I’m a bit conflicted on this oddball. It’s at the very top of my “good cuppa” because I keep it regularly stocked, but not as a tea. Instead I use this as a blender to combine with other teas whenever I want some caramelized nuts in something.
It really has very little tea leaves in it, which always makes me feel a bit gullible for spending tea prices on it, but I haven’t been able to replicate the flavor profile with raw ingredients from the store. What it does have, however, is an abundance of feel-good sweet toasted almond goodness with nutty vanilla and a hint of citrus. I add it mostly to black teas (with a quality dianhong it is extremely tasty and doesn’t fight the flavors!) but have been experimenting with some rooibos as well. When blended, I have found the limit being around 4 minutes at 200 F, even though the recommended time is 2 minutes. If overbrewed by accident though, the citrus peels will release a whole ton of bitter notes, which makes it a multi-step process to blend with rooibos well.
I’d rank it in my “awesome cuppa” 81-99 category but 1) it doesn’t do much for me straight as a tea, and 2) even when I blend it, it absolutely requires some kind of sweetener to bring out the nutty goodness, like some raw honey, sugarcane juice, or stevia leaves. Otherwise it just kinda muddles the flavor, and I find it difficult to give a top rating to something I can’t enjoy unadulterated as well.
Overall, worth keeping at least a small tin of, and adding to some of your favorites to bring them into new and interesting places.
Flavors: Caramel, Chestnut, Cinnamon, Coconut, Cream, Lemon Zest, Nuts, Orange Zest, Peppercorn, Tobacco, Vanilla
