Well, I really must admit that this 12 Days of Christmas box has really brightened my holiday season. Every tea thus far has been new to me, and that alone makes me happy.
I don’t really have anything clever to say right here, so instead, I think I’ll just jump right in to the review of today’s tea from Della Terra Teas.
Orange Brulee Oolong
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Della Terra Teas
Tea Description:
On the fifth day, Orange Brulee!
As golden as five golden rings, so is a delicious, juicy orange. That mixed with a wonderful caramel brulee creates a perfect holiday season tea. Enjoy this Oolong tea any time of the day. You’ll thank your personal Santa.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
From the moment I opened the pouch of this tea I knew it was something special … well, actually, I knew that just by reading the name of this tea. Orange Brulee? Um… yes please! Creme Brulee is my favorite dessert, and so the idea of having it recreated in tea form makes me very happy. And while I’ve never actually had an Orange Creme Brulee, I can only imagine what an incredible dessert that would be!
And then when I did open the pouch and smelled the fantastic aroma of the dry leaf, I knew I was in for a real treat. It smells like candy orange slices. Sweet and juicy and distinctly orange, but with a lovely sugar-y note too. I could even smell a hint of cream. I was treated to this fragrance throughout the brewing process.
Once the tea was brewed and poured into my teacup, though, there was less of that amazing scent. Oh, it still smells yummy … just not quite as incredible as it did before or while it was brewing.
But it tastes oh-so-good! The flavor is sweet and creamy … custard-y even! The caramel is a little less distinguishable here than the custard, but, that is also true of every creme brulee I’ve ever eaten. Once you finish that bit of caramelized sugar crust, the caramel notes are pretty much gone. Here, I notice a sweet, burnt-sugar caramel note that arrives at the start of the sip, but wanes toward the finish. The creamy, custard-y note remains from start to finish, and then there is the bright, sunny orange notes that really perk up the whole cup. Every once in a while, I taste a note that reminds me of creamsicle, and this alone is enough to bring a smile on my face.
But this delightful treat would be far less interesting if I didn’t actually taste the tea – and I am glad to say that I do. This Oolong is a darker Oolong, and it offers a lovely texture as well as a pleasing fruit note that seems to enhance the orange notes rather than attempts to emerge as a real individual flavor. There are some woodsy notes as well as a hint … just a hint … of flower.
When I first read the description of this tea, I wondered if Oolong was the best base for these flavors, but after tasting it, I’m really happy with the way this tea turned out. It is certainly different, but, I like the way the smooth, luxurious Oolong interacts with these flavors. It is such a comforting and happy beverage!
Pumpkin Creme Brulee from Butiki Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Butiki Teas
Tea Description:
Cinnamon, spice, and everything nice! Our Pumpkin Creme Brulee has a premium Organic Ceylon base and combines a scrumptious pumpkin with fall spices and a touch of cream for a delicious guilt-free treat. We recommend adding brown crystal sugar to enhance the cream flavor.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
YUM!
I tend to be a little skeptical when it comes to pumpkin flavored teas, because some that I’ve tried have not really tasted very much like pumpkin. They usually end up tasting like pumpkin pie spice and not the squash itself.
But this Pumpkin Creme Brulee from Butiki Teas has pumpkin flavor … and not an artificial, chemical-y tasting pumpkin. This has a pleasantly sweet, mild squash flavor that melds deliciously with the gentle spiced notes of cinnamon and nutmeg.
And then there is the creme brulee taste! Creme brulee is without a doubt my favorite dessert. And this has that creamy, decadent flavor of the baked custard, making this a sweet, irresistibly good tea.
However, it wouldn’t BE a tea without the tea base, and Butiki Teas uses a high-quality Ceylon tea which offers a mellow background note. It is rich and pleasant, with a hint of earthiness that marries with the spices to give a slightly nutty fullness that supports the pumpkin notes well.
The flavors of this tea work together perfectly. This would be a lovely tea to serve around the fall and winter holidays to guests as it does have that autumnal feel to it. However, this IS spring, but at the time of writing this review, we are still experiencing a chilly spring … and this makes for a lovely afternoon treat – delicious and warming enough to forget that cold that lurks outside!
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!
Crème Brûlée from Tea, Oh!
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Tea, Oh!
Product Description:
A sweet symphony of toffee and caramel flavours make this a nice after dinner treat.
Taster’s Review:
Crème brûlée? Yes, please!
Crème brûlée is my favorite dessert. I don’t find it often when we dine out – mostly because we can’t often afford to dine in restaurants fancy enough to offer it – but when I see it on the menu, I do try to save room for dessert!
But with this tisane, I can afford to enjoy my favorite dessert any time! The rooibos base is perfect because it is naturally caffeine-free so it makes for a delightful treat after dinner without worry that I’ll be over-caffeinated. The rooibos is lightly nutty which mingles very nice with the creamy flavor of crème brûlée.
I can taste the creamy baked custard flavor of the crème brûlée, it tastes smooth and sweet, and it even has a caramel-y sweet taste to it too, just like the crunchy caramelized sugar that is burnt on top of the classic dessert. All that is missing is the crunch – and while I do love that crunch – the fact that this is calorie free more than makes up for the lack of the crunchy texture.
This is really an awesome treat! Thank you – Tea, Oh!