I received this sample from cteresa and the following was written before I looked it up on Steepster.
I smell… coconut, vanilla and some sort of fruit.
The flavour is a bit rough, which I attribute partly to the base and partly to the heavy coconut note. There really is a little too much coconut in here for me. I get vanilla in the aftertaste and around the edges, but that fruit is eluding me. I can tell it’s there, because there is a depth to the coconut and vanilla which I get the impression wouldn’t otherwise have been there, but I’ll be darned if I can find that note on it’s own in any way at all, much less find out what I think it is. My bet is on something tropical because pineapple strikes me as something that would fit in here.
And then I looked it up to see that it’s a blend of Assam, chocolate and caramel.
What?
Okay, caramel and vanilla can be confused so what I perceived as vanilla is probably the caramel. Chocolate? Hmmm, perhaps that has something to do with the coconut-y note, although I do still think it’s more coconut-y than anything else. I’m not really sure I’ve ever met a chocolate flavoured tea that I though was truly chocolate-y, which is kind of funny considering how often that note shows up naturally. No fruit, but an Assam base. I can’t find any Assam characteristics underneath the flavouring, but I think that accounts for the sort of rough, slightly astringent feeling of it. Perhaps it’s the maltyness that cheated me into thinking there was fruit involved?
Perhaps it’s because I subconsciously expected this one to be similar to the wedding blend from Harney&Sons?
Perhaps it’s because I’ve got so used to my flavoured black teas being on a Chinese base that it never occurred to me that it might be something else entirely?
Perhaps my tongue just needs to be calibrated?
It’s a pleasant tea, though. Even if it has caused rather a lot of confusion this morning.
If you get the chance, try Mariage Freres´ American breakfast – it hits a few of the same spots Wedding Imperial does (chocolatey! malty! caramelly) but is IMO even better and far easier to brew right.
i’ve added this one to my list….. maybe dependent on marks after exams, assuming i don’t behave to badly in between, lol.
Cteresa – hmmm I don’t think that one is at holts but I’ll keep it in mind. I was going to pick up French breakfast to try
French Breakfast is on my shopping list. When I was fussing around all the World Breakfast samples, it was the the only real contender to my choice – second pick for sure (Parisian Breakfast was not for me). But American Breakfast was even more wow-ish chocolatey. I am quite in love with it, and sort of replaced definetely Wedding Imperial in my affections!
well if i can find a way to get american breakfast in canada i will do so! otherwise it’ll go on my shopping list for someday when i get to go to france…
I’m really enjoying this conversation! As a lover of breakfast blends (when they are good, anyway), I want to try all of these, when I get the chance.
Sil, although I can’t go with you in body, I’ll be with you in spirit when you go shopping today, :)
If you should see a tin of Pleine Lune, please grab it for me! I recall that I really enjoyed that one!
Will do Terri!