Maple Chai Sticky Buns by Dessert by Deb
Black Tea / Flavoured
$6.50 for 25g
First Impressions
Maple Chai Sticky Buns came as part of my bimonthly subscription box from Dessert by Deb. This black tea blend came in a bright shiny purple metallic pouch with a white and black label. The blend itself is quite pretty, and you can see it through the clear front of the pouch. The aroma of Maple Chai Sticky Buns is primarily cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger. It has that heavy spice flavour that you expect to find in a chai blend, with hints of maple syrup throughout.
Maple Chai Sticky Buns consists of certified organic: black tea, maple syrup, ginger, cinnamon, Canadian maple, cardamom, honey, bee pollen, and calendula petals. It makes for a very pretty blend, what with the pale green of the cardamom and the bright yellow from the calendula petals.
Preparation
Dessert by Deb recommends steeping Maple Chai Sticky Buns in 212°F (100°C) water for 5 to 6 minutes. I opted to do an initial steep of 5 minutes.
First Taste
Maple Chai Sticky Buns steeps to a nice golden orange. The aroma is strongly ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, with hints of maple throughout. It makes for a smooth cup of tea, with a nice level of sweetness that I imagine comes from the honey and maple syrup. The black tea base lends itself well to the chai blend, because it has a light touch of astringency that balances well against the sweetness from the honey and maple syrup, and also the heat from the warm ingredients (i.e. ginger).
A Second Cup?
I resteeped Maple Chai Sticky Buns once (second steep), adding an additional 30 seconds for the subsequent steep. The flavour is best with the initial steep.
My Overall Impression
I loved Dessert by Deb’s Maple Chai Sticky Buns. This black tea blend has a great aroma, with those warming spices that you expect to find in a chai blend. The maple adds a nice level of sweetness, I think what would really make me think more of baked goods (sticky buns) would be perhaps some vanilla extract or vanilla bean in it. The flavour profile makes it a nice autumn/winter tea, and chai makes for a nice tea latte option.
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