Category: Review

Posted on

TWG Tea’s Magic Flute Tea

Magic Flute Tea by TWG Tea
Black Tea / Flavoured
S$25.00 for 37.5g (15 sachets)

First Impressions

I received Magic Flute Tea as a birthday gift this past November from a friend. The tea comes in individually packaged sachets, inside of a cardboard ox. There’s a bit of a luxurious feeling to the packaging, if only because the inside of the box is gold. The tea itself comes in cotton tea bags, which are described as being 100% cotton and hand sewn – the cotton fabric reminds me of a cheese cloth, but with a much tighter weave to it.

The dry leaf of Magic Flute has a strong citrus aroma, but I can smell the black tea base with slightly fruity notes. I had a hard time finding listed ingredients. The tag on the tea bag states “black tea, citrus & fruits” while the box itself says “an extraordinary combination of rich tea and exotic red berries”. If I had to hazard a guess, I would say that Magic Flute Tea consists of black tea, vanilla extract and berries (not sure which kind, but it does smell a bit like strawberries).

Preparation

TWG Tea recommends steeping Magic Flute Tea in 95°C (203°F) water for 2-3 minutes for a cup of tea and 3-4 minutes for a tea pot. My initial steep was for a tea cup, so I opted to steep for 2.5 minutes.

First Taste

Magic Flute Tea steeps to a lovely reddish brown. I found that the citrus aroma was strong in the steeped tea. The flavour of the black tea is lightly sweet, with some fruity/berry notes and a bit of citrus freshness. I can still taste the black tea base, which is nice – I found that it has a mild malty flavour to it which is pleasant, but I did find a slightly astringent aftertaste to it. I think it could be steeped for even less time (2 minutes or 90 seconds), and it would be less astringent. Otherwise, a little bit of cream and sugar wouldn’t hurt to help temper the astringency and brighten up the flavours of the “exotic” red berries (whatever they may be).

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Magic Flute Tea and found it didn’t resteep well – the tea was missing the sweetness and the citrus notes.

My Overall Impression

I liked TWG Tea’s Magic Flute Tea. It has the type of packaging that I would probably like to keep around when I’m offering tea to guests because it just has that higher end feel to it with the vintage-esque but gold packaging. The tea itself is nice, I think it would be a good candidate for afternoon tea and would do nicely with some cream and sugar. That said, I would highly recommend keeping the steep times short with this black tea to prevent it from getting astringent if you are drinking it straight.

Curious about the cup rating system? Click here to learn more.

Posted on

DavidsTea’s Organic Vanilla Chai

Organic Vanilla Chai by DavidsTea
Black Tea / Flavoured
$8.50 for 50g

First Impressions

Organic Vanilla Chai came up as listed on the DavidsTea website as an online exclusive, which of course meant that it somehow wound up in my shopping cart when I was putting in an order. Described as “warm vanilla comfort”, I was intrigued about the Organic Vanilla Chai because I really like vanilla and I also really like chai. There is something warming about a good cup of spiced chai and I really did have high hopes for it when I picked it.

Like most of the online tea offerings from DavidsTea, Organic Vanilla Chai came to me in a sealed (resealable) foil bag with a printed label that had all the information needed on it. If you’re familiar with some of the older label styles, you’ll notice some slight changes to it. The tea itself smells sweet, I can smell the cinnamon with licorice root with some mild vanilla undertones. I really do wish that the vanilla was stronger, especially given the name of the tea. I cannot smell the ginger, which is a bit of shame since that’s usually such a strong flavour.

Organic Vanilla Chai consists of cinnamon, black tea, licorice root, ginger, vanilla with natural vanilla and cream flavouring.

Preparation

DavidsTea recommends steeping Organic Vanilla Chai in 95°C (200°F) water for 3 to 5 minutes. I followed the steeping instructions for the initial steep and steeped Organic Vanilla Chai for 4 minutes.

