Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Simpson & Vail
Product Description:
A new addition to our flavored tea line and already a huge hit with all of us here! This slightly sweet, scrumptious blend has a lightly toasted flavor with the delicious taste of apples and cinnamon. Sipping this tea reminds me of the Sunday morning breakfast treats of my childhood. Now that I’m all grown up I could have those treats every day of the week; however, I think I’ll stick to this tea blend instead. It’s full of the sinful tastes of childhood but, with no calories, it suits my adult metabolism!
Ingredients: Black teas, organic cinnamon chips, apple pieces, orange blossoms and flavoring.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This tea is incredibly fragrant. I had started a pot to brew in my Breville One-Touch and then went off to take my shower. By the time I emerged from the bathroom, the aroma of apples and cinnamon had permeated the house! It smelled like I had just baked a coffeecake!
And it tastes as incredible as it smells. As one who flavored and blended teas in a former life, I can tell you that apple flavor is one of the toughest flavors to nail in a tea, it is – for whatever reason – very difficult to get just right. But Simpson & Vail have done just that with this blend. The apple comes through very well, and it tastes like the real thing.
The cinnamon is also expertly blended here as well. Cinnamon is one of those spices that can easily overwhelm a blend; however, here, it is done so well that it comes through as a gentle, warm accent to the apple without taking over.
And I can even taste a bit of pastry in this cup! There is a buttery, cake-y kind of taste in the background. This really is like a coffeecake in a teacup, and it’s so yummy!
But (and I know I’ve said this before) a tea isn’t a tea without the tea, and thankfully the black tea is not overpowered by the strong flavors of apple and cinnamon. I can’t say that it is the strongest flavor of this cup, because it isn’t; however, it is there and what I’m enjoying here is how well it integrates with the other flavors to create a very unified kind of flavor. This isn’t one of those teas where I taste apple AND cinnamon AND tea AND cake… but, instead it is a tea where I taste notes of apple, cinnamon, tea and cake. That is to say, the distinctions between each flavor is not as apparent as I sip this as it often is in some other flavored tea blends. This is a very synergistic cup, where each of the flavors seamlessly comes together to create a very harmonious, unified flavor that represents each of the elements deliciously.
A very tasty way to start one’s day!
Hazelnut Black Tea from Simpson & Vail
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Simpson & Vail
Product Description:
This black tea blend has a strong aroma and a nutty flavor. Reminiscent of the winter holidays when the tastes of warming hazelnuts pervade the senses. Can be enjoyed as is, but is also delightful with a little added cream.
Taster’s Review:
The aroma of this tea is unbelievably delicious. From the moment I opened the pouch, I could smell the delightfully warm, sweet nutty fragrance of hazelnuts. Now that the tea is brewed and sitting in front of me, I am finding it difficult to not want to just hold my head inches above the rim of the cup, taking in the radiating warmth of the cup while at the same time enjoying the yummy scent. It’s one of those kinds of teas that you just want to grab a blanket and a good book, and just curl up and get cozy with tea in hand.
The flavor (as well as the incredible scent) is very reminiscent of the holiday season for me, which is why I chose to schedule my review of this tea just a couple of weeks before Christmas. The delicious, nutty fragrance and flavor reminds me of Christmas at my Gramma’s house, which was always warm with inviting aromas and flavors. Gramma made the most incredible cookies and other yummy foods this time of year, and hazelnuts (she called them filberts) were one of her favorite nuts (along with pecans) to include in her baking.
The black tea base here is fairly mellow and seems to help inspire (along with the flavor of the hazelnuts) that cozy sort of feeling that I described earlier. It isn’t one of those “get up and go” kind of black teas … and therefore isn’t a tea I’d recommend for breakfast unless you’re enjoying a leisurely breakfast in bed and do not need that gusto that black tea can often deliver. This isn’t one of those teas … instead, this is a “slow down and enjoy life” kind of tea. Take time to smell the roses … or… tea.
The hazelnut flavor is in keeping with this mild attitude of the tea. It doesn’t overwhelm, instead, it delivers a gentle, delicious nutty flavor that tastes of sweet roasted nuts fresh from the oven. YUM!
This tea would make a delightful gift for the tea lover on your shopping list! And, while you’re gift shopping, check out Simpson & Vail’s fantastic array of tea gift packages. You’re sure to find something that will please even the most difficult tea enthusiast on your gift-giving list!
English Toffee from Simpson & Vail
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Simpson & Vail
Product Description:
English Toffee is a sweet made with sugar and butter. This decadent tea has a sweet, creamy taste with no calories! Blended with black teas from China and Sri Lanka, our English Toffee tea brews to a deep amber cup with a light butterscotch taste.
Ingredients: black teas, flavoring, and marigold petals.
