Tag: Lemon Lily

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Dessert by Deb’s Jingle Bell Berry

Jingle Bell Berry by Dessert by Deb
Green Tea / Flavoured
$6.00 for 25g

First Impressions

If you have been following my Instagam (@onemoresteep), you might have seen my unboxing video for the very first Dessert by Deb tea subscription box! For those who aren’t aware, Dessert by Deb is created and curated by the same mastermind that was behind The Sugared Teacup (of which, I had also had a subscription to as well). Dessert by Deb features handblended organic teas from Toronto, Ontario (Canada) – created in partnership with Lemon Lily (also a Toronto-based tea company). Jingle Bell Berry is the first of the teas from the box that I’ll be showcasing and reviewing here on One More Steep (and no, this is not sponsored – I’m just an enthusiast for trying out tea blends from a Canadian-based organic tea company).

Jingle Bell Berry came in a matte copper pouch that was sealed and is resealable – which is always nice for keeping the tea from going stale. There are a lot of berries in this blend, which is the first thing that I smelled. It’s quite fruity and sweet – I don’t really smell the green tea base but with a name like Jingle Bell Berry, I’m not even mad about it. Jingle Bell Berry consists of organic: green tea, cherries, elderberries, currants, raisins, hibiscus, juniper berries, apple, rosehips, and safflower. That’s six berries and two flowers, for anyone who’s keeping track at home.

Preparation

Dessert by Deb recommends steeping Jingle Bell Berry in 200°F (93°C) water for 4 to 6 minutes. I opted to steep at a lower temperature (175°F/79°C) but did steep for the full 6 minutes.

First Taste

Jingle Bell Berry steeps to a curious golden red colour, it’s not quite what I was expecting when I saw hibiscus in the list of ingredients (that often lends itself to a brighter pink colour). The aroma is mostly that of cherry to me, an overall nice fruitiness from it. The flavour is sweet, and I can taste berries. It’s pleasant with surprisingly no tartness given the hibiscus in it. I didn’t really taste the green tea base, as all the berries are much stronger in flavour strength.

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Jingle Bell Berry and found that the flavour just didn’t quite match the initial steep (I think it’s because most of the flavour of the berries and flowers were sapped in the first steep).

My Overall Impression

I liked Dessert by Deb’s Jingle Bell Berry. I found that the fruity berry notes were really pleasant, and I did enjoy the colour. I was a bit surprised at how strong the cherry flavour and aroma was, given the presence of all the other ingredients, but it was quite tasty. I do wish that the green tea had been more present in the steeped tea, but I think it likely supported the other flavours. I would consider cold steeping Jingle Bell Berry in the future, as I think it might make a nice fruity iced tea.

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Dessert by Deb’s Coconut Maple Custard

Coconut Maple Custard by Dessert by Deb
Black Tea / Flavoured
$9.00 for 50g

First Impressions

Coconut Maple Custard came in a now-familiar packaging – a matte white foil bag that’s heat-sealed and resealable (so important for tea storage!). The colourful label on the front gives me information about the all organic ingredients and how to steep it. Simple and the point, which is always nice.

Coconut Maple Custard smells like cake and coconut – there’s some strong vanilla notes in this blend! I don’t really smell maple, but there is something in there that smells sweet. Coconut Maple Custard consists of certified organic: black tea, vanilla, Canadian maple, coconut and palm sugar. I love how visible the ingredients are in this blend (and how much it smells like cake!).

Preparation

Dessert by Deb recommends steeping Coconut Maple Custard in 212°F (100°C) water for 4 to 6 minutes. I opted to do an initial steep for 5 minutes.

First Taste

Coconut Maple Custard steeps to a golden red colour. There’s some mild amounts of oil floating on the surface, which I attribute to the coconut. The aroma of the steeped tea is mostly the vanilla and coconut, which is pleasant. The flavour of this black tea blend is a mix of coconut, vanilla, sweetness, with light maple syrup notes in the background. It’s quite pleasant and there’s a bit of robustness in the black tea base that reminds me of a breakfast tea.

I did try it with a bit of evaporated milk, just to make it taste even more like a dessert. I think maple syrup would be a good sweetener option for this tea to help amplify the maple flavour.

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Coconut Maple Custard once and found that the flavour wasn’t that great compared to the initial steep.

My Overall Impression

I liked Dessert by Deb’s Coconut Maple Custard. I thought that the flavour profile was really forward with the coconut and vanilla, and it did make me think of a dessert (more cake than custard, but I attribute that to the vanilla notes). I liked the sweetness in the blend, and found that the maple was hiding on me in the dry leaf but I was able to taste it in the steeped tea. I would recommend adding a touch of evaporated milk or cream, and perhaps some maple syrup to sweeten it – it helps amplify the flavours and also make it even more dessert-like! But you can always opt to omit the maple syrup if you’re trying to be good.

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Dessert by Deb’s Chocolate, Berries & Cream

Chocolate, Berries & Cream by Dessert by Deb
Black Tea / Flavoured
$9.00 for 50g

First Impressions

By now, the matte white bags from Dessert by Deb feel familiar. They’re heat sealed and resealable, once you’ve opened it. The first thing that I noticed when I opened by the bag of Chocolate, Berries & Cream is the aroma. It honestly smells the way I’d expect a tea with this name to smell. It really reminds me of the aroma of a strawberry creme chocolate – and I don’t say that too lightly since I’m a fan of chocolate.

Chocolate, Berries & Cream consists of organic: black tea, vanilla, Giddy YoYo cacao nibs, Giddy YoYo dark chocolate, elderberries, currants, raisins, and hibiscus. The aroma of the ingredients is really well reflected in the name, I’m honestly a bit surprised that strawberries isn’t an ingredient because it reminds me so much of strawberries.

Preparation

Dessert by Deb recommends steeping Chocolate, Berries & Cream in 212°F (100°C) water for 4 to 6 minutes. My initial steep of Chocolate, Berries & Cream was 5 minutes.

First Taste

Chocolate, Berries & Cream steeps to a dark reddish brown, a colour I’d attribute to the chocolate, the hibiscus, and the black tea in the blend. There is a bit of an oil slick on the surface of the tea, which I think is from the natural oils from the dark chocolate. The steeped tea smells like berries and chocolate. I found that it had a light, sweet fruity flavour, and there was a slight bitterness from the dark chocolate. I can’t really pick out the black tea base, but I think that’s because some of the flavours are mingling there and are just overpowering the black tea – which isn’t a bad thing.

I did try Chocolate, Berries & Cream with a touch of evaporated milk and organic cane sugar, and found that it helped to temper the bitterness from the dark chocolate and helped brighten up the berry flavour in the initial steep.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Chocolate, Berries & Cream once. I found that it lacked in the chocolate and berry flavour, which is what really drew me to this tea initially. I would recommend steeping Chocolate, Berries & Cream just the one time.

My Overall Impression

I liked Dessert by Deb’s Chocolate, Berries & Cream. I found that the name of the tea is well represented in the dry leaf and the steeped tea. It made for an enjoyable experience, and did quite well being doctored with some sweetener and cream. I can see this being a fun tea to introduce to friends and family are new to tea and want a caffeinated tea to help bring them over from the dark (coffee) side. It also just makes for a fun fruity black tea blend that really reads as a dessert tea, which couples well with the Dessert by Deb name.

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