Tag: Dessert by Deb

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Dessert by Deb’s Minty Matcha Meringues

Minty Matcha Meringues by Dessert by Deb
Green Tea (Matcha) / Flavoured
$6.00 for 25g

Minty Matcha Meringues came as part of my November/December subscription box from Dessert by Deb.

First Impressions

Minty Matcha Meringues came to me in a lovely pale pink matte metallic sealed (and resealable!) pouch. Yes, this was from my November/December box, yes, it’s holiday-themed, and yes, I’m aware that it’s March in two days. That said, this cookie-inspired tea is still available on the Dessert by Deb website, if you’re wanting to give it a try. Nice colourful label – lets me know the important details (ingredients, steeping instructions, the recommendation to prepare as a latte), and is easy to read – my favourite type of product label.

Minty Matcha Meringue consists of organic: green tea, coconut, toasted coconut, peppermint and ceremonial matcha. So when I first opened the packaging, the first thing I smelled was the peppermint. This shouldn’t surprise anyone – mint is a very strong aroma. It’s very recognizable and just very capable of overpowering other ingredients. Then I smelled hints of coconut and the familiar grassy notes that could be attributed to either the green tea or the matcha. I just love how the matcha coats everything though, look at the coconut!

Preparation

Dessert by Deb recommends steeping Minty Matcha Meringues in 200°F (93°C) water for 4 to 5 minutes. I followed the steeping instructions and did an initial steep for 5 minutes.

First Taste

Minty Matcha Meringues doesn’t exactly look the prettiest when it’s steeped (see, below). It’s a bit of a murky yellow-green, there’s some oils floating on the top. Coconut naturally has oils in it, so the oils isn’t surprising, nor is it excessive like when you try to dissolve sprinkles or chocolates in a tisane or tea. The aroma of the tea is primarily mint, with some grassy undertones. I found the flavour to be a bit curious. I could definitely taste the peppermint, along with some of the coconut and some grassy and vegetal notes from the green tea and matcha combination. It doesn’t really scream meringues to me though, because I think of meringues as being very sweet and sugary and hurting my teeth. This… doesn’t. Which isn’t a bad thing. I do wish that the coconut flavour was more forward compared to the peppermint, but mint flavours are just always at risk of taking centre stage in comparison to other ingredients.

Since Dessert by Deb recommended having Minty Matcha Meringues as a tea latte, I had to give it a go. My general rule of thumb for creating a tea latte is to go with one third frothed milk to two thirds steeped tea. I also add sweetener to the tea portion of it. It does add a level of decadence to the tea (doesn’t improve the colour situation though, if anything it might make it worse). I did had some sweetener (vanilla agave syrup) and topped with frothed milk. It adds some creaminess, and the vanilla in the agave helps me think of it more of a baked good, which helps me think of meringues a bit more.

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Minty Matcha Meringues, but found the flavour to fall a bit flat – I think a lot of the flavours that I enjoyed in the initial steep were just all used up in the initial steep (like the mint, the coconut, the matcha). I would recommend Minty Matcha Meringues for just one steep.

My Overall Impression

I liked Dessert by Deb’s Minty Matcha Meringues. There are aspects of this tea that I really enjoyed – the mint forwardness, the matcha undertones, the hints of coconut throughout – but it didn’t really make me think of meringue. It really needed some extra sweetener (and if you can get your hands on some vanilla syrup or vanilla agave, it really takes it over the top) to make me think of meringues since those are just sugary sweet and cavity-inducing desserts. I would recommend following Deb’s recommendation of turning this into a tea latte – it just makes it that much better and helps temper down how forward the peppermint is.

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Dessert by Deb’s Sugar Plum Berry Bars

Sugar Plum Berry Bars by Dessert by Deb
Black Tea / Flavoured
$6.00 for 25g

Sugar Plum Berry Bars came as part of my November/December subscription box from Dessert by Deb.

First Impressions

The first thing I noticed about Sugar Plum Berry Bars (besides the name designed to trip me up) was the pale pink pouch. Very lovely and just has a nice aesthetic behind it (I love the colour pink). Sugar Plum Berry Bars comes in a sealed, resealable pouch, with a colourful label on the front of it with the ingredients and steeping instructions printed on it. The idea of berry bars makes me think of like apple crumble tarts or square, just with berries instead of apples (and cinnamon!). So I’ve got it in my head what I’m expecting this to smell and taste like.

Sugar Plum Berry Bars consists of organic: black tea, elderberries, currants, raisins, hibiscus, Canadian maple, raspberry and blueberry pieces, cranberries, brown sugar, and pink cornflowers. The aroma is very strongly berries, and reminds me a lot of a mixed field berry jam (which is delicious, by the way). And I can also make out the brown sugar and maple, which really lends itself to reminding me of a baked good. The one thing that would really make it stand out as a baked good/dessert would be the addition of vanilla (which I also love).

