Picture this: young tea reviewer-Mary, at a fancy lunch with her dad, celebrating her 16th birthday. Side note: my parents often took us out for special one-on-one time (hello, life with siblings), especially around our birthdays– but this year was a special one, so my dad pulled out all the stops. After a particularly decadent dinner, my dad insisted we order some dessert. Who was 16-year-old-I to say no? Faced with a delicious decision, I decided to go rouge– crème brulee, a dessert I’d never tried before. All I knew was this: it looked delicious, and had some serious bonus-fun in the form of crackling that burnt-sugar topping before diving in. Sugar AND an activity? Count me in?
Needless to say, ever since that first burnt-sugar-crack, I’ve been a fan of crème brulee. So of course, when I saw this latest offering from David’s Tea, I knew this one was coming home with me. This green tea boasts creamy, burnt-sugar-and-vanilla flavors, with just a hint of floral jasmine on the side. Brewed up solo, it’s delightful– but definitely leans more heavily on those floral notes. I was looking for something creamier, something more reminiscent of the fancy-dessert-nostalgia of my youth. With juuuuust a tiny, tiny touch of honey and a splash of steamed coconut milk on top, this one transforms from creamy floral green tea to magical, burnt-sugar-esque crème-brulee-in-a-cup. In fact, I’m not sure how they manage to perfectly capture that slightly toasty creamy note (almost like a genmaicha, but without a bit of toasted-rice in sight) through flavor alone, but I love it. This is one I’ll be brewing up to share with my dad, for sure.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: DAVIDs Tea
Description
Meet our newest obsession: the crème brulée. French for “burnt cream,” this rich and creamy dessert is famous for its silky custard base and crunchy toffee crust. This decadent green tea captures all the vanilla-cream sweetness of a classic crème brulée – with a pop of jasmine for a light floral touch. It’s satisfying, sophisticated and downright addictive.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Jasmine Pecan Shortbread from A Quarter To Tea. . . .
Jasmine Pecan Shortbread by A Quarter to Tea- Doesn’t this sound so interesting? I love pecans. I put pecans in my shortbread. Yes, I make shortbread and yes it is absolutely incredible shortbread. I put pecans in it to add that crunch and my other half and I go nuts (no pun intended) over it. But, my shortbread is laden with butter. A Quarter to Tea’s “shortbread”, though? Not so much. What better way to get my cravings in than with this? I have been so excited to try this blend and I think today is the perfect day to do so.
I steeped this blend for four minutes with hot water. I used half of a sample bag in my 12oz mug. Once steeped I could smell sweet jasmine, the vegetal green tea, cookies, and the nutty pecans. The smell was very realistic! My first thought when I tasted it is that I could taste the green tea, which I love. I love green tea so I don’t mind when it’s flavor is strong. I think that the second part I tasted was the floral jasmine followed by nutty pecans and finished with slight sweet cookie and vanilla flavor just at the very end. I’m actually really digging this blend, wow. It is good! I’m sipping on it as I write this and the more I drink the more I can taste pecan shortbread freckled with jasmine. The aroma of sweet vanilla and jasmine is definitely there as well, and that, coupled with the taste of pecan cookies, makes for a very happy “me”.
You got to try this one, people! Yeah, i’m probably going to be ordering more. YUM! I’ve said it before and i’ll say it again, A Quarter to Tea is just plain winning.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
Lovely vanilla, butter and pecans flavors with a jasmine background. Definitely try more than one steep — the more steeps, the more the jasmine comes to play!