Category: Review

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Dessert by Deb’s Earl Grey Tea Cake

Earl Grey Tea Cake by Dessert by Deb
Black Tea / Flavoured
$6.00 for 25g

First Impressions

Earl Grey Tea Cake is a black tea blend that is part of Dessert by Deb’s Afternoon Tea Dessert Tea collection and I got it as part of the Dessert by Deb subscription box. Earl Grey Tea Cake came in a sealed, clear plastic pouch that’s resealable, with a label on the front with some information about the tea. It had a sample label, so steeping instructions were not present – but I was able to find this information on the tea’s product page located on the Dessert by Deb website.

The loose tea smells like Earl Grey with hints of lavender and honey. The bergamot is pleasant and inviting, which is one of the aspects that I enjoy about a traditional Earl Grey. Earl Grey Tea Cake consists of organic: black tea, bergamot, honey, bee pollen, Canadian maple, brown sugar, calendula petals and lavender.

Preparation

Dessert by Deb recommends steeping Earl Grey Tea Cake in 212°F (100°C) water for 4 to 6 minutes. I opted to do an initial steep for 5 minutes.

First Taste

Earl Grey Tea Cake steeps to a lovely golden orange. There’s a pleasant Earl Grey aroma – the fresh citrus notes of the bergamot and the black tea base. I can also smell the lavender and honey. Surprisingly, this twist on an Earl Grey isn’t as sweet as I expected because there’s honey, Canadian maple and brown sugar in the blend. The bergamot and lavender work well together, and there’s a nice creamy note to it that reminds me of a cream of Earl Grey blend even though vanilla isn’t in the mix. The creamy notes make me think of cupcakes! I did add a touch of honey to sweeten it, and found that it helped brighten up the lavender floral notes. A touch of evaporated milk really makes it taste like a cake with an Earl Grey twist.

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Earl Grey Tea Cake and found that the flavour reminded me a lot more of a traditional Earl Grey, it’s missing the cream and honey notes, but is still pleasant. If you enjoy a classic Earl Grey, I would recommend doing a second steep of the leaves.

My Overall Impression

I loved Dessert by Deb’s Earl Grey Tea Cake. I don’t make it a secret here that I enjoy Earl Grey, and the addition of lavender really makes this one a treat! The combination of honey, Canadian maple, and brown sugar is not overpowering (surprised? I was too!), and I recommend using one of those three to sweeten your tea if you want to make it a touch sweeter. I think it would pair well with some tea cakes for sure though, if you want to set the mood.

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DavidsTea’s Candy Cane Matcha

Candy Cane Matcha by DavidsTea
Green Tea (Matcha) / Flavoured
$9.98 for 50g

First Impressions

I picked up a bag of Candy Cane Matcha as part of the Cyber Monday sales that DavidsTea had online. I quite like mint (and I do enjoy candy canes), so I was curious as to how it would taste when paired with matcha. This is a seasonal offering, so if you’re thinking about giving it a try don’t sit on the fence too long. Candy Cane Matcha came in a sealed, resealable silver pouch with a bright green label on the front.

The powder itself is a pale pistachio green and has a very strong minty aroma to it. Candy Cane Matcha consists of: cane sugar, matcha green tea, milk powder, natural candy cane flavouring. I do question how does one get natural candy cane flavouring, considering how candy canes are a candy. Candy Cane Matcha is described as a matcha drink mix and is labelled as such so nobody will be confusing it with a traditional, straight matcha.

Preparation

DavidsTea recommends mixing Candy Cane Matcha with 85°C (185°F) water, so I followed the temperature recommendation.

I sifted Candy Cane Matcha into my bowl first, and then whisked it with my bamboo whisk. You can probably get away with a handheld milk frother to mix it, as I find that the matcha drink mixes often do well in heated water. If you’re new to preparing matcha, you can find out more tips and tricks in my article The Basics of Preparing Matcha.

First Taste

Candy Cane Matcha whisks easily enough in water, but I honestly forgot about the fact that milk powder was a listed ingredient when I was whisking it and genuinely thought that something had got off about the drink mix because of the colour. It’s a milky pale green and if you’re used to how a matcha is supposed to look like – you might find this a bit off-putting. Once I reviewed the list of ingredients and reminded myself that milk powder is present, I didn’t find it so wrong anymore.

Candy Cane Matcha does smell delightfully minty, which met my expectations given the name. I found it to be sweet and minty in flavour. The matcha itself isn’t very noticeable, but that’s really not surprising given the intensity of a flavour like mint. I did find it quite tasty though, and plenty sweet – but not cloyingly so.

A Second Cup?

As Candy Cane Matcha is a suspension, there were no second helpings with the same powder.

My Overall Impression

I liked DavidsTea’s Candy Cane Matcha. I found the aroma and the flavour to be spot-on for what I expected from a matcha blended with candy cane. I do wish that perhaps that it had more of a matcha flavour to it, but it does make me think of the holidays so I do think that it was appropriately minty. I can see this making an excellent matcha latte for the holidays, and perhaps would even do well with a bit of eggnog in there as well.

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Celestial Seasonings’s Black Cherry Berry

Black Cherry Berry by Celestial Seasonings
Fruit Infusion / Flavoured
$3.49USD for 44g (20 teabags)

First Impressions

This is the second to last tisane out of the Celestial Seasonings Fruit Tea Sample. As like with the rest, Black Cherry Berry came in a foil packet inside of the box in paper-feeling tea bags. The aroma from the tea bags smells more like hibiscus than cherry, but that’s not too surprising when I look at the list of ingredients.

Black Cherry Berry consists of: hibiscus, rosehips, roasted chicory, blackberry leaves, hawthorn, natural black cherry flavour with other natural flavours, chamomile, and sweet cherries. It’s a pity that I don’t really smell the cherry since that’s one of the primary ingredients, and part of the name of the tisane.

Preparation

Celestial Seasonings recommends steeping Black Cherry Berry in freshly boiled water (100C/212F) water for 4 to 6 minutes. I opted to do an initial steep of 5 minutes.

First Taste

Black Cherry Berry is a very deep berry red colour. And surprise, it smells like cherries instead of hibiscus! Something that I’m pretty pleased about considering the aroma that I got from the dry leaf instead. There’s a nice mix of sweet and tart from the steeped tisane, and I can definitely taste the cherries, which is probably good considering the name.

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Black Cherry Berry and found that the flavour just wasn’t quite there. I’d recommend Black Cherry Berry for just one steep.

My Overall Impression

I thought that Celestial Seasonings’s Black Cherry Berry was just okay. I thought the cherry flavour was pleasant, but I wasn’t impressed with how lacking the cherry aroma was for the dry leaf. I think Black Cherry Berry would be better iced than warm or hot, and perhaps even cold steeped with a touch of sweetener to really brighten up the fruity flavours.

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