Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: ManTeas
Product Description:
Here’s our premium Indian black teas blended with real freeze-dried jalapenos and natural jalapeno flavor! Man up and get some while you can. This is a limited edition blend!
Taster’s Review:
This was a tea that for the longest time I was too intimidated to try. In fact, I was so intimidated by it that I didn’t order this – it was a gift from a tea friend! And like so many teas that have intimidated me in the past, I regret that I did not try this sooner. It really is incredible!
The flavor is not so much “spicy-hot” the way you’d expect a jalapeño to be, although it does have a heat to it that develops as I continue to sip. The way I’d describe this as more of the fruity essence of the jalapeño pepper, with an embracing warmth that offers a hint of peppery kick toward the end of the sip. This isn’t the pickled jalapeño pepper flavor that you might find in a jar on the grocery store shelf – this is more true to a fresh jalapeño pepper that you might find in the produce section of the market.
And the black tea is not to be counted out here – it provides a delicious base for this tea. It is a robust blend of Blue Mountain Nilgiri and Assam teas. I like the way the flavor of the tea and the flavor of the pepper is balanced in this cup – it is a very harmonious combination. The only thing that I can’t help but wonder is how a pinch of Lapsang Souchong might affect the taste. I think that the smokiness of the Lapsang Souchong would add a delicious savoriness to the cup.
As it is, though, I really am enjoying this tea far more than I ever expected to. As I said before, I was a little afraid to try it – not because I dislike spicy food, because I actually love it. But, that doesn’t mean that I don’t proceed with caution when trying something that will no doubt be spicy. And this is a spicy tea, it just isn’t over-the-top with a burning heat to the palate kind of spicy. It is a savory-spicy that develops into a very-warm-spicy flavor, imparting a delicious heat that lingers on the palate. It really is delicious and just goes to show that I shouldn’t judge a tea before I try it.
