Who doesn’t love a macchioto in Italy or elsewhere, even? “Macchioto” means “marked” and a traditional coffee macchioto is a deep espresso “marked” with a touch of milk, a swirl of white, a bit of milky foam.
Lupicia has a knack for naming teas and I found this irresistable. It’s an odd brew, but not an unlovable one. The aroma says coffee and the caramel is evident as well. I added some milk, but was too impatient to foam it. Bringing the cup to my mouth, I could swear I would be drinking coffee. But yet….it’s tea. And here I’m grappling with some cognitive dissonance. I think of Hamlet’s lines about “mighty opposites.” Can the mighty opposites cooperate and meld into one sweet brew? Or are they, like Hamlet and Claudius, in inherent opposition?
The “final Jeopardy” round is over. The buzzer goes towards opposition. This makes a weak coffee. It makes a strange tea. It makes me long for a full-bodied caramel tea.
I am not giving this a low rating, however, because I think it succeeds in fulfilling its intent. And I am looking forward to a second steeping.
SECOND STEEP: Looks, smells, and tastes like very weak coffee. I won’t throw this out, but will probably give the rest of the package away to a true lover of the “coffee tea” blend. In this case, I am a segregationist. PM me if you want this!
This makes me want to run to Starbucks. I don’t have this tea, so an actual caramel macchiato is the closest I could get.
Agreed the name sounds amazing and I don’t even like coffee =]