Tag: Lemon Lily

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Dessert by Deb’s Christmas Fruitcake

Christmas Fruitcake by Dessert by Deb
Green Tea & Rooibos / Flavoured
$16.00 for 75g

Christmas Fruitcake is an exclusive blend for Dessert by Deb subscription subscribers and is available for purchase by subscribers only at this time.

First Impressions

Christmas Fruitcake came in a sealed, resealable silver pouch and was part of my December box from Dessert by Deb – which was the very first box of the bimonthly year tea subscription. This is also one of two subscription exclusive blends – what a great incentive to join! I like being part of the super secret club.

This blend smells really inviting – I get strong orange, cinnamon, ginger, and clove aromas. It’s nicely mixed together and I didn’t have to shake it up to get a little bit of everything in my spoon, which was nice. Christmas Fruitcake consists of organic: green tea, rooibos, cherries, oranges and peel, elderberries, currants, raisins, rosehips, cinnamon, brown sugar, ginger, cloves and safflower.

Preparation

Dessert by Deb recommends steeping Christmas Fruitcake in 100°C (212°F) water for 4 to 6 minutes. I followed the steeping instructions and did an initial steep for 4 minutes.

First Taste

Christmas Fruitcake steeps to a nice golden orange. I can definitely smell the cinnamon and ginger, I think those are the strong players in the blend of ingredients! On first taste, I notice that it has a nice sweetness. The flavour of Christmas Fruitcake is that one orange, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. All the warming qualities of ginger make it a very pleasant drink. I did find that it reminded me of the flavours that you might find in a nice spiced pound cake. As for the base of the tea blend – I don’t really taste either the green tea or the rooibos – which is both a plus and a minus because I don’t typically enjoy rooibos blends. But I don’t smell or taste the medicinal-like quality that rooibos often lends to blends.

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Christmas Fruitcake and found that it didn’t hold up very well for a second steep. The rooibos was a touch more noticeable, and the ginger and orange were significantly weak compared to the initial steep. I would recommend Christmas Fruitcake for just one steep.

My Overall Impression

I loved Dessert by Deb’s Christmas Fruitcake. I really enjoyed the flavours in the blend, and appreciated that I wasn’t able to taste the rooibos because it’s not my favourite thing in the world. The flavour of orange, cinnamon, and ginger really make me think of a spiced pound cake – mostly because I don’t think I’ve really ever tried a fruitcake before (and if I have, I don’t remember what it tastes like!). It’s certainly a fantastic first look an exclusive tea blend for subscribers of Dessert by Deb.

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Lemon Lily’s Apple Pie Chai

Apple Pie Chai by Lemon Lily
Black Tea / Flavoured
$10.00 for 50g

I received Apple Pie Chai from Lemon Lily via the Dessert by Deb tea subscription box that I subscribe to.

First Impressions

Apple Pie Chai came in a clear plastic pouch that’s resealable with some information about the tea itself on the label. One thing I did note is that there were steeping instructions lacking on the label. I was able to find that information on the tea’s online product page, which is really awesome. If you’re ever stuck and can’t find that information, you can always find some general steeping information for the tea that you’re wanting to make on the internet – like even here on One More Steep, I’ve got an article from 2016 titled Steeping Times for Different Teas that still gets used a lot by people for just giving you some general steeping guidelines.

Apple Pie Chai has some great spice notes to it, I can smell the cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and star anise. Those are honestly the strongest aromas, with a nice warm apple aroma in the background. It reminds me of an apple pie, for sure. Apple Pie Chai consists of organic: black tea, apple, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, vanilla bean, star anise, pink peppercorn, and maple flakes.

Preparation

Lemon Lily recommends steeping Apple Pie Chai in 212°F (100°C) water for 4 to 6 minutes. I followed the steeping instructions and did an initial steep of 5 minutes.

First Taste

Apple Pie Chai steeps to a lovely golden orange. I found that the aroma reminds me a lot of a chai – just gentle warming spices. I can smell the cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and star anise. Those spices are very fragrant and I can smell them in the steeped tea, along with some sweet notes. I found that the flavour was pleasantly spiced, nice warming qualities in the flavour. The apple is very much in the background, with that fruity sweetness. I do wish that the apple had been stronger, but it’s hard for a softer flavour like apple to really be present with all those strong spice flavours.

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Apple Pie Chai and found the majority of the spice flavours were quite muted in comparison. I would recommend Apple Pie Chai for just one steep.

My Overall Impression

I liked Lemon Lily’s Apple Pie Chai. I thought that the spices were fantastic and came together to make a wonderful spiced chai blend. I really enjoyed the balance between the ginger, cinnamon, and cardamom. Surprisingly, I didn’t find the star anise to be overwhelming (which is nice, because I’m not that big of a fan of licorice flavours). While I do wish that the apple had been stronger in flavour, I do understand the difficulties it had with all those other stronger flavours in the ingredients list. I definitely think this is a contender for a nice hot latte, as the addition of milk would balance well against the spices.

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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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