23 Tasting Notes
The first thing I noticed about this tea was how darned pretty it looked in the package. The bits of purple and yellow (flowers of some sort I think) throughout really make it look festive. I brewed it with boiling water (minus a few seconds) for between 4 and 5 minutes (tried it at slightly different times but didn’t notice too much of a difference). Like all the 52teas black teas I’ve tried it’s a forgiving tea so if you go over a bit it doesn’t hurt the flavor. I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t more of a flavor to this aside from a nondescript sweet overtone with a smooth finish. Not really all that birthday cake-y, but it was good for what it was. I didn’t dislike it, but I wasn’t blown away either. A good starter from 52teas if you’re not feeling adventurous enough to try one like the maple bacon flavor. Yes, really.
Preparation
Of all the teas I’ve had from 52teas to date, this one is by far my favorite. It’s got the spice blend similar to chai, but with the sweetness and aroma of pumpkin pie. I didn’t notice any bitter flavor to this when I let it steep a little long once (oops), but I think all the other flavors in the blend may help cover that. As far as black tea goes, it’s very forgiving, but most of the 52teas blends are.
Preparation
I should start off by saying that chai is my favorite kind of tea. Ever. So when I saw 52teas offering this as part of their end of year top 10, I jumped at the chance to try it. It smells wonderful in the package, but I was a little concerned about the overwhelming amount of cayenne pepper I could see in the bag. Turns out, that concern was well founded. It’s hard to say whether I liked the other flavors of this tea as the cayenne just overpowers the rest of it. It needed more of the cinnamon and chocolate and way less of the cayenne, though the pepper in moderation would add just the right amount of spicy to this blend. All in all, it was okay, but I don’t think I’ll be ordering it again.
