Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Handmade Tea
Tea Description:
Orange Peppercorn Breakfast starts with a base of Assam and Ceylon black tea. Next the blend contains a peppercorn blend (black, white, green, and red) to spice things up a touch. Lastly burnt orange peel is added to the blend. The caramelization adds a deep sweetness.
Learn more about the subscription plan here.
Taster’s Review:
Orange Peppercorn Breakfast from Handmade Tea has everything I love in a breakfast blend! Its deep and robust, perfectly sweetened naturally and lightly by the citrus, with a wake me up spark from the peppercorns. It tastes a little like a mimosa with a kick and trust me I need a kick in the morning!
I have to be out the door soon for some appointments and had made another tea in my travel mug to take with me, but now I wish I had made this instead, except that it only arrived about an hour ago!
Handmade tea is a monthly subscription plan with two plan options. The one I subscribe to includes a big tin of tea and three tiny tins of the three elements used to make the blend with. Its really cool if you are a foodie or interested in blending teas yourself as it allows you to smell, taste, touch, and feel each individual ingredient on its own.
I love Caleb’s Handmade Tea! I have only received two months thus far but both have been beyond expectation and somehow I feel as though he has been stalking my tasting notes to figure out exactly what I want in a tea! I realize that is not possible as he has so many people who subscribe to his membership plan, there is no way he could stalk us and appease us all, but I tell you what, somehow he has managed to please my taste buds perfectly!
I adore peppercorn in tea blends, when done right of course, and even though I will admit I am not always that fond of citrus in teas, he really did this tea blend right by caramelizing the orange peel with a creme’ brulee torch to get that sweet sensation without making the tea too sweet!
I really suggest you check out this monthly subscription plan and you can check out more of the past blends here.
Wise Man’s Caravan from Indie Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Indie Tea
Product Description:
Wisdom May Be The Road Less Traveled, But It Beats The Road That Leads To The Unexpected Swamp Filled With Hungry Alligators.
Organic and Fair Trade Ingredients: Organic Assam Black Tea, Organic Cloves, Organic Orange Peel, Organic Cinnamon, Organic Cardamom, Organic White Peppercorn, Organic Allspice, Organic Ginger, Organic Nutmeg, Organic Myrrh, Organic Frankincense.
Taster’s Review:
I must admit that Frankincense and Myrrh are two ingredients with which I have very little (read: none) experience. I wouldn’t be able to readily identify either if I were given something that had been spiced with them. I might have tried something with one or both of the ingredients in it before trying this tea, but, if so, it apparently was memorable.
But that is certainly not the case with this chai! This is really a delicious and unique chai – and it is indeed memorable. The black tea base is robust enough to stand out and be noticed amongst these spices without overwhelming them. It has a pleasant flavor with a nice malty note.
The spices are strong, but they don’t hit you upside the head. The cloves, cinnamon and cardamom come through most distinctly. I do like the addition of the allspice and nutmeg, it gives the tea a very solid warmth and pleasant nutty/woody flavor. The spices come through with very little heat though… this is what I would call a well-seasoned spiced tea rather than a spicy tea. It’s rustic and unusual.
While I do enjoy ginger, I like that here it is a little subdued. It doesn’t come on too strong or peppery – it kind of sits back in the background and lets the other spices come out and play. I also like the hint of orange here. It isn’t strong, but, it is a nice citrus-y sweetness that lightens up what might otherwise be a very spice-laden cup.
This is a very unusual chai – unusual, but very enjoyable. Different is good!
