Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Caraway Tea Company
Tea Description:
You’ll love how the sweet apple, scent of juicy oranges, and delicate cream sooth the spicy bits of cinnamon, coriander, cardamom, cloves and hot fruity pepper. Add a little milk and sugar and youll enjoy a special treat.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Mmm! I don’t know if what I’m tasting is “Tea & Cookies” so much as tea and cozy warm spices with hints of fruit … but, I’m enjoying this tea enough to overlook the fact that Tea & Cookies Flavored Black Tea from Caraway Tea Company might be suffering from a bit of a misnomer.
So what if it doesn’t taste exactly like “Tea & Cookies” to me … I can still kind of get where their coming from, calling it this. It has a warm taste to it that reminds me of the smells that come from the kitchen around the holiday season, when the aroma of freshly baked cookies and warm spices fill the air! This tea not only captures that fragrance, but the scent also translates into the flavor. This tea tastes the way the kitchen smells during the holiday season!
The black tea base is a strong enough tea to hold its own in the presence of the spices, but, doesn’t attempt to overthrow the flavors of this cup. The Caraway Tea Company website doesn’t mention what type of black tea is used in this blend, only that it’s “black tea.” Based on what I’m tasting, I’d guess it’s a high-quality Ceylon … it has a strong flavor, but it’s pretty even-tempered, and doesn’t get too brassy or assertive.
There is a nice “bake-y/cake-y” kind of flavor going on with the cup too. So, the cookie thing is not too far-fetched … and together with the cinnamon notes, it evokes thoughts of a snickerdoodle cookie. The apple notes are very delicate but they do provide a nice sweetness to the cup. It doesn’t taste distinctly “apple” with the first few sips, but, give it time … by the time I reached mid-cup, the apple notes seemed to emerge, as did the delicious, juicy orange notes.
The other spices provide more of a soothing, gentle warmth to the cup rather than a strong spicy overtone. This isn’t a heavily SPICED tea even though there are quite a few spices in the tea. The spices accentuate nicely, though, which give the overall cup a sweet yet warm, cozy kind of effect.
A very delicious cuppa … this is one that I’d want to have on hand whenever I’m in need of a comforting cup of coziness!
Citrus Green from Caraway Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Caraway Tea Company
Product Description:
A mild but sweet green tea, you’ll taste the tang of orange, the zing of ginger, and the sweetness of peaches. Add to that the fragrance of safflower and you have a healthy green tea with an abbundance of flavor.
Ingredients
Green Tea, ginger root, orange peel, peach, safflowers.
Taster’s Review:
Delicious!
The green tea here tastes light and fresh with a buttery undertone. It is a mild flavor that develops as I continue to sip, starting out with a lovely, mellow sweetness and by about mid-cup, I can taste subtle vegetative notes. It is very smooth with interesting bitter notes that contrast with the sweetness of the fruit flavors.
The peach and orange flavors are INTENSE! The fruit gives this cup a very pleasant sweetness, and the ginger offers a whisper of peppery heat in the background. It is not a strong ginger flavor but it is effective.
This tea makes a pleasant hot tea, but an even better iced tea. I recommend stocking up on this one for the warmer weather that approaches! This is a delightful thirst-quenching refreshment that will enchant you and your guests.
Red Chai Spice from Caraway Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Caraway Tea Company
Product Description:
Like Chai? You’ll love our Rooibis Chai. Add a little milk two cubes of sugar and you got a real treat. Yum!
Ingredients: Red Rooibis, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, vanilla.
Taster’s Review:
To tell the truth, I am rather blasé when it comes to rooibos chai. I have had so many that are rather lackluster that I have come to expect it when I try them. This can be a good thing when I happen to find a tasty rooibos chai – like this Red Chai Spice from Caraway Tea Company – because then I am happily suprised!
And this is indeed a good rooibos chai! The dry leaf offers an aroma of sweet cinnamon that reminds me of the scent of a freshly baked cinnamon roll. This is further expressed in the flavor, as the sweet cinnamon is the dominate flavor of the blend. The cinnamon taste is followed by the warmth of the cardamom, and it surprised me that I could taste the cardamom over the flavor of the ginger! While I do like ginger, it was very nice to experience something just a little different when it comes to chai!
The rooibos base is more detectable in the scent than it is in the flavor, I can smell the distinct scent of rooibos without actually tasting a strong rooibos flavor. There are faint hints of a nutty, woody taste in the background, but this cup is free from that weird sweetness that is sometimes associated with rooibos.
The ginger is quite subtle, offering hints of a peppery note that seem to come and go as I continue to sip. The vanilla lends a sweet, creamy taste to the cup and with this addition of vanilla, I found this to be a perfectly delicious chai without the addition of milk.
I do recommend a drizzle of honey or a little sugar (try some turbinado sugar in this one!) as it helps to enhance the spices a little bit. It doesn’t need much though, as I found this to have a little sweetness on its own.
I like this. It isn’t overwhelmingly spicy, but the level of spices here really works with the light-bodied quality of the rooibos. A very refreshing change on chai!
Grand Earl Grey from Caraway Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black & White
Where to Buy: Caraway Tea Company
Product Description:
You’ve not tasted an Earl Grey like this before, unless of course, you’ve tasted this one. One of our top teas, this Earl Grey starts with top quality Keemun tea, adds just the right amount of bergamot, and tops it all off with a sprinkle of Yin Zhen white tea.
Ingredients: Keemun Tea, bergamot, Yin Zhen.
Taster’s Review:
I love me some Earl Grey, so I was very happy for this opportunity to try this one from Caraway Tea Company.
And this is a superb Earl Grey! The black tea base is a Keemun tea which lends a more robust background flavor than is often found in Earl Grey teas. There is a strong, smooth flavor to the black tea. It tastes rustic, like freshly baked biscuits. There are even some vague hints of wood and a touch of smokiness to the cup. A very pleasantly complex Keemun.
All of these interesting features of the Keemun offer a very beautiful backdrop for the bergamot flavoring. It tastes vibrant and authentic – like real fruit without a chemical aftertaste. There is very little of the floral note that is often associated with bergamot. Not at all soapy or perfume-y, this Earl Grey.
And then there is the “sprinkle of Yin Zhen white tea” and I can’t say that the white tea is a particularly profound flavor in this blend, but I will say that it does influence the flavor. There is a delicate … almost creaminess to the taste of this cup.
Don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t taste like an “Earl Grey Creme” at all. But there is a certain sweetness that mingles perfectly with the tangy bergamot flavor that almost portrays itself as a creamy note without tasting like cream. A smooth, supple flavor that I don’t think I’ve ever experienced with an Earl Grey tea before. It’s quite lovely.
There is no bitterness to this tea, and very little astringency. What little astringency there is seems to hit just after swallowing the tea, as I begin to contemplate the aftertaste, I notice the very faint puckering sensation on my tongue from the astringency. It dries the palate only slightly.
This tea can be re-steeped with similar results. The flavor is a little lighter and smoother. Not quite as rustic tasting. But still very delicious.
This is one of the most amazing Earl Grey teas I’ve yet to encounter. It is right up there, in my top five, at least! I love this one, and I am going to have to order some soon so that I keep it in my permanent collection!