Miss Figgy from Tea and Tins

So, I have to say this first: the piggy sprinkles are DEATH-DEFYINGLY cute! (I think that’s a thing?) Also, I appreciate the fact that this is an extra-punny tea: not only is the name a pun, but the tea itself is both figgy AND filled with sugar-based figgy piglets. (Yes, the sprinkles do absorb fig flavor over time. I checked.)

miss_figgy_-_spoon_largeAlthough you can smell the sweet flavor of figs through the packet, it gets even better while steeping. After steeping, the tea is a nice hazy cedarish amber color. The overall taste is a bit less figgy than I expected from the smell, though the flavor does build up towards the end of each sip. This tea is sweet enough to not need sugar, although it’s good with sugar too! And it’s quite smooth, with no more than a teeny hint of astringency.

For best flavor, I recommend adding a pinch of sugar and some milk (but you know me, I recommend that for basically all teas). I also recommend using generous amounts of leaf. The first time I sampled this tea, I used a heaping teaspoonful for about 10 oz of water. I tried it and found myself wondering if it would be even better in a stronger infusion, so the next time I tried two heaping teaspoonfuls in about 8oz of water and found the flavor much improved. Again, it’s a matter of taste, so go with your instincts and feel free to experiment!
I really enjoyed drinking down my sample of this tea, and it’s made me consider adding a figgy tea to my regular rotation. (I’m also considering buying some of this tea as a Christmas present for my little sister. It’s both cute and yummy, and thus it’s likely to be an instant little-sister favorite.) If you’re a serious fig fan, you might have to steep this tea especially strong to get as much fruit flavor as you’d like; still, if you’re looking for a nicely fig-flavored black tea with the cutest sprinkles EVER, this is most certainly THE one for you.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:
Where to Buy: Teas and Tins

logoDescription

Loose leaf black tea, nicknamed Miss figgy!

Ingredients: black tea, fig taste with dried figs and pink pig sprinkles.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Miss Figgy Black from The East Indies Tea Company

EastIndiesTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy: The East Indies Tea Company

Tea Description:

Fig taste with dried figs and pink pig sprinkles.

Learn more about this on Steepster.

Taster’s Review:

Despite being pretty much over my ‘sprinkles in tea’ phase, this tea drew me in with the combination of pig sprinkles in the blend and the fun, whimsical name and the promise of fig flavour. In my humble opinion, there aren’t nearly enough fig blends and any chance I have to try a new one is one I’m going to take!

However, when I cracked open my sealed 2 oz. package of this blend I was hit with something I hadn’t been prepared for; the strong, piercing aroma of lavender! The lack of comprehensive ingredients lists on East Indie’s website it definitely a valid criticism; while a super generic blurb has worked out in my favor in the past in this case I feel like I was failed – I cannot stand lavender, and had I known this blend had so much of it I’m sure I would’ve been persuaded against this tea despite wanting to try ‘all the fig’.

Regardless, I cold brewed myself up a mason jar worth of tea because you never really know how a tea is going to taste for sure until you try it, so despite major reservations there was still a chance this could be alright. Sadly, I just couldn’t get over that concentrated lavender flavour. It was floral in a soapy, artificial way that made me feel like I’d licked all of the counters and shelves in a Bath & Body Works store. Any fig that was in this blend, and I know there was because I could see the dried out pieces in the leaf along with the adorable pig sprinkles, was completely masked. I was not impressed.

My overall opinion is that personally I found this blend as irksome as the puppet it’s playfully named for – and if you’re looking for fig look elsewhere. However, if you’re a fan of lavender and want to try a strong lavender blend over a black base you’re in luck.