First Taste

Organic Vanilla Chai steeps to a reddish orange. The aroma of the spices in this chai blend become much more obvious once the tea is steeped. I found that the fragrance of the vanilla to be soft compared to the spices, which is to be expected. On first taste, I do notice that tea is just not as sweet as I was expecting. The dry leaf had a very sweet smell, while the steeped tea wasn’t very sweet. I can taste the spices – the cinnamon, licorice root and ginger are very obvious. I like that there’s the noticeable warming qualities from the cinnamon and the ginger, and the vanilla is a bit of an aftertaste since the spices are quite strong. I found that the tea overall had a pleasant creaminess to it that makes me think that it needs added cream.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Organic Vanilla Chai twice, adding an extra 30 seconds per subsequent steep. I found the first resteep to be fairly close to the initial steep, while the second resteep barely had any spice flavour at all. I would say that Organic Vanilla Chai is good for just one more steep.

My Overall Impression

I liked DavidsTea’s Organic Vanilla Chai. I think this black tea blend is a great candidate for a tea latte, and could really benefit from a touch of sweetener and cream to really accentuate the cream flavouring in the tea and to also boost the flavour of the vanilla. I found the flavour balance to be quite good, the initial steep was enjoyable for me. The one thing that I do wish is that the vanilla flavouring was a bit heavier handed, it’d be nice if the creamy notes from the vanilla was stronger and I think it would have definitely played off of the cinnamon or ginger really nicely to balance with the warming spices.

Curious about the cup rating system? Click here to learn more.

Posted on

Clearview Tea Co’s Cinnamon Roll

Cinnamon Roll by Clearview Tea Co
Black Tea / Flavoured
$7.50 for 40g

Clearview Tea Co’s Cinnamon Roll came to me as part of The Sugared Teacup’s October themed subscription box.

First Impressions

I learned about Clearview Tea Co via The Sugared Teacup! The tea itself comes in a sealed (resealable!) foil bag with a clear, plastic back so I can see the tea before even opening it. The name of the tea is handwritten on the label – what a nice touch (and lovely penmenship!). The steeping instructions and ingredients list are on the back, along with the contact information for the tea company.

Cinnamon Roll smells like cinnamon – there’s a hint of sweetness that makes me think of those cinnamon heart candies that show up around Valentine’s Day. I love how easy it is to see the ingredients in this black tea blend, and the strength of the cinnamon in it. The aroma of the black tea base peeks through the cinnamon, and it reminds me a bit of an Assam – just a slight malty aroma to it. Cinnamon Roll consists of: black tea, cinnamon, and natural flavour.

Preparation

Clearview Tea Co recommends steeping Cinnamon Roll in 190-205°F (88-97°C) water for 3 to 5 minutes. I opted to use my Breville IQ Kettle‘s Oolong setting (195°F/91°C) and steeped Cinnamon Roll for 4 minutes.

First Taste

Cinnamon Roll steeps to a beautiful golden orange. The cinnamon aroma from the steeped tea is lovely, it’s warm and inviting and does remind me a lot of baking. The black tea base is more obvious in the steeped tea than in the dry leaf form, there’s a mild malty flavour that I’m fully attributing to the black tea. It’s a nice tea on its own, I think it could be really elevated by sweetening it with a little bit of brown sugar, and adding a bit of cream – which I did do. I found that this made it both taste and smell more like a cinnamon roll.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Cinnamon Roll twice – adding an extra 30 seconds for each steep. I found that the first resteep was very similar to the initial steep in terms of flavour and strength, while the second resteep was lacking the cinnamon flavour. I would say that Cinnamon Roll is good for one more steep.

My Overall Impression

I liked Clearview Tea Co’s Cinnamon Roll. I think the cinnamon flavour was on point, and the black tea base is pleasant to steep and drink. The cinnamon flavouring doesn’t make me think of cinnamon roll – yet! If you add a touch of brown sugar and cream to it, it really does make it taste like a cinnamon roll (which is the namesake for the tea, after all!). Like the black tea on its own, love it with the brown sugar and cream because it just really elevates the flavour and reminds me so much of an actual cinnamon roll. This is definitely a dessert black tea, and would highly recommend pairing it with afternoon tea goodies or all those holiday baked goods you’ve got in your house (you know the ones I mean!).

Curious about the cup rating system? Click here to learn more.