Ho Ho Ho-my-gosh! I bet this is what the kitchens at the North Pole smell like!
When you first open the bag, there’s a really complex fragrance that’s a mix of butter, sugar, lemon and underlying spice. I imagined just a touch of cherry as well. These blend together to be reminiscent of sugar cookies and ginger snaps.
Once brewed, the fragrance takes on a totally different profile. There’s still a subtle sugar-savory play, but the vegetative and malty fragrance of the tea itself actually comes through. Nice!
The flavor is an initial combination of butter and spices. This fades quickly so you can pick up the malt and mossy taste of the tea. There’s a final warmth left behind by the spice. As the cup cools, the initial baked goods aroma returns.
This is the last of three limited holiday edition teas that I recently purchased from Shui Tea. I’m glad I decided on a larger bag of this one! (I wish I had also bought a larger bag of Cinnamerry Christmas- aka apple pie a la mode. Maybe Santa will remember?)