (and they are beginning to age unfavourably). It’s time to say goodbye!

I’m worried the tangy cream aroma is starting to age so added a shot of Bailey’s to really build that Irish Cream flavouring. It’s nice. Maybe too nice.

Here in the Lower Mainland, we are experiencing our “false fall” (refer to this pie chart for a full list of Vancouver, BC’s “seasons”:
https://preview.redd.it/3ub7pory9c521.png?auto=webp&s=5d52146b3a4832433dd4ec2dd6f2b32ac6ebdbb7 )

Tonight, I bit the bullet and decided to try adding Vanilla Cinnamon Baileys to this tea. It’s pretty delicious in an uncomplicated way. This may be a thing in the upcoming cold months.

Chugging this one away while in Limbo. I still think it tastes like the “cheese cream” in bubble teas, and I’m perfectly ok with that.

With Milk.

Ever had a Crema Bubble Tea from the likes of Chatime? The cream flavour is hard to describe because it has a savoury component, like a cheese, but is still used in a dessert-like context (cream cheese like in cheesecake). It is a flavour that makes me a bit nauseous but also a tad in love.

O’Connor’s Cream has a bit of that “dessert cheese” quality. It’s rich, velvety, tangy, and heady (boozy) to taste and to smell.

I’m surprised cocoa is present (yeah, I know it’s in the description and listed as an ingredient, supposedly helping to catalyze the flavour profile). It’s mostly subtle, like a Browned Butter Milk Chocolate, that is more parts browned butter and milk than chocolate (and add whisky). I don’t know if I would’ve picked cocoa out if it hadn’t been pointed out. It’s doing some interesting things, creating more persuasive flavours and food associations.

Anyways, I was apprehensive about ordering 100g off the bat, and was going to offload some on my old workplace if I wasn’t a complete fan or merely liked it. Now, I suspect it won’t last as long as any of us would like (family members are already fans too).

Sipdown (814)!

This was an alright tea – pretty easy drinking and smooth, though I found the flavour a bit flat/stale and uninteresting. I picked up on notes of apple and cinnamon, though both were subtler, allowing for more of the natural flavour of the black tea to come through. It’s just a shame that the black tea flavour wasn’t really anything exceptional.

Thanks for the share, Kittenna!

Advent day 20. This smells so yummy and almondy, but also screams hibiscus. I decided against pitching it out and tried cold steeping it instead. It was fun watching the red hib death emit slow red curls into the cup until the whole cup looked like a shark attack. I tasted it, expecting to hate it, but that hate never came. I don’t exactly like it, but whatever hot water does to turn hibiscus into a gross bitter iron flavored mess didn’t happen full force in the cooler water. I get a tart apple with cranberry and almond. I almost like it!

Advent day 19. Who is Gwendalina and what’s up with her baked apple? There is another tea company that has a tea under the same name. Huh. I feel like I may have steeped this at too high of a temp. The apple was subtle for most of the cup and came out more as the cup cooled. It was an okay cup.

Advent day 18. Took a few sips before adding cream and honey and was greeted with a concentrated brew with spices. After adding to my cup I get a deep tea taste with a mixture of spices on top. The spices are blended so well that I can’t really pick them out individually. It’s a warm and comforting cup, but I feel so so about it in general.

Advent day 17. I’m really glad they number their teas and that the numbers translate from German to English because all of the pouches in this advent calendar are printed in German which makes the teas difficult to look up without the number system.
I get a dusty fruity green in this cup. I can’t identify the fruit as citrus, but I think the mate gives it a dusty flavored note. I like this better than yesterday’s sencha, but I’m not finding anything unique about it compared to other fruity greens.

Advent day 15. This is a strange blend! I get sweet spices mixed with savory. Fennel is prominent in the sip, but there is almost something like rye in the finish. I don’t know about this one. It puzzles me.

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