Cherry Almond Black Tea/Stash Tea- Ashmanra-

Cherry and almond are almost inseparable flavors, and immediately bring sweet, decadent desserts to mind for me. I knew I would like this tea before I ever opened the pouch.

The smell of the leaves confirms it. This is going to be delicious! There is so much sweet cherry aroma here! And the almond is just as strong.

Steeped up and served with biscuits – the Southern US kind – made for a delightful tea time.
The black tea base is pretty brisk, and as usual I don’t notice this much while eating but the final cup sipped by itself has a building drying effect on the tongue.

It occurred to me that this would probably be fabulous as a refreshing sweet tea for summer! Off to the kitchen to fill the kettle again.

Iced tea tastes best after it has mellowed in the refrigerator for a bit. My mother insisted on overnight, but sometimes we can’t wait that long! I have done cold steeped tea (really great for unsweet tea) and I have done flash chill, and they work but it isn’t the same. I want to do this tea justice, so I am patient and put it in the fridge without tasting it yet.

One day later: the tea has had plenty of time for the flavors to meld. Time to try it!

This is delicious. I am loving the cherry. To be honest, I could do without the almond part as it lends a cozy warmth that throws me off in iced tea. But…I still love it. I will definitely ice this again.

And now that I have visited their website and seen PEACH black tea, guess what I am ordering to ice next?

 


Want to Know More About This Tea?

Leaf Type:  Black Tea

Where to Buy: Stash Tea

Description

For our delicious Cherry Almond dessert tea, we combine the sweet flavor of plump red cherries and rich natural almond oil with select black teas. The result is a smooth, cordial-like tea that is rich in flavor and aroma. This tea may be enjoyed any time of the day, but it is especially pleasant in the evening with a touch of sugar.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Organic Vanilla Almond Sachet from Boston Tea Company

This morning my tea infusers are all full of teas that I plan to re-steep but don’t currently feel like drinking, so I decided that now is the perfect time to try this tea, which comes in a handy and elegant pyramid-shaped sachet. I steeped it for five minutes, which I spent wondering if it would taste like a baked good. I mean, vanilla and almond flavoring are two of the most common flavorings for cookies and stuff, right?

Upon tasting it, I found the flavor pleasantly sweet even before I added milk and sugar. I found that because of its natural sweetness it didn’t require very much sugar. I think the flavor goes perfectly with milk, though, and the aroma and aftertaste are just as nice as the actual taste, which is a big plus. I was happy that it didn’t leave an odd aftertaste like some teas do. Instead, my mouth felt fresh and almondy after each sip.
The steeping recommendations said to steep this tea for 3-5 minutes. I allowed the relatively light color to fool me into thinking it needed to be steeped for longer, so I opted for 5 minutes rather than 3. I think this was a mistake because I couldn’t easily the vanilla through the almond. It still tasted great, but if you’re hoping to taste the vanilla you might want to not steep it quite so long. I tried a second steeping and it came out a bit more balanced after 3.5 minutes. So it seems you can adjust the steeping times based on how strong you like your almond flavoring and what flavor balance you prefer.
All in all, this was a sweet, pleasant, friendly tea. I enjoyed it as a breakfast tea and I think it would be great as a dessert tea as well.

 


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Boston Tea Company

Description

As you open the envelope of this certified organic tea, the luscious scents of vanilla will surround you. A silken sachet filled with our premium organic blend of Chinese and Inidan black teas, slices of organic almonds and vanilla. This tea will soothe your soul with every sip. CONTAINS 15 Silk Sachet Pyramid Tea Bags Individually Wrapped in Envelopes to Preserve Freshness HEALTH Rich in anti-oxidants, including favonoids, ie: catechins and polyphenols, these substances in tea provide many health benefits, such as preventing tooth decay, lowering cholesterol, and assisting in the prevention of heart attacks. Boston Tea’s Loose Leaf Tea reflects the passion projected in our company’s motto: “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Tea”. Our Full Leaf Tea embodies natural beauty, rich aromas, and the finest quality that our worldly Master Tea Blenders ardently seek. Found in the lush planataions of Sri Lanka and South Africa to the mountainous regions of China and India, Boston Tea blends its tea to create the heartiest, strongest, and most flavorful cup. Double your tea-drinking pleasure; try and of these flavors hot or iced! Gluten Free Yes Kosher Orthodox Union (OU) Ingredients Premium Blend of Organic Chinese and Indian Black Tea, Almond Slices, Marigold Petals, Vanilla Flavor Tea Bag Count 15

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Caramel Apple Almond from Full Leaf Tea Co.

CaramelAppleAlmondTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Full Leaf Tea Company

Tea Description:

This black tea blend steeps to a rich caramel color with subtle hints of apple to the taste. 

The tea in Full-Leaf is a mix of marigolds, apple bits, caramel bits, and almond chips

Country of Origin: India

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

I love discovering new companies and new tea company owners that really care about what their customers think.  Matt@ Full Leaf Tea Company is just that kind of owner.  He cares about what his customers think and really takes the time and care to listen.  When I come across that kind of a company, I tend to keep going back.  On top of the awesome customer service you reciceve, there is also an amazing selection of teas to try.  And I have tried several.

Recently I had their Caramel Apple and Almond Black Tea.  I couldn’t wait to try this one.  Threw some tea leaves into my Breville One Touch and set this up with the black tea setting (212F-3 min). The dry leaves had a slight almond like aroma with hints of a sweetness.  Didn’t exactly smell like caramel or apple but you can tell there was something there.  You could actually see the caramel bits, apple bits, and the almond chips right in the blend.  You have to love that!

Poured myself and Jason (my boyfriend) a cup.  Brewed up hot, this had a very pu erh flavor and smell.  The tea was very earthy and I couldn’t taste any of the caramel, apple, or almond.  We both thought this tasted like a pu erh blend so much that I actually emailed Matt and asked him if pu erh was in the black base tea.  He said there wasn’t.  I was a bit confused by this.

Typically when I don’t like a tea brewed hot, I will enjoy it cold brewed.  Threw some leaves in my cold brew bottle and let it steep overnight.  In the morning I had a fantastic blend of sweet and earthy caramel apple tea.  The earthy flavor was still there but the flavor blended so well with the sweet caramel apple.  I didn’t taste the almond but I have a feeling the almond was more subtle and aiding in the rich earthy flavor.

I think I just need to go back and play with the steeping parameters on this tea.  I have a feeling that the 3 min steep was too long and maybe should go with a 2 min steep when trying to brew this up hot.  I also want to try and steep this up in my glass tea pot instead of the Breville.    This is a tea that just needs a bit of experimenting to bring out all of those lovely flavors and I am up for the task.  Just need to get some more.