Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Our newest Tea of the Week is a Turtle Cheesecake flavored black tea. We combined premium black teas, organic roasted cacao nibs, pecans and organic flavors to create a cup of awesome. This tea is vegan-friendly! Our Cheesecake teas never last long, so get yours today.
Learn more about this blend here.
Learn more about Zoomdweebie’s fundraising campaign to reopen the Tea Bar here. (There are only a few days left to contribute!)
Taster’s Review:
OK … I was pretty much jumping for joy when the tea for the week of September 2nd from 52Teas was announced. Turtle Cheesecake Flavored Black Tea? Um … yes, please!
The aroma when I opened the package immediately enchanted this chocoholic. I could smell the notes of the roasted cacao nibs, and hints of nutty goodness from the pecans. It smelled sweet and my mouth started watering at that very moment.
Now that the tea is brewed, I can still smell the chocolate and the pecans, but, I also smell caramel! Mmm! There is also a note of earthiness from the black tea base.
The black tea is rich and substantial. It provides a nice, full taste on the tongue … a very satisfying flavor. It is a little bit sweet and a little bit earthy. There are notes of malt to the flavor as well, and these notes accentuate the caramel flavoring.
This is a really delicious tea … but, right now, it’s still quite hot, and I’m thinking it needs a couple of minutes to allow the flavors to develop. Right now as the tea is piping hot, it is almost as though there is just too much going on to be able to really focus on individual flavor profiles … so … I’ll allow it a few minutes to cool down just a bit.
After a few minutes cool time, the flavors really DO develop. Now I can taste not only the black tea notes, but, also the chocolate, the caramel and the pecan … as well as the tangy cheesecake!
The chocolate is delicious, but as a chocoholic, I find myself wanting a little bit more chocolate in this. It’s delicious as it is … but more chocolate is always better. Ha! I was just imagining myself as an assistant to Frank during the blending process of these teas. I’d be adding more cacao nibs when his back was turned.
When the tea cools to a point of still being warm but not what I’d call “hot” I notice more cheesecake flavor. It is tangy, smooth and rich. Sometimes, I swear I could even taste a hint of buttery pastry for the crust. The caramel has notes of “burnt sugar” to it and I like it, because it’s a slightly bitter intonation and it adds an interesting taste to the cup.
In one sip, I taste notes of toasted pecans, sweet caramel, rich cheesecake and decadent chocolate notes … as well as a solid background of black tea flavor. I like that I taste all of these things … and they are very harmonious. The key with this tea really is patience, because when sipped after it’s been poured from the teapot – when it’s at its hottest temperature – the flavors are a little bit muddy. But, allow the tea to cool to a drinkable temperature and the flavors really come out.
This is a very tasty tea!
Maple Pecan Oolong from Butiki Teas
Tea Type:
Oolong Tea
Where To Buy:
Butiki Tea
Product Description:
Our Maple Pecan Oolong utilizes our Nilgiri Frost Oolong base. This smooth, silky tea has maple notes that develop into pecan notes then finish with maple notes that linger. Some citrus notes may also be detected. The flavors weave together brilliantly and are well balanced with the oolong base. With a little sugar the maple and pecan intensify for a wonderful desert treat that resembles a pecan pie. We recommend adding sugar slowly; too much sugar and the tea will taste like exactly like fresh maple syrup with a hint of pecan.
Ingredients: Nilgiri Frost Oolong, Pecans, Organic Natural Flavoring (vegan)
Recommended Brew Time: 4 minutes
Recommended Amount: 1 1/2 teaspoons of tea for 8oz of water
Recommended Temperature: 170 F degreesFor more information, please visit http://www.butikiteas.com
Tasters Review:
Every time I see or hear about something Maple Pecan flavored I think of my Grandpa…RIP. You see – my Grandfather was a very interesting man…very fun and VERY memorable! He passed away in 1995 but I remember EVERYTHING about him! One of the many things I will always remember is his love for Maple Pecan ICE CREAM. He was addicted to it! It was that flavor and Almond Pistachio – those were his TWO Favorites! So, yeah, when I see or hear about Maple Pecan…I think of my Grandfather!
Anyhow…I am super excited to try this one! I’m also really happy Stacy used a Nilgiri Oolong here, too! I have large REAL Pecans in this and that I LOVE. I have to confess I gnawed on one of the Pecans after it was done infusing!
The Maple is nice and even aroma-wise and there is a sugary-sweet aroma to follow, too! The pecans are delightful and of course…NUTTY!
The flavor is VERY Pecan-esque with a bit of sugary-sweet Maple flavor. It is certainly comparable to Maple Pecan Ice Cream or Maple Walnut Ice Cream but in tea form.
This flavored Oolong is an amazingly flavored oolong! Excellent! And more importantly…TRUE to it’s name!
YUMMO!
Nilgiri Frost Oolong from Butiki Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Butiki Teas
Tea Description:
Our Nilgiri Frost Oolong originates from Nilgiri, in Southern India and is graded TGFOP (Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe). Since this tea is grown at a high elevation, the leaves are exposed to a light frost during some nights of the winter months. The long thin chocolate colored leaves are hand twisted and produce a weighty body. This smooth tea has notes of citrus, peach, pecan, and oak. There are many qualities similar to a Nilgiri black tea; however, the frost oolong is much gentler and sweeter. This tea is produced in very limited quantities due to the short harvest period and special conditions that must exist.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
In some ways this tea reminds me more of a black tea than an oolong, which isn’t a bad thing as it is nice to have a little of both worlds sometimes. Not floral like many oolong, this tea is deep and robust. It has levels of flavors ranging from light and fruity to deep and woodsy.
