Candied Almond

Cracked this bad boy open this evening! The 50g sealed package has been sitting in my closet since buying it in January and I just thought to myself “Hey, why not!?”.

Man was it ever good! It both makes me feel good for delaying opening it because it feels extra special and rewarding now, but I also am a tiny bit sad I could have been drinking it but haven’t been. But hey, I get to enjoy it now and that’s what counts!

The tea tasted really similar to something I’ve had recently but I’m heavily struggling to figure out what. Regardless, it had delightful notes of fresh baking – not bread, but similar to bread. There was also a sweet, borderline marzipan like nutty quality from the candied almond slivers, and a light dash of sweet cinnamon to give the whole mix a little depth and character. It was a very nice evening tea!

This is something I can see myself taking outside to enjoy in the backyard at like midnight. Just a serene sort of warm cuppa to cradle while looking at the stars…

Mental note to myself: drink more tea in the giant backyard you now have but haven’t put to use since moving!

sample sidpdown! and i’m back down to 140 teas. 15 days ish to get through 35 more haha.

I received this in the mail the other day from Lala with a really thoughtful, surprise holiday card. :) It was a wonderful surprise to get in the mail! Thank you a bunch lala. This tea smells a lot like a combination of brioche and S&V’s sweet almond tea (i think it is…) that i enjoy.

I brewed this up this evening since i was in a bit of a holiday, festive mood after my afternoon with raritea. This has a great almond taste to it along with a bit of cinnamon. It’s not cinnamon heavy though – rather the cinnamon just enhances the almond flavour. over all a pretty tasty tea, though it’s a little thin? for my tastes. While drinking it, i kept wishing for it to have a bit more of a full feeling to it. however, still a delicious cup! thanks Lala

I received a lovely holiday card tea card in the mail yesterday from Lala. Thank you so much for the warm, generous, thoughtful gesture. I am truly touched by your kindness. In the card was a sample of this tea.
This is a nice light almond cinnamon tea. In Lala’s tasting note she suggests cake, I’m getting bakery, but I think more strudel or danish – yep almond, cinnamon “coffee cake” danish.
I’m not sure I would have bought this for myself, but am really happy to have gotten this sample. Thank you!!!

Attention Steepster. I love and hate you at the same time. I did not type for the last 5 minutes in order for you to just throw it all away without saving it. You are a cruel, cruel friend.

So back to the memories of this review…

I didn’t buy this one for me but I had to try it when I got home because it was so interesting. It also had rave reviews from the tea shop owner.

The dry tea reminds me so much of Christmas. It is black tea with red safflower petals and almond slivers. So pretty.

The dry tea does not really smell that amazing. It is kinda like cinnamon and nuts.

The brewed tea is delicious. The black tea and safflower petals give it a cake-y/heavy pastry flavour. There is a light cinnamon taste. It is more sweet cinnamon than spicey cinnamon. There is a light almond flavour. It is not marizipan like I find a lot of almond teas taste like, it is more natural almond taste.

This one reminds me of a coffee cake (heavy white cake/bread with cinnamon and sugar). I don’t think this one is going to last too long in my house. I will most likely go and get more.

I can imagine this would be great with milk and brown sugar, so I will just have to try another cup.

Jeez, I’m really going through the teas I got from Roswell Strange. Every time I go into the kitchen to choose a tea, I end up with one of hers. This one is “generic” black tea leaves with a few slices of almond and some red flower petals. It smells of sugar and caramel with some almond and cinnamon in there too. I did a 3-minute steep at 200 degrees, next time I may go for longer.

The brewed aroma is cinnamon and honey roasted almonds. Yum! I added sugar to mine, and it’s lovely brown sugar-candied almonds with just a little touch of cinnamon. There’s a definite caramelized taste here, and a little hint of buttery pastry. Mine came out just a little bit weaker than I would have liked, so I will probably try a longer steep for the other half of my sample. Overall, I love the flavors here. :D

Sipdown!! (160)

Lately I have been reaching for lighter teas – those with whites and green bases and fruity flavors. I attribute this preference to the warmer weather. And yet, tonight, I wanted something rich and dark and flavorful – something I could hold in my hands to warm me up and with a scent that is cozy and comforting. Honestly, I was thinking about Nutmeg Cream but I figured I should focus on swap teas and older teas first before diving into that. Plus, last time I had it, it was rather astringent. Then, I considered Brioche and as I rummaged through my draws, I remembered the sample of this tea, courtesy of the amazing Roswell Strange that definitely reminded me of Brioche tea, at least when it came to smell. So I settled on this because it was both a swap tea and one I felt could fit my mood.

Brewed up, the smell is definitely something that is fun to just hold and sniff (wow, that sounds weird). Like Brioche, it is bready and nutty and reminiscent of delicious baked goods. Yum! Unfortunately, compared to Brioche, this falls a bit short. It has the nuttiness but lacks the bready element I love so much. Also, it is a touch more astringent than I would like. That is not to say it is not a good tea in its own right, but seeing as I have Brioche in quantity in my cupboard, I don’t think I will be stocking this anytime soon. Nonetheless, I am grateful to Roswell Strange for the chance to try something new so thank you tea twin!!!

I waited in all day for a re-delivery that failed to actually be re-delivered, my early morning and severe tiredness from lack of sleep was all for nought. Now I just have to hope my parcel isn’t being sent back to Asia, customer services said they will contact me in a few days. Pft, bloody Royal Mail!

Now I’m tying to relax by watching House MD (on my fourth or fifth re-watch in completion) and by sampling this tea, I do love almond and am in need of something sweet.

Served with a splash of milk. Once steeped it has a subtle nutty scent (like almond and walnut ie sweet yet creamy) and a hint of cinnamon spice.

It tastes strongly of mixed roasted nuts which is a little dry with some sweetness in the after taste. I think it’s one of the nuttiest teas I’ve ever tasted, though I’m not digging it’s dryness (which nuts tend to be) I am liking the flavour. From time to time I do like nuts, I eat them often as their good for vegetarians. It tastes a little like candied almonds but more like old stock from a pub machine that isn’t used often.

I do like this one, not sure if it would be something I would purchase (if I could) but I could certainly drink it again happily.

Yummy and sweet, the almond flavours really come through in this tea without the nutty bitterness.
Pretty too, with the safflower petals