Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black & Green Teas
Where to Buy: English Tea Store
Tea Description:
The Angels Dream Tea blend from English Tea Store is a heavenly tea with maple sweetness, blackberry pungency, full flavored Assam and a mystery green tea. We have sought the heavens to try to find the flavor befitting all the virtues of this tea’s namesake. The natural flavours of Maple and Wild Blackberry enhance the excellent teas we have selected from the tea world’s finest regions – Sri Lanka, Formosa and Assam (India).
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Angels Dream Tea Blend from English Tea Store is one that I wish I had read the website description before I brewed the tea. Had I realized that there was green tea in this as well as black tea, I would have utilized a lower brewing temperature.
However, even with the boiling water and a full three minute steep time, this turned out really good. I can taste the sweet maple notes, the juicy blackberry, and I can taste the rich, malty Assam tea in the background. The green tea notes are a little more difficult to discern, but I will say that one place where I do notice the presence of the green tea is that this tea is lighter than a typical Assam tea.
There is some bitterness to this which is probably due to the Assam’s presence in the tea just as much a it is owing to the green tea being brewed at too hot a temperature. And while the bitterness is noticeable, it isn’t bothersome or off-putting. It’s there, but, I’m able to overlook it in favor of the other tasty flavors that are going on in this cup.
The maple is a prominent taste. It tastes the way I’d expect maple to taste: sweet and rich. The blackberry is sweet but there is some berry tartness to it too. The black tea base is rich, full-flavored and astringent. The astringency leaves the palate feeling slightly dry and clean at the finish.
It’s a good tea that would probably be even better had I brewed it properly, but it is a very forgiving tea! This is one that I think those who like a good flavored tea would find enjoyable!
Four Horsemen Black Tea Blend from Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Description:
A delicious blend of four of our most loved black teas. Rich and malty Assam provides an aromatic chocolatey note to the floral and sweet Darjeeling, while the crisp Keemun and peppery Yunnan create a strong backbone to this incredible blend. The varying flavor profiles balance each other perfectly to create a smooth, strong breakfast tea to suit any palate.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s customized subscription program here.
Taster’s Review:
As you may remember when I wrote my review of Simple Loose Leaf’s Madagascar Coconut White Tea, with this month’s subscription package, I also received several samples to “replace” last month’s tea which was one I wasn’t particularly fond of. This Four Horsemen Black Tea Blend from Simple Loose Leaf is one of the teas that I received in that package … and I’m loving it!
This tea would make a spectacular breakfast blend for those of you who want something with a little more heft than the typical English Breakfast Blend. This tea has got some gusto! This is the kind of tea that grabs you and shakes you, and then kicks your butt out of bed and out the door so that you can face the day.
And if that’s a little too edgy for your liking, you can always soften the edginess of this tea by adding a splash of milk and a drizzle of honey, because it also makes a great latte.
The Keemun and Yunnan give this tea a substantial body and a rich, full flavor. There are hints of smoke and a touch of peppery warmth to the blend courtesy of these two teas. The Assam comes in and adds a little more richness to the cup and some sweet, malty tones. And the Darjeeling helps to lighten the cup just a little bit and give the cup some sweet fruit notes and extra complexity. This is a well-rounded, delicious cup of tea.
I’m really glad I got to try this tea! Thank you, Simple Loose Leaf, for providing excellent customer service and sending me some of this tea to follow up on a less than stellar experience. This tea MORE than makes up for it! This tea is wonderful!
Nutmeg Cream from Butiki Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Tea Description:
A wake-you-up Indian Breakfast tea with a round mouthfeel, light astringency, amazing malt and nut character and even some notes of baker’s chocolate. And of course the main feature: nutmeg with the taste of cream. Simply put, this tea tastes like Christmas. Sweeten the pot if you want something more decadent and a taste of orange.
Learn more about subscribing to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
This month’s Tea Tasting Box from Amoda Tea is a little different from the boxes that I receive the other months of the year. How? Because this year, Amoda worked with Stacy at Butiki Teas to create three custom blends JUST for Amoda Tea … just for this month’s box! (You can read more about that here.)
This Nutmeg Cream from Butiki Teas is the first tea that I’m sampling from the assortment of three new and exciting teas that we were sent in this month’s box. Here are the ingredients:
Khongea Golden Tippy Assam, Organic Sourenee Second Flush Dinjoye Assam, Organic Kundaly, Organic Calendula, Organic Nutmeg, Organic Natural Flavoring (Vegan).
What an unusual and delicious cuppa this is! It tastes unlike any tea that I’ve ever tasted. I love that nutmeg is featured prominently in this blend, and I love how the natural nutty notes of the tea accentuate the nutty, earthy flavors of the spice. It’s warm but not spicy. As the description above suggests – this simply tastes like Christmas. More specifically, it reminds me of the flavors that are coming out of the kitchen during the holiday season like freshly baked cookies as well as other sweet treats and warmly spiced beverages.
The black tea is rich and offers a very solid background of flavor. It’s a very full-flavored, well-rounded taste that fills the palate with the robust taste of black tea, with notes of earth and caramel-y undertones. It has that sweet, bake-y sort of flavor that I like in a breakfast blend type of tea. There is a strong malty note to this as well, and it melds beautifully with the nutmeg and cream notes.
