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Dessert by Deb’s Spiced Earl Grey Muffin

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

First Impressions

I’m always a sucker for an Earl Grey-inspired or twist-on Earl Grey blend. It’s just one of my favourite classic blends, but that also means that I have high expectations when it comes to Earl Grey, which I do acknowledge is not always the most fair. Spiced Earl Grey Muffin is part of the Little Cottage Bakery Collection from Dessert by Deb, and I got it as part of my bi-monthly subscription box (that I pay for… #notsponsored). This blend came in a beautiful matte bronze bag – still loving that colour.

The black tea blend itself is gorgeous and has a very strong bergamot and lavender aroma which was what I really noticed straight off the bat when I first opened the packaging. There are hints of cardamom in the background and it’s all just really interesting. I’m used to Earl Grey with bergamot, as that’s the traditional additive to the black tea, and I’ve even had Earl Grey blends before that feature lavender, but the cardamom is interesting… and very intriguing. Spiced Earl Grey Muffin consists of organic: black tea, natural bergamot, vanilla, Canadian maple, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, and lavender.

Preparation

Dessert by Deb recommends steeping Spiced Earl Grey Muffin in 212°F (100°C) water for 4 to 6 minutes. I opted to do a 5 minute initial steep with the recommend temperature water.

First Taste

Spiced Earl Grey Muffin steeps to a really nice deep orange colour. There is a strong lavender aroma, it’s even stronger than the bergamot. I On first sip, I find that I can definitely smell the bergamot and lavender, it has a nice level of creaminess from the vanilla and a good amount of sweet. There is a warming quality from this tea that I attribute to the ginger, and it kind of just lingers on the tongue a bit. It definitely gives me ‘chai’ vibes because of the hints of cinnamon and cardamom that I get from this tea.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Spiced Earl Grey Muffin once and found the flavour to be lacking in terms of the warming quality from the ginger and even the flavour of the lavender. I would recommend steeping Spiced Earl Grey Muffin just the one time.

My Overall Impression

I loved Dessert by Deb’s Spiced Earl Grey Muffin. I found it really did live up to its name. The ginger and hints of cinnamon made me think of spice cake, while the bergamot and lavender made me think of Earl Grey – so it’s not so far off to just blend the two together and come up with a Spiced Earl Grey Muffin. I do wish that the vanilla had been added with a bit of a heavier hand, if only because I really enjoy the flavour of vanilla. I definitely think that this blend would do really well as a latte, as most black teas (and especially Earl Grey blends) do.

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

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Teakan’s Osmanthus Tie Guan Yin

Osmanthus Tie Guan Yin by Teakan
Oolong Tea / Straight
$30.00 for 70g

Osmanthus Tie Guan Yin is one of five teas from Teakan’s Tea Exploration Kit (Volume 2) and makes up 15g of the 70g of loose leaf tea in this curated collection.

First Impressions

Osmanthus Tie Guan Yin came to me as part of Volume 2 of Teakan’s Tea Exploration Kit. This is the fifth/last review I’ll be writing for Volume 2 (and I’m so looking forward to when Volume 3 is released! I’m hoping for an all-oolong kit). Osmanthus Tie Guan Yin came to me in a sealed, resealable kraft paper pouch with a simple printed label. This is a scented oolong tea from Anxi, Fujian, China. The tea itself was harvested in autumn 2019, so a bit over a year old now.

The leaves themselves are lightly bunched, with varying shades of green that are mostly light to medium in depth of colour. The aroma is strongly that of osmanthus flowers and the tea was scented in a manner similar to how they scent jasmine green teas (keeping the flowers with the tea during the production of the tea, and then the flowers are removed). It has a strong floral with a light vanilla aroma to it, it’s very inviting and reminds me a lot of spring time because of the floral notes.

Preparation

Teakan recommends steeping Osmanthus Tie Guan Yin in 90°C (194°F) water for 3 minutes (western steeping style) or for 30 seconds (gongfu steeping style). I opted for western style steeping and used water that was heated to 91°C (195°F).

First Taste

Osmanthus Tie Guan Yin steeps to a pale yellow. It has a very floral aroma with a light vanilla fragrance in the undertones. The flavour is primarily that of sweet floral, with some vanilla flavour that lingers on the tip of the tongue. There’s an almost buttery creaminess to it that kind of coats the mouth when you drink this oolong and it has a nice flavour to it.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Osmanthus Tie Guan Yin six times (seven steeps total), adding an additional 30 seconds for each subsequent steep. The floral quality of the flavour stays throughout and is fairly consistent, while the vanilla notes deepens initially and then begins to fade. The flavour stays very pleasant throughout and I would recommend resteeping this oolong as much as you care to do so.

My Overall Impression

I loved Teakan’s Osmanthus Tie Guan Yin. This made for a really nice steeping experience between admiring the dry leaf, the first taste, and the multiple resteeps. It just has a nice flavour and aroma to it, and is very easy to drink and slurp down. I even allowed a cup or two to cool to room temperature and it also tasted pretty good cold, so I think it’d be a great candidate as iced tea or cold steeped.

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

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Merry Christmas!

Tea friends, I hope you’re all staying safe and warm this holiday season and able to enjoy a cup of tea at least once a day. I know the holidays are quite different the year, but the joy of being alive in 2020 is the technology that we have that allows us all to stay in touch and check in with one another. I’ll be enjoying a quiet dinner (with a cup of tea!) at home this evening with my husband, and possibly enjoying some classic holiday movies as well.

Wishing you all the very best in well wishes and health this holiday season,

Michelle