Taster’s Review:
I’m liking this one a lot. I have to admit that there was some initial disappointment because the chocoholic in me wanted some chocolate flavor in with the English Toffee flavors (when I think of English Toffee, I think of the candy bars like Heath or Scor, or even the decadent gourmet toffees from Cary’s of Oregon, all of which are enrobed in chocolate). That chocoholic sometimes forgets that “English Toffee” is that yummy, buttery, caramel-y crunchy candy under the chocolate coating!
And, this is indeed yummy, buttery and caramel-y rich. All that’s missing is the crunchy texture. There is a bit of a burnt sugar – I almost want to say bitterness, but I mean it in the most delicious way possible – taste to it, reminding me of the days when I was in my early 20s and I actually had time to make confections such as English Toffee (I used to make my own toffee, break it into tiny bits, and then mix it to cookie dough with chocolate chips to make my own homemade toffee cookies. YUM!)
This English Toffee tea has all the flavor that I’d experience with my homemade English Toffee, plus the delicious taste of black tea. The black tea base lends a solid background of flavor and a bit of astringency to this cup without overwhelming the buttery sweet flavor of the toffee. I would categorize this black tea as a somewhat mild black tea – it is strong but not overbearing – and it makes a delightful base for the flavors of toffee.
A delightful autumnal blend that would be delicious to serve any time of year!
Pumpkin Spice from Simpson & Vail
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Simpson & Vail
Product Description:
This blend combines black teas with pumpkin and spice flavor to create a deep amber cup that is velvety smooth and aromatic. Its light, delicious taste is reminiscent of pumpkin custard. This tea, enjoyed year round, just adds another sensory delight to the mystique of the pumpkin!
Ingredients: black teas, pumpkin flavor and marigold petals.
Taster’s Review:
HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM THE SORORITEA SISTERS!
The hot cup of tea that sits before me now smells yummy. It smells the way my kitchen smells on Thanksgiving morning – freshly baked pumpkin pie! Delish!
This is a very tasty pumpkin spice tea. While it doesn’t have that pie/pastry flavor to it, it does have a delicious, savory pumpkin flavor with a hint of spice. It tastes very much like the baked pumpkin pie filling sans the pastry. And unless gramma is baking the pie (she made the most incredible crusts, but I digress), the baked custard is the best part of the pie anyway.
The black tea base is a brisk black tea. It is mild as far as black teas go, but, it works with this blend. It is pleasant and provides a delicious background for the pumpkin and spice flavors.
I could taste the spice notes right away, particularly the cinnamon. It isn’t a spicy cinnamon taste, it is more like a sweet hint of spice which enhances the natural sweetness as well as the savory notes of the fruit (or vegetable?)
It took a few sips for the pumpkin flavor to really develop. At first, I was left wondering: where is the pumpkin? But, by the time I was finished with my third or fourth sip, the pumpkin came through nicely. Now that I’m nearly finished with my second cup, I am questioning my memory! Did I really not taste the pumpkin? I mean, it’s RIGHT THERE! That is to say, it is a strong, prominent flavor. Rich and sweet. Delicious.
I prefer this tea hot, but that could be because it’s chilly outside and a good, hot cup of Pumpkin Spice tea is quite a comfort on a day like this. It really doesn’t require any sweetening, but if you like a sweeter cup, it wouldn’t hurt to add a drizzle of honey (or perhaps maple syrup!) or maybe try a little bit of brown sugar. The molasses in the brown sugar might add an interesting dimension to the pumpkin. Hmm… now I’m thinking I need to brew another pot of this tea!
Crème Brulee from Simpson & Vail
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Simpson & Vail
Product Description:
This scrumptious black tea blend has the taste and aroma of buttery, creamy sweet goodness. The dark amber cup is sweet and creamy with a finish that tastes like caramelized brown sugar.
Taster’s Review:
Have you ever dreamed about having Crème Brulee for breakfast? I have!
My favorite dessert of all time is Crème Brulee. So to say I was excited to try this tea from Simpson & Vail was an understatement!
The fragrance emitting from the pouch when I opened it was enough to make my mouth water. I could smell the vanilla and that caramelized sugar topping. The brewed tea has more of a buttery kind of smell … still sweet but not quite as caramel/sugar sweet.
And the flavor … amazing! Simpson & Vail has managed to capture the flavor of my favorite dessert. It has that smooth, creamy vanilla custard taste. Although it smells like butter, it doesn’t really taste like it. It tastes like a perfectly baked custard. There is even that burnt-sugar flavor in there which is especially noticeable toward the tail end of the sip.
The black tea is a medium-strength, somewhat astringent black tea. It has a pleasing flavor that doesn’t interfere with the delicate vanilla tones. There is some bitterness to it, enough to provide contrast to the sweet dessert flavor, but not so much that it overwhelms.
This tastes like black tea flavored Crème Brulee! All that’s missing for me is that crackle of the caramelized crust, the crunch of that topping mingling with the smooth, silky custard, and of course: the calories! This tea is a dream come true!