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!
On The Second Day of Christmas, 52Teas Sent To Me …
It’s the second day of the Christmas tea “project” and I’m very happy with today’s selection, and judging from the tasting notes for this tea on Steepster, I’d say that others would agree with me.
So, without further ado, I’ll just jump right in with information about today’s tea!
For The Second Day of Christmas, 52Teas Sent to me:
CASHEW TURTLE FLAVORED BLACK TEA
It should really come as no surprise that I love this tea. Caramel, chocolate, cashew and Assam tea? YUM, yum, YUM!
The Assam is strong and bold. It has a nice malty tone to it that accents the caramel notes especially well. The chocolate comes through as a bitter-sweet flavor, with a pleasing nutty dimension. It tastes as though I dropped a candy in a cup of hot Assam tea. Rich, chocolate-y, caramel-y, nutty goodness!
Of course, I did review this one previously, and I see that my thoughts really haven’t changed much on this tea, so I’ll just leave you with a link to my review, so that you can see what I thought of it back when I first tried it.
Can’t wait to see what tomorrow’s tea will be!
Cashew Turtle from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Product Description:
So here we are: I started with a bold blend of Assam teas; none of those lighter crisper teas for this blend, this is to be a deep, rich experience. Into that blend of Assam teas, I’ve added organic cacao nibs for a bittersweet, dark-chocolatey experience and real cashew pieces along with all natural chocolate, caramel and cashew flavors.
If you can open a pouch of this tea and your mouth doesn’t instantly start to water, you might want to check your pulse. This folks, is a Dessert tea with a capital “D”. Enjoy it, and don’t miss out. It’s not going to last long!
Taster’s Review:
This tea was announced the second week after I had purchased my first subscription (well, actually, I had received a gift subscription a few months back, so that was technically my first subscription, but this was the first that I purchased) from 52Teas, and it just solidified the fact that I NEED to keep a running subscription for 52Teas. Chocolate, caramel and cashew? Yeah, my mouth was watering by the time I had finished reading the name of the tea!
And it’s SO GOOD!
But I have to tell you, I didn’t think so the first time I steeped it. I had forgotten that this was made with an Assam base instead of the usual blend of Nilgiri and Assam teas that 52Teas uses for their black tea blends. And, well, I oversteeped it. It was still alright… but, kind of just … meh. You know? Not all that exciting. It tasted bitter and the bitterness sort of overwhelmed the flavors of chocolate, caramel and cashew. What I tasted mostly was oversteeped tea.
But I didn’t give up. I altered the steeping parameters slightly: using my Breville One-Touch (have I mentioned lately how much I love this machine?), I set the thermometer for 205°F instead of 212°F (boiling). I set the timer for 2 1/2 minutes. And? Perfection!
The Assam is rich and malty, and these characteristics offer just the right platform for the chocolate and caramel flavors to express themselves. The chocolate tastes like a dark chocolate – it has that deep, bittersweet flavor. (If you prefer a milk chocolate-y flavor, you can add a splash of milk to the cup) The caramel is sweet and creamy.
The best part about this blend (at least as far as my sweet tooth is c0ncerned) is that the chocolate and caramel are about equal. They aren’t competing with one another, the chocolate doesn’t overwhelm the caramel flavor; which is so often the case when it comes to teas with both chocolate and caramel flavors. The nutty flavor of the cashew gives this cup a really delicious dimension.
It’s even better when the leaves are infused a second time! Delicious served hot, straight up with no additions; it is also quite nice with a little sugar which helps to define the caramel-y undertones. A little milk makes this a really creamy experience. Personally, I prefer it straight-up, but, I certainly would never say no to a latte!
This is so YUMMY!
Chocolate Caramel Turtle Tea from Culinary Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Culinary Teas
Product Description:
Craving that candy bar…why not try a calorie free alternative? Our Chocolate Caramel Turtle tea is it! A sinfully delicious combination for your brewing pleasure.
Taster’s Review:
This one had me at chocolate. But promises of caramel too? My mouth is watering just thinking about it. I could smell the chocolate as soon as I opened the pouch, which only added to the drool factor.
The brewed tea has an interesting fragrance as well, not as strong a chocolate scent as with the dry leaf, but more like a combination of chocolate, nuts, earthy black tea, and sweet caramel. The nutty aroma is the strongest of the bunch.
Mmmm! This tastes so good. Nutty and chocolate-y, but not so much that it overwhelms the caramel and black tea. The black tea base is fairly neutral and mild here, but it is not so discreet that it is completely lost. Each flavor is represented in the sip, although some flavors are stronger than others.
A very enjoyable cup – this chocoholic approves!