Apples & Molasses

Thank you VariaTEA for sending me this sample (especially considering the “tea accident” when you were packaging it) – really appreciate it. :))

This is a pretty typical Della Terra dessert black tea. There is something about them that all taste similar to me. This one is no exception. Yes it’s apple, yes it’s dark brown sugar (not quite molasses for me) and then it has that Della Terra dessert taste. I think it’s good, I’m enjoying the couple of cups I’ve had tonight, but it’s not special for me.
Thanks VariaTEA for sending this my way.

I can’t believe I’m the first to review this Harvest Tea by Della Terra. No takers? I have to admit, at first, I wasn’t blown away by this one. I had a second cup this morning, and although I still wasn’t blown away, it’s kinda growing on me. It’s not one of those in your face flavored teas. It’s much more subtle. I don’t get a ton of apple, but there’s a little there. The molasses comes through as sort of a well-rounded sweetness…like a hug of sweetness, not a punch. It definitely tastes of Fall, and it’s very cozy. Simple, but nice.

This…I like this. Now I am even sadder that I had a bit of a tea disaster when packaging some up for Dexter. I accidentally dropped the sample and spilled out more than half of it. It was a pretty spectacular drop too because it managed to hit my kitchen table, a chair, and then the floor so I had 3 different surfaces covered in tea. Luckily the sample was generous enough that I still had 3 tsps for Dex and another few cups worth for myself.

Well, as for the tea, this is one tasty cup. And it just went down the wrong pipe…Wow, this tea hates me.

Okay, as I was saying, this is one tasty cup. It is even underleafed because I forgot Della Terra’s 1 tsp portion is for 6 oz and I brewed 2 tsps in 16. Regardless of that, I still get a nice fresh apple flavor at the front of the sip and a rich molasses at the end. In between is a collection of delicious spice to smooth the transition. Also, apple teas have an annoying habit of being combined with cinnamon so I am always happy to find an alternative to that.

Dexter3657 MUST have seen this on my shopping list to include it in the best tea package ever! I was thrilled to see it in the package! thanks so much! I swear this ISN’T the only Della Terra tea I don’t have a sample of. I don’t know how it escaped my grasp… maybe because in my small black Friday order, I only wanted to pick one apple tea. I have no idea why it was the other one, as I knew this one would be my thing as soon as I knew of its existence. And this blend is EXACTLY what I had envisioned it as (except for maybe the orange I see in the blend?!) The dry leaves have a fragrance that is the same as the taste – I’m not sure how molasses like it is, but it has a lovely sweet flavor to it I haven’t seen in other teas. The blend has apple slivers that even still has the rind attached. This is the nice kind of Della Terra apple flavor and not the off-tasting apple they sometimes have. Perfect. The “spices” listed in the ingredients doesn’t say which spices but it doesn’t seem to be much spices anyway… just enough to give it depth (and maybe just enough to remind of their dreaded Dirty Chai but the rest of the blend makes up for that. This tea was made for me as molasses type teas are one of my favorites (even if the molasses is usually just found naturally in the leaves). One of my favorites from DT. NICE.

This came as a free sample in my last Della Terra order, which I am very pleased about, as I was close to adding it to my order! Thank you!!

The dry smell is spicy and warming, with a hint of sweetness from the molasses and a bit of an apple scent. I steeped 1 tsp for 3 mins. The resulting liquor is a light golden brown color, and smells sooo darn good, it reminds me a bit of their Grandma’s pumpkin pie, but with an added sweetness and definitely an apple note, as I’m thinking apple pie and molasses right now lol. Mmm it smells so good actually, I am wanting to drink my cup now, but it’s too hot, I will burn my tongue haha.

Ok it’s finally cool enough to drink. This is quite a yummy little tea! I get a lot of spices, reminding me of Grandma’s pumpkin pie, but no pumpkin lol. The spice combo might be different too, I would have to have a cup of each in a row to truly compare. But regardless, this is good. The molasses adds just the right sweetness in the aftertaste mostly, not too sure about where the apples are, but with the power of suggestion, I can imagine I am eating something cozy and spicy with apples and drizzled with molasses. Yes, they probably are in there somewhere :D I like the feeling I am associating with this tea, pure fall weather, canning apples, storing them in the cold room at my moms, out picking them, eating pie and big autumn meals with my cousins after their hunting trips with my dad. Haha, a lot of though associations with this tea! Very nice. I enjoy when a tea takes me somewhere.

Overall, this is pretty good. I probably should have ordered an oz of this instead of an oz of Carrot Cake to be honest haha. But you never know until you try them, and I am happy I at least got this as a sample to try it! :)

Of all the flavored blacks I had this morning, this one hit the spot. It sooo tastes like some kind of apple cookies, with molasses as one of the main ingredients. The ultimate treat tea. Absolutely delicious but also super-energizing.

I actually got this as a free sample, so I don’t have a whole lot of it but next time I shop at Della Terra, I should definitely grab at least an ounce of it!

Hmm, this is an interesting one. The dry tea smells like malty, sweet apples – which is pretty good, but again, the flavour doesn’t quite coincide. It’s not bad, and certainly tastes autumnal (without cinnamon, which is a plus for those who are sick of pretty much all fall teas being heavy on spice), but wouldn’t be one I’d hang onto.

Traveling Tea Box C #7
Wow this tea is quite an interesting one. The dry leaf smell is amazing!!! You smell the apple and apple pie-esque spices and the little molasses chips. As it steeps it only gets stronger. This tea definitely doesn’t need to be sweetened. It is a cozy tea of that makes any sense. You need to try it to understand it. It’s like a warm blanket on a freezing day. It’s like sitting in front of a roaring fire on a winter day. So warm. The taste isn’t nearly as strong as the smell but I was actually fine with that for once. The molasses is a subtle taste but perfect. The apple is crisp. And the spices are the after taste! Wow this tea was a big surprise. Probably not a tea I would drink a lot but it would be nice to have. I’m so glad I got to taste this one!

While this tea was hot I had trouble tasting the apple, but once it cooled to room temperature the flavors began to shine. The apple is present, but in a much more subtle way than I expected. There is a sweetness I noticed with each sip that balances well with the bitter snap from the molasses. The added spices round the tea out giving it a hint of the classic fall spice teas. If you want a unique fall tea be sure to give this one a shot.

You can check out my full review on my blog:
http://www.notstarvingyet.com/index/2013/10/1/tuesday-tea-apples-molasses-della-terra.html

i guess it’s just natural to drink apple teas and compare them all to each other.
this one falls somewhere in the middle of my tastes.
i think the flavors of apple and black tea naturally make a really complimentary combination, so maybe when too many other flavors get involved my interest starts to wayne.
glad i bought it though! apple teas are never a mistake :)