Tag: Lemon Lily

Caramel Apple Cinnamon Bun by Dessert by Deb
Black Tea / Flavoured
$6.00 for 25g

First Impressions

I received Caramel Apple Cinnamon Bun in my January/February Dessert by Deb subscription box, and it’s one of the teas in Deb’s Winter Snow Bunny Collection – which means that it’s not subscriber exclusive and anyone can order it online via her website. This black tea blend comes in a resealable pouch with a colourful label on the front.

Caramel Apple Cinnamon Bun has a pleasant aroma – I can definitely smell the cinnamon and apple notes, with a hint of caramel in the background. You can see the brown sugar granules mixed into the blend and it just smells like a baked good – which is a good since, considering the word bun. It just smells really inviting and like something that I could order at a bakery. Caramel Apple Cinnamon Bun consists of: black tea, honey, bee pollen, apple, Canadian maple, cinnamon, and brown sugar.

Preparation

Dessert by Deb recommends steeping Caramel Apple Cinnamon Bun in 100°C (212°F) water for 4 to 6 minutes.

First Taste

Caramel Apple Cinnamon Bun steeps to a light orange brown colour. There’s a pleasant maple and cinnamon aroma from the tea. I do notice that it is a bit cloudy, and that is because of the bee pollen – just a fun tidbit in case you’ve ever had a tea blend with bee pollen and wondered why your tea wasn’t clear anymore. The flavour of this dessert blend is nice – I can taste the maple, cinnamon, with hints of apple. The brown sugar is sweet and really works well with the maple and cinnamon – some really classic flavour combinations there. It basically tastes like a dessert and I’m here for it.

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Caramel Apple Cinnamon Bun and found that it didn’t do too well in terms of the flavour. I think this was because the brown sugar was gone and the apple was harder to find when I sipped it. The cinnamon and maple were still quite strong, but it just wasn’t as well-balanced as with the initial steep. So I enjoyed Caramel Apple Cinnamon Bun for just the initial steep.

My Overall Impression

I liked Dessert by Deb’s Caramel Apple Cinnamon Bun. I think that this black tea dessert blend does a really great job of living up to its name – I get the brown sugar notes, maple, cinnamon, apple – it all just really works well together. While it’s pretty sweet, I think it could do with a bit more brown sugar and maybe a heavier hand with the apple, because I think the apple had to go up against a lot of stronger flavours. But it reminds me of an apple pie in a way, and a little bit of vanilla would just make it perfection.

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Chocolate Gingerbread Loaf by Dessert by Deb
Black Tea / Flavoured
$16.00 for 75g

Chocolate Gingerbread Loaf is an exclusive blend for Dessert by Deb subscription subscribers and is available for purchase by subscribers only at this time.

First Impressions

Another Monday, another blog post! This time it’s Chocolate Gingerbread Loaf, which is an exclusive blend for subscribers of the Dessert by Deb subscription boxes. Just a fun little perk for being a member of this club, which I think is pretty neat! Chocolate Gingerbread Loaf came as part of the first box of the subscription (December).

This black tea blend came in a sealed, resealable silver pouch. The label on the front tells me as much information as I really need, and I quite enjoy the fun colours of the Dessert by Deb design. The aroma of the dry leaf is primarily that of chocolate, vanilla, ginger, and nutmeg to me. Chocolate Gingerbread Loaf consists of organic: black tea, vanilla, ginger, cacao nibs, dark chocolate, cinnamon, cloves, brown sugar, maple, honeybush, and nutmeg. Quite an assortment!

Preparation

Dessert by Deb recommends steeping Chocolate Gingerbread Loaf in 212°F (100°C) water for 4 to 6 minutes. I initially did a steep for 4 minutes, but noticed that not all of the dark chocolate had dissolved so I allowed it to steep for the full 6 minutes.

First Taste

Chocolate Gingerbread Loaf steeps to a nice golden orange colour. I did notice the oils floating on top of the tea, which is to be expected from any tea blend that has chocolate as an ingredient (or sprinkles, for that matter). The aroma is quite mild to me – it smells like both ginger and chocolate. The flavour isn’t as strong as I was expecting it to be, especially with all of the spices. I found the flavour to be lightly sweet – I can taste the ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. I can’t really taste the vanilla – although I can smell it. There are hints of chocolate in the steeped tea, and I taste it a little bit – I do wish that I could taste more of it.

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Chocolate Gingerbread Loaf, but found the flavour to be more mild than the initial steep. I would recommend steeping Chocolate Gingerbread Loaf just the one time.

My Overall Impression

I thought that Dessert by Deb’s Chocolate Gingerbread Loaf was just okay. I think part of this was because the flavour just wasn’t as strong as I was anticipating it to be. I would have liked if the chocolate and ginger flavours and aromas were stronger, just to be better tasted and smelled because of the fact that they’re part of the name of this blend. I did enjoy drinking the tea, but it wasn’t what I was expecting from the name. I think this could pair quite well with an afternoon tea, as it has some nice flavours that would balance well against desserts – especially if you’re serving any spiced cakes or miniature pies/tarts.

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