Tag: Black Tea

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Dessert by Deb’s Caramel Apple Cinnamon Bun

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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Zevia’s Earl Grey Blood Orange

Earl Grey Blood Orange by Zevia
Black Tea / Flavoured
$2.98 for 355ml (12 fl oz, 1 can)

First Impressions

I came across a selection of Zevia Organic Tea drinks at a local grocery store and had to give them a try – the fact that they were on sale didn’t hurt either! Earl Grey Blood Orange comes in tall and skinny can, with a matte feel to it. The can mentions that it contains no sugar and has zero calories, but it’s also sweetened (more on that later). There’s a few certifications indicated on the can, for those who care, as using non GMO ingredients, USDA organic, and fair trade tea.  There’s even a mention that this is a vegan product which… when you think of it – tea should be naturally vegan by default.

Earl Grey Blood Orange consists of organic brewed black tea, organic natural flavours, citric acid, and organic stevia leaf extract. This prepared tea also has 45mg of caffeine per can. For comparison, an 8oz (tall) coffee from Starbucks contains 180mg caffeine. The can opens with a pop tab and the drink itself is a bright orange colour (although darker in a deeper cup). The aroma is primarily that of citrus.

First Taste

Earl Grey Blood Orange is a clear orange (although looking brown in the photo below due to the depth of the glass). The aroma is citrus – nothing really jumps out and said bergamot to me though. The flavour is a black tea plus citrus. The lack of the specific bergamot notes doesn’t scream Earl Grey to me, unfortunately. The tea is sweet, thanks to the stevia. I find a slight astringent at the tail end of each sip, with a bit of mouth puckering happening because of the citric acid.

My Overall Impression

I thought that Zevia’s Earl Grey Blood Orange was just okay. I was a bit disappointed that there wasn’t more complexity with the citrus notes to differentiate between the blood orange and bergamot that’s found in Earl Grey. While the drink itself was tasty, I found it to be lacking in something in the flavour profile that made me think yes, this is Earl Grey and yes, there is blood orange in here too. The drink itself is refreshing, but doesn’t make me think of Earl Grey and blood orange, it reminds me of an iced black tea with citrus notes.

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Tastea Treats’s Maple Black Tea

Maple Black Tea by Tastea Treats
Black Tea / Flavoured
$9.00 for 100g

I took part in a Secret Santa tea exchange on Instagram in December 2019. I received this tea as part of the gift from my Secret Santa, a review was not requested.

First Impressions

Maple Black Tea came in a shiny black sealed (and resealable!) pouch. The label on the front provided me with details of the tea blend. The tea leaves themselves are clearly black tea with bright yellow flower petals. There’s a sweet maple aroma to it, with a mingling of floral notes. The sweetness to it and notable maple notes makes Maple Black Tea really inviting to this Canadian tea lover.

This black tea blend consists of: black tea, calendula and sunflower petals, natural flavours (organic compliant), and real maple syrup. I think it’s important to note that there’s a huge difference between ‘syrup’ (e.g. “pancake syrup”) and real maple syrup (and even ‘imitation’ maple syrup). Just in terms of the complexity of flavours and the richness in maple flavour of the real liquid gold.

Preparation

Tastea Treats recommends steeping Maple Black Tea in freshly boiled water (100°C/212°F) for 3 to 7 minutes. I opted to fall into the middle at 5 minutes for my initial steep.

First Taste

Maple Black Tea steeps to a clear orange colour. I did note that some very tiny fragments made their way through my stainless steep infuser (for those who really do care about not ingesting tea leaves – I don’t know why – a filter bag would help you out with that). The texture of the tea is thick – it just has an obvious thicken mouthfeel to it, despite being quite smooth. There’s a nice sweetness to it – the maple flavour is pronounced, but it’s not as sweet as I was expecting. There’s a pleasant flavour to the black tea base that has mild astringency that reminds me of a breakfast tea blend – but not so much that I find it off-putting in the slightest.

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Maple Black Tea, but found that the maple flavours were mostly gone by the second steep, but the black tea base is still pretty pleasant. I’d recommend resteeping if you enjoy a mostly straight black tea.

My Overall Impression

I liked Tastea Treats’s Maple Black Tea. I enjoyed the maple flavours, but was surprised at how it wasn’t as sweet as I was expecting. For those who are as much of a sweet tooth as I am, I would recommend sweetening with some (real) maple syrup, to amplify the maple flavour. I think this is definitely a nice dessert tea, and could pair well with afternoon tea or with a maple glaze donut.

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