So, this is a tea that I was actually on the fence about in regard to ordering it, purely because I feel as though I have a lot of caramel/maple type teas (especially black ones), and I thought that this might basically be that because of the “syrup” aspect of it. What pushed me to actually order it, though, was the fact that my roommate Tre expressed an interest in actually wanting to try this one out – something he very rarely does in regard to any of the teas I own (the exception being anything with coconut).
Actually, as I was preparing this (1 1/2 tsp. 10 oz. of boiling water, 2 min. 30 seconds) he asked me to make him something but said he didn’t care what. I was tempted to make him some of this because he has expressed an interest in trying it, but selfishly I didn’t want him to get to try it before I had had the chance to fully appreciate a cup of it, so instead he got a cup of DAVIDsTEA’s Salted Caramel (which actually smelled divine, so I might have a cup of that after this one).
Dry, the leaf definitely has a syrupy type of smell to it – although it’s not so much a true maple syrup smell (I’m Canadian and have grown up on real maple syrup, so I feel qualified to say this) as it is just a generic brand of bottled syrup smell. That’s perfectly fine though, bottled syrup is good too. There’s also a very “starchy” smell that I’m sure is intended to be the actual pancake, and lastly I get whiffs of butter: so this really does feel like a “Pancake Breakfast” with all the components there.
The smell of the liquor is butter and syrup.
Taste wise, I’m really enjoying the mug. It’s interesting because there is a defined butter taste along with the cakey/starchy pancake, which finishes with a rich syrup/black tea notes and a small bit of astringency (though nothing totally unpleasant). I kind of didn’t want there to be any really defined presence of the butter because I am the kind of person who never adds butter to anything (the exceptions being corn on the cob, and popcorn). Not toast, sandwiches, or (like in this instance) pancakes/waffles. I don’t find it necessary to those types of food – but it’s actually working with this tea and adding dimension to the taste. I mean, I do like other teas with buttery qualities so I shouldn’t be totally shocked – and yet I still am.
I imagine sweetened with some maple agave or maple sugar this would be brought to a whole new level, although it’s still exceptional plain. Hello new breakfast tea!
