2 Tasting Notes
Wasn’t expecting much as it sounded close to a Yogi branded tea, except I don’t like the flavor profile of Yogi teas (way too heavy on licorice root), and it definitely sounds Christmas-y with its stated flavor profile.
Brewed this square teabag as I do with all other black teabags, boiling water, 3 minutes steeping time, and then I let it cool down a little bit before taking a sip. The first steeping produced a very nice brownish orange tinted liquid and the flavor profile is surprisingly balanced. The most prominent flavors are the clove and nutmeg. It’s really hard to discern the other spices in the blend, but that’s not a bad thing. It usually means that the flavors have been balanced for the most part for me.
Drinking this tea, it goes down smooth without any assaults on your throat or taste buds while still providing excellent flavor, which is an outstanding achievement for any spiced tea, much less a bagged tea. Definitely surprised me and I was more than happy to resteep the teabag for a second cup.
The second steeping produced a light amber-straw colored liquid and the black tea flavor was noticeably absent. The spices took center stage for this round, but for some, that’s not a bad thing. There’s a definite aftertaste of clove swirling around in the back of your mouth after a few gulps from the second steeping.
I rather enjoyed this one, but I’d stick with only steeping the teabags once. Wouldn’t mind drinking this one during the winter months. If you’re looking for a Christmas bagged tea, I have no problem recommending this tea or Republic of Tea’s Comfort & Joy tea (its closest comparison for me).
Preparation
This is simply put, the best black tea I’ve ever tasted in my few years of drinking tea. There is a great light flavor of clover honey when you drink the tea, without there actually being any honey added to the tea. There’s a light ephemeral flavor of honey on the first steeping, but with repeated steepings, the flavor of the tea noticeably gets lighter. If you prefer a strong English Breakfast type of tea, this isn’t the tea for you. If you like Earl Greys or lightly scented teas, such as Jasmines, this may be the tea for you. If you’re a honey connoisseur, you’ll want to try this tea out just to see how much of a honey flavor can be imparted from a plant itself without anything added to it.
Simply remarkable, and now I need to figure out how to stock up on this, even though it’s way more expensive than I like for a regular tea, not strongly flavored enough for a ‘special occasion’ tea, and is merely a superior tea that lightly dangles a honey-flavored carrot in front of you, taunting you to keep reaching for a bear of clover honey only to withdraw in your mouth and leave you with a pleasant black tea experience.
Highly recommended.
