Caramel Apple

Well this is definitely an oolong, which I generally don’t like, but I treaterd this one very gently and it is not too bad, all things considered. I really don’t love it though and it is a bit of a mystery why it didn’t go out during the great tea purge of 2017.

Resteep. I think I should have used cooler water because this cup is a little more on the astringent side than I’d expected. The caramel and apple notes are still there, but it’s lost the delicious nuttiness that I experienced from this last time. Bummer. Note to self: pay more attention to brewing this one.

Shana tova! In the spirit of Rosh Hashana, I opted for an apple tea. Two, actually. Time for a caramel apple blend showdown! I’m pitting A Quarter to Tea’s Caramel Baked Apple Oolong against Butiki’s Caramel Apple (also an oolong). Who shall emerge victorious?! I am posting this note under both teas, so apologies for clogging your dashboards.

QTT Caramel Baked Apple
The scent of this leaf is sweet cinnamon, but there’s no cinnamon flavor in the sip. Instead, it’s all soft, sweet baked apple. No caramel flavor either, even after adding brown rock sugar. There is a sort of rocky note here which reminded me of Butiki’s Caramel Apple. That’s what inspired this taste test in the first place.

Butiki Caramel Apple
The scent of rich caramel wafts out of the mug as soon as the hot water hits the leaf. The caramel apple flavor here is spot on. It’s sweet, crisp, perfectly candy apple. The flavoring also melds nicely with the rockiness of the base tea. I actually find that rockiness off-putting on its own but the sweetness rounds it out and makes it pleasant. No need for sweetener here!

Both of these teas are quite tasty. The Butiki has a stronger caramel flavor and tastes more crisp. By contrast, the QTT tastes more like a baked apple pastry (which, to be fair, is implied in the title). Each tea hits the spot in a different way. I’m glad to have both!

I’ll confess to being a little scared of this one, because it has a roasted oolong base and roasted oolong is my nemesis. I can smell it upon opening the packet – just oolong, and no caramel apple. It’s nutty and a little metallic. Hmm. I followed the recommended parameters and used 1.5 tsp of leaf for my cup, for three minutes, in water cooled to around 180 degrees.

In practice, I needn’t have worried. This is a gentle flavoured tea, it’s true. The sweetness and caramelly smoothness seem to come as much from the oolong base as from any added flavouring, and it’s a more natural taste as a result. I’m not getting much in the way of apple, although there’s a hint of red apple sweetness and a tiny bit of fresh, appley sharpness during the initial sips. As this one cools, though, it becomes mostly just oolong. There’s none of the metallic awfulness I was expecting, thankfully, but there is quite a strong roastiness that’s a little bit at odds with the sweeter flavours. I can totally see how it works as toasted nuts after having read the description, though.

This isn’t my favourite of the flavoured Butiki teas I have left, but perhaps it was never going to be. I don’t dislike it, and I’ll easily be able to finish my 1oz bag, I just think on balance the base tea is not for me. I might try a little crystal sugar next time just to see what effect that has.

I didn’t even want to write this note. I will be quick about it in any case. I received this in a swap. I was sorrowed to find that I could detect no apple or caramel taste to the 3-4 cups I had of this one. :( It was a nice toasty and roasted oolong with a vague fruit sweetness. I think maybe it had just been too aged and the flavourings dissipated. It was in a plastic sandwich bag so that, I’m sure, didn’t help. Oh well. Stacy did say that some of the flavoured blends would be diminished in taste at this point, especially if not stored for the long term. Happy to try it though, and I am sure it was lovely 6 months ago! :)

Sipdown!

Sipdown!

We hardly knew each other (I just had a sample) but this tea rocked my Thursday.

Sweet Caramel Apple Goodness.

Sample from Kaylee. Thank you!

I was a bit disappointed with this tea upon first trying it. To me it only has a light flavor of apple, and maybe cinnamon, and I can’t taste the caramel at all. As I sipped on it, I decided I do actually like it. Although the apple isn’t strong, it is distinctly there, and works well with the oolong. This tea doesn’t really stand out to me, but at the same time I doubt it’s one I would get tired of easily. Not one I think I’ll really miss, though.

I’ve had sleeping issues since I was a kid, but man, is it ever extra annoying to wake up in the middle of the night and not be able to fall back asleep, literally watching the sun rise. I gave up after a few hours, got out of bed, and started doing random little things. Drank some water, then moved onto this tea. The leaf smells very vaguely sweet from the flavouring, yet my nose can distinguish that the base itself is roasty.

Yep. Roasty. The first steep basically tasted like a roasty oolong with a hint of apple sweetness.

The flavours reversed roles in the second steep: sweeter with a hint of roastiness. I did not detect any caramel in either steeps.

The base itself is pretty good but I’m not wild over the additional flavouring, especially since it cannot be easily identified as caramel apple.

I enjoyed this. The base tea is flavorful even with the flavorings, but there is a sweetness and a toasty flavor that is reminiscent of caramel, and it is also fruity. I don’t necessarily taste apple specifically, but in the end it is delicious, so who cares if the name doesn’t describe it exactly?

So “sweat” is a flavored listed on this tea and thank goodness I am not tasting that. I am actually not too put off by the oolong in this blend despite its strong, floral presence. It is nicely complimented by the fresh, sweet red apple flavoring and the smooth caramel candy-like flavor. At times, I get just a hint of caramel that reminds me of the Butterscotch and Hazelnut Mocha Candies flavoring but it is fleeting and I find myself wanting more. Still, the caramel and apple both make an appearance in the cup and that makes for an enjoyable drink. Thank you Inkling for sending some my way :)