Before I dive into the actual steeping experience I just want to give Soleil Tea a big THANK YOU for the excellent customer service. I’ve had Amazon packages missing when I sent things to my apartment before and my sample order from Soleil was no exception. I know it’s not their fault that I didn’t get my tea but I sent them an email to let them know that I didn’t receive the shipment despite the tracking info says that my package has been delivered 4 days ago. I was so surprised that I received a reply from Soleil within hours and they told me not to worry coz they would send me another box right away with no extra charge whatsoever.
What amazed me even more was that they even threw in extra samples of their vanilla black, Casablanca, and another sample of their TKY! Soleil Tea you’ve made my day :D
Now let’s come back to Van Dyke. An airy and almost masculine fragrance enveloped me when I first opened the bag. It reminds me of all the hikes I go on with my hubby. I carefully measured out 2 tsp (picked out about 8 petals of hops since I love the hoppiness of beer but most definitely didn’t want a bitter cup). Since the tea base was a black tea I wasn’t the most concerned with temperature and poured in 8oz of boiling water into my handcrafted ceramic mug. I was planning to steep it for a minute but forgot and let it steeped for about 2 minutes instead.
Van Dyke came out robust but not astringent or bitter at all. It was impressionable. Something unique with its own character. I can’t compare this to other blends I’ve had since I never had anything close to this tea before. Definitely getting more once I finish the sample!
Flavors: Absinthe, Cocoa, Dark Chocolate, Dark Wood, Hops, Pine, Rainforest
