357/365
The last of the Vahdam Chai sampler! I’m glad I tried this, since it allowed me to try a lot of combinations I probably wouldn’t have come across otherwise…and maybe wouldn’t have chosen all that readily if I did! I didn’t save this one until last purposefully, but I remember trying another saffron based blend from this sampler and really enjoying it, so it’s a nice way to round things off.
Like many of the blends, this one has a black CTC base. My feelings about that generally are well documented, but they work pretty well so I can’t complain too much. No exception here – the base is just that – a base – and the spices really shine. This particular blend contains cardamon, cloves, cinnamon, saffron, and almonds – the saffron isn’t really a flavour as such, but it absolutely has an influence. It’s a texture, more than anything – the closest I can get in descriptive terms is smooth, maybe a little honeyed. It’s undeniably saffron, even though it’s a really difficult flavour to pin down. Otherwise, the main flavour is cardamom, closely followed by cinnamon. The clove is really subtle, but that works for me! The almond is just about there in the aftertaste, but I feel I have to concentrate to pick it out. Really, this is all about the saffron!
I enjoyed this thoroughly, and I’ll happily finish up the rest of my sample. It’s one I’d consider repurchasing, especially when the weather gets colder!