This is really so, so good. THANK YOU to Amoda Tea for such a lovely holiday gift to your subscribers. At first, I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t a product information sheet like I’ve found in my previous boxes, but, the flavor of just this tea makes up for no product sheet. I’m so glad that you chose Butiki Teas for your holiday box this year, because this is the best box thus far!
Coconut Chai Black Tea Blend from Zhi Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Zhi Tea
Tea Description:
Our unique Coconut Chai begins with organic coconut pieces and our top-quality organic Assam Black whole leaf tea.
Accompanying this superb pairing is a medley cinnamon, ginger, and whole cardamom. Bursting with the essence of the tropics, this handcrafted blend will soothe, nourish, and uplift your spirits. Share a steaming mug with a good friend.
Learn more about this chai here.
Taster’s Review:
The aroma of the dry leaf is tempting with notes of sweet coconut and spicy cinnamon and ginger. I waited anxiously for this Coconut Chai Black Tea Blend from Zhi Tea to finish steeping … three minutes seems like forever when you can’t wait to taste the tea! (And then there’s the cooling time! Argh! The anticipation!!!)
But this chai is well worth the wait! YUM! It’s a delicious way to warm you up. The spices are sweet yet spicy, and mingle in a very enjoyable way with the sweet, creamy coconut notes. I like that the coconut adds just the right creaminess to the cup; no dairy is needed to enjoy a latte-like experience. However, if you want to enhance those creamy tones, a splash of milk will do that for you.
The black tea base is an Assam tea, and I can taste the richness it provides. It has a smooth texture and a malty flavor that melds well with the sweetness of the coconut. The tea is full-flavored and has a sweet, caramel-esque undertone, and it is moderately astringent. It is bold enough to stand up to the strength of the spices, and I like that I can enjoy the flavor of this Assam as well as the other ingredients of the blend.
This is not an overtly spicy chai. The cinnamon tastes sweet, the ginger adds a pepper-ish kick to the cup while the cardamom adds a touch of warmth to the cup. It isn’t what I’d call a hot or spicy chai, rather, I would call it warm and inviting. This is the kind of chai that I think most people could enjoy – even the ones who tend to shy away from chai because they’re a bit too much for them. I think that the coconut mellows out the spices just enough to make this a warm chai but not a spicy one.
Witches’ Brew Chai Blend from 52Teas
Chai Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Chai Description:
Thanks to LiberTEAS for the idea for this blend (and no, I’m certainly not calling her a witch of any sort; that’s just what this blend brings to mind for me). LiberTEAS wanted a smoky chai blend with some additional spices, so we blended some of our premium black tea base with some extra assam and some lapsang souchoung (smoked black tea), ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, clove, star anise, nutmeg and cumin along with some organic flavors. The result is a smoky, spicy treat that will warm you to your bones. Get yours today while they last.
Learn more about this chai here.
Taster’s Review:
Now, that’s what I’m talking about!
If you read the above description, you’ll see that I suggested this blend to Frank (the Chief Zoomdweebie over at 52Teas), and he made it for me and called it Witches’ Brew Chai Blend. He wanted to express to me that he in no way thinks I’m a witch, but I told him that it’s perfectly fine to think of me as such … I’ve been called worse! Ha!
Back when I was still blending teas, I created what I considered the perfect chai. I know I’ve told that story more than once. I spent over a year creating the perfect recipe. One of the ingredients that was a MUST for my chai back then was cumin seeds. I would even toast the cumin seeds myself, because it brought out such a lovely, warm, slightly smoky flavor. And of course, I never forgot the nutmeg, which I would freshly grind into the blend.
But one spice that I didn’t include in my chai was star anise. This is a spice that I didn’t become well acquainted with until after my blending days were over, and I have since fallen in love with the spice and it’s licorice-y tones. So, when I asked Frank to create this blend, I wanted star anise in there too. I thought that the star anise, together with the other spices and the smoky notes of Lapsang Souchong … would be … absolutely divine.
And I was not wrong.
This is as perfect a chai as I’ve ever tasted since I stopped blending my own. I love the star anise, I love that it is warm and spicy and there is a complexity within the spice notes. I love that I taste the rich, malty tones of the black tea base, and the way the smoky notes of the Lapsang Souchong meld with the licorice-y notes and the spice.
I love it served non-latte with a teaspoon of turbinado sugar to enhance the spices. It also makes a spectacular latte, just add a splash of milk or cream. Do take care not to add too much milk to the cup because the dimensions of flavor from the spices is really amazing … and too much of the creamy stuff will obscure that. Just a little bit of milk or cream to bring out the malty notes of the Assam will make a devilishly delicious chai latte!
And this chai is perfectly named too. One taste of this and it evokes thoughts of a great big cauldron over a pit fire, and a cloaked figure stirring the brew. This is SO SO SO good.
This is, hands down, my favorite chai from 52Teas yet … and certainly one of my top favorite chai blends of all time! It’s awesome!