This tea arrived as a small zip-lok sample, along with a sample of Smokey Mountain sTEAp. I immediately took a whiff of both teas and didn’t get much of any scent from this one, but thought that it might have been overwhelmed by its Smokey Mountain sTEAp travelling companion so I let it rest for a few days.
First steep (4 minutes): I smell mostly black tea with a hint of honey-like sweetness. Taste is pleasant, but pretty much a smooth, mellow black tea. (I’m unfamiliar with Assam teas, but this is nice.)
I don’t really taste vanilla, or caramel, or cocoa. I checked my spice rack for fenugreek but alas, I have none; so I can’t say whether I taste any or not.
Second steep (6 minutes): I added a touch of stevia (blend) to this, as I find that sweetener often helps bring out the flavors in dessert teas. The smell is faintly caramelly now, but still no smell or taste of what I would consider to be cocoa — although I realize these nuances can be extremely subtle.
To me it’s a pleasant, mellow tea with an interesting taste, but as a dessert tea I think I’d choose something else.
