I’m drinking my reblend of this right now. I can’t believe I didn’t take a picture of it – that’s two black teas in a row that I’ve not taken photos of!
Anyway, this is really good. I think it’s important to note that an ample cool time on this tea is necessary. When piping hot, it’s a wee bit astringent. I let it cool about six minutes, and it was still just a tad astringent and the flavors were not real focused yet, so another five minutes cool time brought the tea to a really lovely sipping temperature that was warm, not hot, but not cold either. Warm and cozy and easy to drink.
The astringency has smoothed its way out now and the flavors have come into focus. A nice pumpkin-y note with a tangy cheesecake flavor. The caramel isn’t as strong as I’d like it to be so I’ll make note of that on the recipe for future reblends. I think in the future, I’ll also add a touch of spice because I find myself wanting a hint of nutmeg and cinnamon here, just to enhance the pumpkin.
Overall, it’s good, but it can be improved upon, I think.
