I got this tea as one of DT’s web specials (back before they restricted the size to the 250g bags); I figured with such a good discount 50g was enough to give another flavored pur’eh a try.
Dry this tea has a very minty smell, it’s not as sharp as I was expecting though, given that it’s peppermint. There’s a definite “crème” aroma that is enhanced by the vanilla bean and the sweetness of the licorice root, but I’m not really getting much from the cinnamon. The pur’eh itself is a very deep note underneath this scent profile, providing a nice base but not being overly there (though I do get hints of warmth, and a few almost chocolaty notes.)
Once steeped the liquor is a deep, dark red-brown and the pur’eh scent really starts to come through… a very dark earthy scent. The peppermint is a bit muted and the licorice root seems to be adding in some darker notes to the scent profile as well. I still don’t get any cinnamon notes and the vanilla scent is quite muddled at this point as well.
Flavor wise… it’s different. The pur’eh is nice, earthy and rich though there’s a bit of a salt flavor that I’m not sure where it’s coming from, it’s not bad just a bit left field for me. The rest of the flavors are all there (barring the ever missing cinnamon) but overall I find it quite muddled, the peppermint is there and does leave a nice tingle in my mouth but the flavor just isn’t clear. While the licorice root… it does interesting things with the pur’eh; in the end I found this to be more of a licorice tea than a mint one.
Well it was worth a shot, but unfortunately this one just didn’t come through for me.
