Ginger Spice Pear Cake

My health problems have been flaring up pretty much everyday for the past week. So I’ve not been sipping down as many of the teas I’ve been trying to focus on as much as just focusing more on drinking gentle teas.

This particular cup was the best I’ve had and unfortunately I only have enough left for one more cup.
I added a capful of unsweetened vanilla almond milk, and a bit of honey and agave since my honey container had to be heated to get the last bit out.

It was a nice strong cup, that wasn’t oversteeped or understeeped in the slightest. I leafed it and steeped it just to my liking apparently. Since this is the type of cup I’ve been expecting from this tea since I got the larger bag size of it. Of course with my luck I’m at the end of the bag by now. I wasn’t even trying to steep it perfect this time. If I could get every cup to taste like this I’d definitely repurchase it. I do wonder though if it was also that all the yummy spices were at the bottom of the bag.
Love these flavors together.

Bai mu dan is an interesting choice to blend with ceylon but it works to create a nice blueberry-citrus base, which enhances the ginger and pear flavours. The hot spices remind me a little of a night cap or a spiced wine. I think it could be slightly more “cakey” with a baked goods vibe, but maybe that’s what sugar and milk are for. There’s already a bit of jam and cream seeping through the fruit notes, so 120% dessert effect can’t be far away!

Looking forward to playing with this one during the holiday season! For now, it makes a nice sipping companion while I finish off another Vorokosigan book (I’m on A Civil Campaign, and the butter bugs have won me over).

(2017 blend)

So this tea… was fantastic. This is the pear tea of my dreams, I think, although I don’t think I’m as into pear teas as I once was. It was a perfect lightly spiced fall blend, full of delicious pear flavour (like a pear jelly belly, but more authentic/less sugary). Really pleased I have this little sample to drink. Kind of want a cup right now, but thanks to germy children I am coming down with a cold (exactly a year ago, right before my son was born, I also had a cold! A bit of deja-vu…)

Cold Brew sipdown (214)!

Finished this one off while watching the mid season finale of The 100, which was filled with ALL of the feels. Seriously, someone needs to give Richard Harmon an Oscar for his performance in this weeks episode.

I definitely really enjoyed this tea, but that doesnt really surprise me since Ive pretty much loved every ginger and pear tea Ive ever tried. Honestly, the pear was just really fresh and natural and cut through the ginger beautifully. I also love that in ginger/pear teas the pear always seems to lend a beautiful underlying creaminess to the flavour. The addition of clove was a brilliant touch too, it added the perfect additional layer of spice and brought out more of the actual spicyness of the ginger as opposed to the sweetness it can have when partnered with fruits.

However, bottom line I have to say that compared to DAVIDsTEAs Ginger Pear tea I think the two are REALLY similar and almost equally as good. The only real difference is that this packs marginally more heat to it. Given that the DT version is so accessible to me though, and much cheaper I have to say that would be the winner imo. With such similar taste those pros really do end up being the deciding factor.

Totally worth trying the Q2T version though, because it IS very good.

EDIT: I realize there are like zero apostrophes in this tasting note, but someone accidentally turned on French keyboard mode at work and we cant figure out how to turn it off – so no apostrophes it is.

A very light tea, yet it is surprisingly well balanced with the spices. I do get a mild pear note. Comforting and rather nice, but not especially memorable. The second steep might reveal more of the tea notes. We shall see :)
I have some of the sample left, which I look forward to experimenting with. Thank you for the sample A Quarter to Tea!

Closing in on these samples with one left to go after this one. The dry leaf sadly doesn’t smell like much? Just a vague creamy sweetness. Flavour-wise, I’m also not getting much. I can taste a bit of the spices, like a speck of spice, but no pear, no cake. I wish there were more to say!

I am hoping that it is merely human error but this is really quite bland. I get a very slight hint of white tea but other than that, nothing. Just warm water. Not something you would expect from a tea with “ginger spice” in the name, two typically strong flavors.