So, what was everyone’s Christmas/holiday haul?
I’m certainly sure I wasn’t the only one who had tea related things under the Christmas tree! Like I’ve already said, I got $75 towards a Camellia Sinensis order and my Secret Santa at work got me a $15 DAVIDsTEA gift card and a Spiderman mug. Though I still have one more Christmas to celebrate before I’ll know my full Christmas haul.
Anyway; I grabbed this tea last week from Cuppa’T. It was something I 100% didn’t expect to grab or even know was carried by them but couldn’t resist once I’d seen it. Everything Great Gatsby related pulls me in; I’m such a fan of the book and movie! In all honesty, the ingredients didn’t appeal to me at all but just the idea of seeing how the flavour profile would play into how I view the novel had my literary side nerding out so badly!
Ultimately, I want to try this one hot because I just get the feeling that’s how it’ll be best enjoyed but thus far I’ve only had it cold brewed because that’s just what was the easiest way for me to drink it as soon as possible; and I wanted to try it as soon as possible. The flavour is very sweet and in an odd way quite juice like which is surprising given the amount of ingredients in this blend which aren’t fruit. I wouldn’t say the sweetness is overpowering.
Actually, I’d say the richness of the flavour notes nicely parallels the richness and opulence of not only Jay Gatsby but the whole era in which The Great Gatsby is set so that’s a nice tie in with the name of the tea right off the bat. The dominant flavour notes here are: cinnamon, nutmeg, cocoa, sweet apple, and coffee. Moving outside of the setting in which Great Gatsby takes place and onto how this reminds me of the characters I have to say that the one character that this reminds me of in particular is Owl Eyes!
That’s surprising for me because I’ve always pictured that if Owl Eyes was a tea drinker yes, this is something I’ve thought about before he’d drink Lapsang Souchong because Owl Eyes is in a way meant to be the embodiment of the all seeing eyes that look over The Valley of Ashes. And I still think that’s what he’d drink were he a real person, these flavours just seem to capture the nature of his personality. Also, moving back to setting, we see Owl Eyes in Gatsby’s library and I like to think that a library as elaborate as Gatsby’s would have not only the smell of books and parchment but something comparable to the warming spices and coffee I’m tasting in this blend!
I’m probably putting too much weight on what the thought process was behind this blend and symbolism between it and the characters/setting. However, I’m ultimately happy with the blend overall. This is one impulse purchase I don’t regret.
Interesting list of ingredients !