Preparation

Dessert by Deb recommends steeping Sugar Plum Berry Bars in 212°F (100°C) for 4 to 6 minutes. I opted to follow the steeping instructions and do an initial steep for 5 minutes.

First Taste

Sugar Plum Berry Bars steeps to a golden orange that has a pink hue around the edges of my cup – which is so difficult to photograph but I wish I had been able to do so because it was just so pretty. The flavour of this continues to remind me of mixed berries – it has a moderate amount of sweetness to it, thanks to the brown sugar, fruity ingredients, and maple. I get a lot of molasses sweetness, which I think is thanks to the brown sugar, and I find that it’s just very pleasant. It’s fruity, and I get a bit of astringency at the tail end of each sip with an almost malty flavour that’s playing second fiddle to all the fruity flavours from the black tea base. I’m pleasantly surprised that I can taste it, albeit being overwhelmed by all the fruity flavours. I do like the blend of berry flavours though, because it just has a nice balance of fruity goodness to it.

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Sugar Plum Berry Bars and I was disappointed in it – but not surprised – because the berry flavours were lacking. With almost all ingredients that aren’t tea, the flavours are just harder to come by when it’s not the initial steep. I would recommend Sugar Plum Berry Bars for just the initial steep.

My Overall Impression

I loved Dessert by Deb’s Sugar Plum Berry Bars. It just does a beautiful job of invoking the idea of a berry crumble dessert and I think it tastes pretty good! I like the amount of sweetness that the tea has, and think that if you were going to add anything to it some brown sugar or a splash of vanilla would be just the ticket to really make it the perfect dessert. I think it’s a fun black tea blend, and I really liked the fact that I could taste the black tea base! This could be nice as a tea latte, but I had a lovely time sipping it as a straight cup of tea.

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Dessert by Deb’s Hojicha Cinnamon Raisin Bread Pudding

Hojicha Cinnamon Raisin Bread Pudding by Dessert by Deb
Green Tea / Flavoured
$16.00 for 75g

Hojicha Cinnamon Raisin Bread Pudding came in my birthday box (a perk for being an annual subscriber) from Dessert by Deb.

First Impressions

Hojicha Cinnamon Raisin Bread Pudding (say that one five times fast!) comes in one of my favourite tea pouch colours from Dessert by Deb – just this pretty matte bronze-ish pouch. So pretty, it definitely gives some fall vibes and as a fan of most things autumn, I don’t mind seeing it in January. This blend is part of the Little Cottage Bakery Collection and it just makes me want to get into it! The name is really the part that makes me want to try it.

Ripping open the pouch and getting a sniff, it really does go well with its name! I definitely smell raisins, the brown sugar, and maple notes. All together, it makes me think of raisin buns from a bakery that I grew up near. Not a whole lot from the hojicha base, but there is a hint of nuttiness in the background that I’m going to attribute to the hojicha. Hojicha Cinnamon Raisin Bread Pudding consists of organic: roasted green tea, Canadian maple, cinnamon, raisins, brown sugar, and apple.

Preparation

Dessert by Deb recommends steeping Hojicha Cinnamon Raisin Bread Pudding in 200°F (93°C) water for 5 to 6 minutes. I opted to do an initial steep for 5 minutes.

First Taste

Hojicha Cinnamon Raisin Bread Pudding steeps to a very pretty reddish brown. It has some lovely raisin and cinnamon notes to it, and when I take a sip, the first thing that I notice is the raisins. Then it’s followed by some sweetness, molasses and maple notes, and just a hint of nuttiness. I did end up adding some evaporated milk to my cup, as the label suggests drinking it as a latte. Definitely adds a little something – some creaminess, a level of decadence. I’ve never had a cinnamon raisin bread pudding, but it definitely tastes like some kind of baked good to me.

A Second Cup?

I did attempt to resteep Hojicha Cinnamon Raisin Bread Pudding. It didn’t do very well with the resteep, I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that the brown sugar and Canadian maple would have dissolved fully in the initial steep, so a lot of those flavours were missing in the second steep. However, there was more of a nuttiness from the hojicha base, so it was nice to find that come out.

My Overall Impression

I loved Dessert by Deb’s Hojicha Cinnamon Raisin Bread Pudding. It has some great flavours that remind me a lot of a freshly baked raisin bun. I’d follow the recommendation from Deb to have this as a latte, as it just added a little something extra. However, the tea was very pleasant without the addition of milk, so it nice to have straight as well! I was a bit disappointed that the hojicha base wasn’t more prevalent in the flavour profile, but I still greatly enjoyed it and think it makes for a great dessert tea.

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