Hazelnut Pear

Shae sent this to me to try…I can’t remember if I saw this in her cupboard and requested or if she chose it for me. Though really, that doesn’t matter. This is a really nice tea, though I am not really getting any pear flavour….more apple and spice. Still, it is quite tasty. I love how it smells in the bag. The nutty aspect comes out to me more in a full body starchy way, rather than a direct nutty taste.

I’m glad I as able to try this. :)

thank you VariaTEA for sharing this one with me. this tea smells AMAZING! It’s praline, hazelnut aroma is out of this world. I could smell this one for hours. Downside though? it’s not pear. Apple cinnamon hazelnut praline…sure… so while this gets high marks for the hazelnut side of things, i can’t call it a pear tea. but it was tasty!

This blend is very chunky with large pieces of dried apple, cinnamon bark, and chopped nuts. The aroma is amazing, like a freshly baked apple spice muffin. The color and flavor of the steeped liquid are light. I think most of the teaspoon I used was made up of chopped hazelnuts. I added a little too much honey to this cup so that is a prominent flavor but I can still taste the spices. I think this might make a really good iced tea too.

Second Steep
8 ounces + 195 degrees + 8 minutes

From the Amoda Monthly Box – February 2015!

I finally got around to finishing my wee sample from last month’s box! Now that this month’s is probably on it’s way :P
I really like how balanced this is! There is a distinct profile for each flavor in the title, as well as the base tea. The gunpowder lays down the light and sweet, almost nutty greenness for the profile, like a picnic blanket. The dishes set on that blanket are arranged in a way that makes sense together. The green tea base leads up to a lovely and distinct hazelnut flavor, with all it’s buttery sweet goodness and a spiced pear note. The pear is quite distinct, I can even get a sense of a spiced poached pear, with it’s tender flesh melting in my mouth.
The last time I brewed this tea, it definitely overstepped it. But I think I happened to be eating a bit of something chocolately while drinking it, which made it that much better :)
I was bummed to have ruined the last cup, but hey, it was really good the first time around! I am happy to have tried it. I don’t know if I would be in the mood to repurchase, but I sense a sample coming back my way in a future Amoda order.

So I’m just going to start off by saying that this tea smells Ah-mazing. The praline scent is so rich and decadent that it makes for a pretty mouth-watering experience. Luckily, the creamy nuttiness does transfer over to the taste making for an almost caramel-like flavor. Underneath it all, is a sweetness that is more apple than pear for me and though that is disappointing, the tea as a whole is still pretty great.

Sipdown (117)!

POTENTIAL SPOILERS…

…for anyone who hasn’t received their February Amoda box yet – this is only my second month with a subscription, and I don’t know if there’s Steepster “protocol” with when it’s ok to post reviews? I am the first review for it, after all…

I must say though, for a company I’m only familiar with because of Amoda, Petali Teas is now 2/2 with me. And honestly, I had some serious reservations about whether or not I’d like this one; it’s got a green base and has cardamom in it. Not that I don’t like cardamom, but it’s definitely not something I see paired with a green base. I cold brewed my sample though, because pear usually comes out really nice cold brewed and it’s really tasty.

I have to say that the hazelnut is so much, well, more than I could have ever expected from it. The flavouring is really, really strong with a sweet, borderline creamy, richness to it. It reminds me of Nutella or Beuno, except both of those are chocolate and hazelnut pairings and this is just the sweet, creamy hazelnut flavours in those scrumptious treats! And it really works with the green base too, which is very buttery and nutty in and of itself. One of the better hazelnut teas I’ve had to date.

As for the pear, it’s quite rich and creamy too and transitions smoothly from the initial, rich nut flavours. The addition of the cinnamon and cardomom really works to make it taste a little like a supple, poached pear or some kind of confectionery pear dessert. With the apple in here along with the hazelnut and spices maybe it’s like some sort of nutty crumble? I also swear that I taste vanilla and caramel or nougat of some kind too. It really adds to the sweetness of it all.

Delicious, regardless! And really more of a sweet, indulgent dessert tea than a fruitier one. This surprising blend really makes me want to get in on either a Petali tea order or Amoda’s current 20% off deal – but I’m gonna try and hold out. So far, this blend and the other Petali one from the January box are the only ones I’d want to order more of, so I’m just gonna have to wait until I’ve finished trying the other Amoda samples I have and have received my March box, and see how I feel then…