Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Jacqueline’s Tea Room
Tea Description:
Blueberries and maple with a hint of smoke
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I purchased this tea originally via a sampler offered on iHeartTeas, although, it appears that this sampler is no longer available. However, it does look like Jacqueline’s Tea Room is now selling their teas online!
This is really a very tasty tea. The black tea base is a rich, hearty base … the kind of tea with which you want to start your day. Slightly smoky and full-flavored, the tea has a mild astringency and after steeping for 2 1/2 minutes, I detect no bitterness.
I like the way the maple flavor and the smoke taste together. It is a very rustic kind of taste, evoking thoughts of a pancake breakfast in a log cabin in the woods. The blueberries add just a touch of brightness to the cup, sweet and a little bit tart – it’s that subtle contrast that adds a lot of dimension to the tea.
I enjoyed this tea served straight – with no additions. It was very flavorful and rewarding. However, I think that this tea could also handle a little bit of milk and sugar if you want a creamy latte.
A deliciously cozy tea!
Sticky Buns Black Tea from Jacqueline’s Tea Room
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Jacqueline’s Tea Room
Tea Description:
Black tea with honey, caramel and vanilla. Sinister!
Learn more about Jacqueline’s Tea Room here.
Taster’s Review:
I purchased this as part of a sampler offered by iHeartTeas a while back, but I’m just now getting around to tasting it. Just as well, though, because, this tea is very autumnal and goes well with this time of year! And as I’ve said before – it’s my favorite time of year, and I just love it when I grab a tea from my stash of samples and find one that fits in perfectly with the season.
Of course, I wouldn’t turn down a sticky bun any time of year. But, really, this doesn’t taste all that much like a sticky bun, at least not to me. It’s lacking that bake-y, cake-y kind of taste to it. That’s not to say it’s not delicious – it IS! The flavors of honey and caramel meld together beautifully to create a very luscious sticky bun topping, even if the bun is not there! The vanilla weaves its way in and out throughout the sip, tantalizing the taste buds. YUM!
The black tea base is pleasant, but, there is part of me that thinks that this combination of flavors might benefit from a slightly stronger base. Something that has that natural freshly baked bread kind of taste in it. Something a little bit malty, a little more powerful. As it is, it is delicious, but not really very strong, which makes this a better afternoon cuppa than a breakfast one, in this taster’s opinion.
So, this one is a little bit disappointing because I think it could be so much more than it is. A stronger, maltier base with a natural “baked goods” kind of taste to it, perhaps, or even some nutty tones might make the idea of “Sticky Buns” come across more in the flavor. But I am enjoying it for the way it is, and I certainly would not refuse a cup if it were offered. Yummy, but capable of so much more, I think!