Like many black teas there is also an astringency that I often do not find in oolong tea. This astringency is not a bad thing either – not bitter but a slight sour note, not as in sour milk of course but more like in sweet fruity candies with sour sugar sprinkled on top.
The dry leaf is dark and mysterious with twists and curls through out. It looks perfect for this time of year where the leaves are changing colors and Halloween is around the corner. Sort of spooky in its visual effect. Wet, the leaf unfurls and colors of amber brown and deep green appear. The liquid color is reddish amber.
Notes of oak, peach, and nutty pecan peek through in the flavors.
Some mornings I am not sure if I want an oolong even as much as I adore oolong, I just need a black tea to get me started, yet this tea seems to lay somewhere in the middle for me. Its perfect when I crave an oolong but need the black tea mind and energy boost! Quite honestly, even with as many oolong as I drink and as much as I love my oolong tea, this would have been difficult for me to detect as an oolong had I not known before sipping. I could have easily been fooled, especially early in the morning to believe it was a black tea.
Truly this Oolong is different, and if you consider yourself an oolong connoisseur, you certainly should try it, simply for the experience of something so different. If you love your black teas but are curious about oolong this is the one to try. Or, if you are like me, and love both but are not quite sure on some mornings which to grab and steep – get this one and solve that problem right away!
PecaMint from Design A Tea (Also Known As PeacaMint)
Tea Type: Rooibos
Where To Buy:
Design A Tea
Product Description:
“PeacaMint” Tea – Was our 2008 Holiday Blend. A smooth mix of earthy pecan flavor with that seasonal and traditional peppermint hint, makes for a “manly, yet soft” concoction. Blended in a Rooibos base and being naturally caffeine free, this holiday blend is PERFECT for cuddling up on a sofa and watching the snow fall outside your window. Which is always better than watching it snow inside your house I guess!
Tasters Review:
I’m assuming, although I don’t know for sure, that this one did so well, they now offer it full-time! What once started as a holiday blend – seems to have people talking year-round! OR…at least it has ME talking about it year-round! I LOVE THIS Flavored Rooibos!
This has some hearty peppermint on top of a decent amount of pecan and rooibos which makes for a unique combo of flavors! If you have tried Pecan Butter and then had something pepperminty afterwards you might get the idea of this flavor, here! It has ‘just enough…EVERYTHING” for my personal palate! It’s refreshing – yes! But it’s also quite fulfilling, too, like you just had a nice dessert! The peppermint lingers long after the cup is finished.
I think this is just dandy!
Nuttier Than a Fruitcake (Custom Blend) from Ovation Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: You can create your own custom blend at Ovation Teas
About My Custom Blend:
Nuttier than a Fruitcake – White tea blended with nutmeg, sunflower petals, almonds & pecans with apricot and vanilla flavoring.
Taster’s Review:
Not long ago, Ovation Teas made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. Well, not just me, but to the first 100 customers who placed an order for a custom blend. The offer: 4 ounces of their very own, custom blend – FREE – just pay shipping and handling. Well, like I said, it was an offer I couldn’t refuse, so I placed my order immediately.
But the hard part for me was coming up with something unique. Something I couldn’t find elsewhere. Then, I recall tasting a fantastic “Wedding Cake” lollipop that I wanted to try to duplicate in tea form. I started with a white tea base (this appears to be a Bai Mu Dan, based upon the look of the leaves), then chose to add apricot and vanilla flavoring, almonds and pecans and finally some nutmeg. Then I added some sunflower petals to make it pretty as well as add some defining sharpness to the tea.
I decided to call this blend of mine “Nuttier Than a Fruitcake” because I was often told in my younger years that I was, indeed, nuttier than a fruitcake. And given the inspiration and the ingredients I chose, I felt it was a suitable name.
The outcome: A tea that … while doesn’t taste exactly like the fruitcake lollipop that I remember, still tastes pretty amazing. The white tea base tastes light but doesn’t allow itself to become overpowered by the other flavors. The nuts (pecans & almonds) are not a particularly strong flavor, but then, I didn’t really expect them to be. As is generally the rule with flavored/blended teas, it is the flavoring oil that is used to flavor a tea that really gives the tea it’s POP flavor … fruit and nut additions don’t generally contribute a lot of flavor.
The apricot and vanilla flavors are pretty evenly matched … sometimes I’ll taste a little more apricot, while others I taste a little more vanilla. It is smooth and creamy and sweet. As I had hoped, the sunflower does add some sharp tones to the cup … just enough to keep it lively.
But the real star of this blend is the NUTMEG! Every time I brew this tea, the scent of the nutmeg is delightfully strong. As it brews in the kitchen, I can smell it in the next room! The flavor of the nutmeg is equally as strong, and it lends a rustic, nutty, and deliciously warm flavor to the cup.
I am really thrilled with my custom blend from Ovation Teas, and even though they aren’t currently offering the free custom blend that inspired me to place this order, I am happy enough with this custom blend that I will order another custom blend sometime in the future (whenever the inspiration hits!) It is well worth the price, in my opinion, if for no other reason, than to enjoy something truly unique.