Tag: Subscription Box

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Dessert by Deb’s Rhubarb Sugar Pie

Rhubarb Sugar Pie by Dessert by Deb
Rooibos & Black Tea / Flavoured
$6.00 for 25g

First Impressions

Rhubarb Sugar Pie came as a tea sample in my Dessert by Deb subscription box. What drew me to it first was the bright magenta metallic pouch – followed by the fact that there were pieces inside that were also brightly magenta in colour. This is a rooibos and and black tea blend, when I first opened the pouch I found that it has a very mild aroma. I can smell the maple and the apple, and it reminds me of (apple) pie, for sure.

Rhubarb Sugar Pie consists of organic: fair trade rooibos, black tea, vanilla, apple, maple, hibiscus, brown sugar and beetroot powder. When I asked Deb about those brightly coloured pieces, turns out that it’s the apple that has been dusted with beet root powder (how clever is that?).

Preparation

At the time of writing, I wasn’t able to find the blend on the Dessert by Deb website, but her other black teas and rooibos blends are steeped in 212°F (100°C) water for 4 to 6 minutes, so I opted to follow those instructions for Rhubarb Sugar Pie and did an initial steep for 5 minutes.

First Taste

Rhubarb Sugar Pie steeps to a bright reddish pink colour, thanks to the hibiscus and the beet root powder. It has a pleasant aroma and I can make out the molasses notes from the brown sugar, and something that’s a bit fruity (likely the apple?). It is sweeter than I expected, has some strong brown sugar/molasses flavours, as well as apple. I can taste the maple and vanilla, which lends itself nice to making me think of baked goods, especially when coupled with the brown sugar. I don’t taste either the rooibos or black tea base – which is either good or bad? I wouldn’t have minded a stronger black tea base, but I wouldn’t have wanted to taste the rooibos either.

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Rhubarb Sugar Pie and found the colour to be really light compared to the initial steep, and the flavour wasn’t as strong with lighter brown sugar notes – I really enjoyed that molasses flavour.

My Overall Impression

I liked Dessert by Deb’s Rhubarb Sugar Pie. I’m always a sucker for a nice rooibos blend when I cannot actually taste the rooibos, and Rhubarb Sugar Pie ticks that box for me. It’s got a pleasant flavour that really does remind me of a pie. It’s not as tart as I expecting with a name like Rhubarb Sugar Pie, but it’s got some great flavours that do remind me of baked goods (the brown sugar, vanilla, apple). I had this one both hot and iced and think it does better iced, so would highly recommend having it that way since it’s still iced tea season as its not pumpkin spice season (yet).

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Dessert by Deb’s Tiramisu Trifle

Tiramisu Trifle by Dessert by Deb
Rooibos / Flavoured
$6.00 for 25g

Tiramisu Trifle was part of my subscription box from Dessert by Deb and is part of the Cake & Celebration Collection.

First Impressions

Tiramisu Trifle came as a packet of tea in my box from Dessert by Deb, it came in a shiny gold and clear pouch that’s resealable. The first thing that I see are the espresso beans that do make me a bit apprehensive. If you’ve been following for a while, you may know that I don’t like the smell or taste of coffee – and that also does translate into not liking tiramisu (yes, I’ve tried it before; no, I did not like it).

That said, the dry rooibos blend smells exactly like tiramisu – which is both impressive and scary at the same time. It basically smells like dessert, and I think a lot of people will really enjoy it – especially coffee fans. Tiramisu Trifle consists of organic: rooibos, vanilla, espresso beans, maple, coconut, toasted coconut, cacao nibs, and cocoa powder.

Preparation

Because this was a sample packet, there were no steeping instructions but that was easily remedied by heading on over to the Dessert by Deb website. Dessert by Deb recommends steeping Tiramisu Trifle in 212°F (100°F) water for 4 to 6 minutes. I used the recommended water temperature and steeped for 5 minutes.

First Taste

Tiramisu Trifle steeps to a lovely golden brown colour. There is a slight oil slick over the top, the oils are likely from the espresso and coconut as well. It has a very strong coffee aroma from it and I get a lot of vanilla notes that really make the whole thing smell like tiramisu. The flavour is interesting – there’s definitely the taste of coffee (which I find to be bitter), with the vanilla notes, and sweetness. I don’t get a lot of the coconut, but I think the espresso is just a strong ingredient to be going up against. It has some nice chocolate notes to it, so I think it’s a really well done representation of the tiramisu dessert.

A Second Cup?

I did attempt to resteep Tiramisu Trifle and found that the rooibos base was more obvious and I got a mix of the medicinal notes from rooibos and the coffee flavour from the espresso. As a fan of neither, I didn’t enjoy this. If you’re a fan of either, I’d recommend resteeping it.

My Overall Impression

I didn’t like Dessert by Deb’s Tiramisu Trifle. As someone who’s not a fan of coffee or rooibos, I feel like this was destined to happen. That said, I found that the aroma of the dry leaf to be incredibly spot on in comparison to the tiramisu dessert. The aroma from the steeped tisane is also that of tiramisu, and honestly it does taste really spot on as a liquid tiramisu. I think any fan of tiramisu or coffee would be really happy with the blend – it’s just not for me.

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Dessert by Deb’s Lavender Coconut Macaron

Lavender Coconut Macaron by Dessert by Deb
Green Tea / Flavoured
$16.00 for 75g

Lavender Coconut Macaron is an exclusive blend for Dessert by Deb subscription subscribers and is available for purchase by subscribers only at this time.

First Impressions

Lavender Coconut Macaron came in a sealed, resealable pink pouch with a very familiar colourful label on the front. This is Tea Society Club exclusive, which is a great little perk of being a subscriber to the Dessert by Deb subscription box (which basically means I get a present to myself from myself every two months with some cool tea blends).

Lavender Coconut Macaron consists of all organic: green tea, lavender, coconut, toasted coconut, and palm sugar. The aroma is really strongly lavender with a hint of toasted coconut in the background. Lavender is such a strong and forward ingredient, and I really like it – it’s one of my favourite starring blend ingredients. This is definitely a floral-forward green tea blend so if you’re not a fan of floral or lavender in particular, it’s probably not the blend for you. For me, I love lavender, so I’m pretty happy with the delicate aromas, the feminine and delicate feel to the blend with the lavender heavy mix.

Preparation

Dessert by Deb recommends steeping Lavender Coconut Macaron in 200°F (93°C) water for 4 to 6 minutes. I opted to follow the water temperature recommendation and did an initial steep for 5 minutes.

First Taste

Lavender Coconut Macaron steeps to a pale yellow colour. It’s very lavender forward in the aroma from the steeped tea. The flavour is first and foremost lavender – very floral notes, and it has a nice sweetness to it, with the toasted coconut as an undertone. I don’t really taste the green tea base, and I think that has a lot to do with the fact that the lavender and coconut being so strong.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Lavender Coconut Macaron twice, adding an additional 30 seconds for each subsequent steep. I found that the flavour wasn’t as floral as I enjoyed in the initial steep, so I preferred the initial steep the best.

My Overall Impression

I liked Dessert by Deb’s Lavender Coconut Macaron. I really enjoyed just how strong the lavender is, how forward such a delicate feeling flower is in this green tea blend. While I couldn’t taste the green tea base very well, I found that the toasted coconut did really well against the lavender and it really just makes for a lovely cup of tea. It’d be a great addition to an afternoon tea line-up just for the delicate floral notes, and I think it’d be great iced with a splash of lemonade to really amp it up and make it into a great summer iced tea.

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