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I bought this one on the strength of the aroma alone. Sticking my head into the huge canister of tea in the shop, it was like falling into a vat of Bailey’s. Sweet, strong, and creamy! It brews up to a fairly dark brown liquor, and smells heavenly. They’ve definitely got the mix of whisky and sweet cream right there.

The flavor is bolder tea-wise than I imagined, based on my experience with a couple of the other Demmer’s teas I’ve tried so far this week. This one is clearly based on a strong Ceylon, with a fair bit of astringency which serves as an interesting counterpoint to the Irish Cream direction. Kind of like having a dainty glass of Bailey’s in a dark-paneled library, if that makes sense.

This one is also crying out for cream and sugar, which even in moderate amounts had the surprising effect of really muting the whisky flavor. Still there, but reduced by about three-fourths. Overall, feels kinda decadent to be having this at 10:30 in the morning, but fortunately there’s no actual alcohol in it!

Two infusions of this go-to Sencha. Great as an after-lunch “digestif”, especially if I feel like I didn’t have enough veggies in the middle of the day!

Another Demmer’s new addition to the cupboard. I had a whiff of this one in the shop and thought it rich without being cloying. The dry leaf is dark, so I’m expecting there to be a balance between almond and the flavor of the tea. The aroma of the steeped tea is characteristic of almond flavoring, but it has an additional fruity component to it.

The flavor after four minutes is medium strong; there is light astringency and I can definitely taste the black tea base playing nicely with the almond. For me, this type of tea is much more enjoyable with cream and sugar, so after a few sips of it straight, it’s off into the land of milky sweetened almond tea for me. Mmmm, that definitely brings out the dessert-like quality of the almond flavor and makes it feel like a much more decadent drink. I’m having it in the morning but think it would also be an excellent substitute for a post-lunch dessert. Yummy indeed.

My last serving of this from the Den’s sampler. I like this one and will probably order more. It’s got such a nice balance between the vegetal and roasty flavors, and a lovely level of natural sweetness to it. And, I’m finding it equally good in the afternoon as it is in the morning – gotta love versatility!

I picked up a bunch of Demmer’s teas during a recent trip, so I’m excited to start trying them out. This one sounded so summery and smelled so good in the shop, I had to pick some up. I’m a little surprised that they sell this one as a black tea; looking at the dry leaf you’d think it was a green tea or perhaps even a tisane. It’s got noticeable chunks of dried apple which, along with the elderblossoms, contribute to a heavenly sweet aroma, which reminds me of being in a summer orchard.

It steeps to a medium orange-colored tea, a little cloudy with sediment, and still with a fantastic scent – the peppermint starts to come through a little here, as a bit of a high note behind the earthy apples. The flavor is a really nice blend of fruit and flower, with just a little hint of freshness from the peppermint. Nice that they didn’t overdo it with this flavor. Very little astringency and no bitterness to this. I tried it straight this time but next time will try it with cream and sugar – it would probably be great iced, too. A winner!

A typical hotel-quality English Breakfast, nothing outstanding. Broken orange pekoe leaves in the bag, orangey-brown liquor, moderate astringency and a little bit of malt. They also have some herbal teas so I’ll have to try those too and see how they are.

A bad bout of hay fever since yesterday has kept my sinuses throbbing and taste buds non-functional. Still, I believe this tea seems healthy enough to at least give me the illusion of being good for me, even if I can’t really taste anything…

It’s kind of funny not being able to taste anything, actually, as that makes me focus more on the texture and other qualities of the drink. I get the little bit of astringency, and a nice mouth feel, and I can admire the beautiful green color of the liquor without being “distracted” by the flavor!

As with the other Mighty Leaf teabags I’ve tried out, you can see big leaves and chunks of fruit through the fabric. It’s got a very strong tropical fruit scent, along the lines of pineangouava, if such a fruit existed. After three minutes of steeping time, the liquor is somewhere between green and oolong tea in color, a light brown with a slight hint of green. The tea smells nice, but not nearly as strongly as the dried leaf.

The flavor isn’t as rich as I expected; if I didn’t know it, I’d say there was no tea in it at all, but rather that it was a tisane. It’s got a light, fruity flavor but very little body – I’m getting very little of the green tea base. Might be worth trying again with a slightly longer steep time, but in general I’m underwhelmed.

No logical reason why I would want Christmas tea on a hot day in August, but there you have it. Drinking it straight, instead of with milk and sugar, for the first time in a long time to see if I notice anything new. Cinnamon, orange, and clove are the main players, but I’m beginning to think there may be a hint of bergamot in there as well. Even with a strong steep, the astringency is not overwhelming, and the aftertaste is warm and delightful. Super yummy tea!

One of the teabags I picked up last week during my hotel stay – it’s got a very fresh scent, and the bits of leaf I can see through the bag are a lighter green color than I’m used to seeing in peppermint.

After three minutes steeping time, I’m a little surprised by the notes in the flavor that I can pick out aside from the mint. The mint itself takes center stage, but is not as “breath minty” fresh as I’ve had with other peppermint teas. Aside from that is a pronounced grassy taste – I’d swear there was chamomile or some other herb in there, but I don’t think that’s the case. There’s also another aftertaste that comes into play, something akin to what it tastes like to chew on paper, which is not entirely pleasant.

This one’s okay, but I’ve had others I prefer.