I am just now getting to try this last (the surprise) tea in 52teas Christmas sampler.
Part of that was because I was a little worried from the smell. I’m the pickiest person ever about cookies (texture is a big thing for me – they have to be chewy and soft) and the smell of this dry was exactly like storebought Chips Ahoy! cookies. Which immediately reminded me of their dry crumbly nature and why I don’t like them. So it sat in the little red box, the last lonely package, until today.
I steeped 2 heaping tsp. (more or less the whole sample) at the below parameters in my Breville, in 500 ml. water. Milk and brown sugar were added after an initial tasting of the plain tea.
The steeped smell of the leaves still has a Chips Ahoy note, but the smell of the black tea has smoothed it out a bit, so it’s not reminding me of the hard dry cookie. The smells very chocolatey, like the chocolate in the Cashew turtle blend, which I really liked.
The first sip of the plain tea was strongly reminiscent of that chocolate Cashew turtle flavor – only then this STRONG note of bitterness overtook everything else and dominated the swallow. I’m glad I went with other reviewers and steeped it for a minute less than I usually would! I didn’t get any cookie or milk notes before additives were used.
Once milk and brown sugar were added a buttery, bakey note becomes more evident in with the chocolate. Ah, fresh cookies! No more storebought stuff! I’m not really getting any milk essence (besides that which I added, anyway) but strangely there seem to be hints of caramel (which, again, I’m probably imagining because of that Cashew turtle similarity).
Even though I’m very late to the party, I get the Christmasy feel of it – leaving milk and cookies for Santa was something I loved doing on Christmas eve as a kid. This wasn’t my favorite 52teas blend, but it is very fun for the nostalgia factor!
Doh! I still have to have my 12 Teas—I’ve only had this one so far. Maybe this afternoon I’ll start working on them….