We don’t have many tea buying options in my area, other than bags of the grocery store variety so when we were on vacation the past week and I saw The Spice & Tea Exchange in the distance.. I just had to visit.
A couple of years ago we went into one of their stores and I was much more into cooking than I was tea. While we were there though, Hubby picked up the tea sampler pack and fell in love with their Blueberry Black. He has been trying to make that tea last because he hated to see it gone.
The first thing I did when we went into the store was go right in and find the Blueberry Black and had them make up a 2 oz bag for Hubby. He steeps it weak, so it should last him a good while. They had so many that peaked my interest that I had trouble deciding what to get. I wished they had had sample bags of their teas so I could take a few with me and then go back later before we left the area to pick up what I really liked in larger quantities.
This was one of the teas I picked up. The smell was fresh and inviting, and not too strong for peppermint. I was wishing that the holiday teas would be on sale since it was after Christmas, and even asked the sales associate and she couldn’t give me a discount.. always worth trying. The associate was pleasant and after browsing the tea section for awhile, I asked her of the holiday teas which was the most popular & which was her favorite… she said the Chocolate Candy Cane Tea. I picked it up, as well as the Gingerbread since I knew they were both seasonal varieties and the gingerbread smelled very nice too.
I have opened the bag to smell this several times and every time I think I’d love to try a cup but wanted to wait until I could enjoy the first one fully. I finally did that today. It smells fresh of peppermint and sweetness, with a bit of rich chocolate… smells like Christmas candy in a cup.
I didn’t pay close attention to my steep time as we had company and I was a bit distracted. The steeped cup has an inviting fragrance, but not so intense as the dry leaf. I added a bit of raw sugar as I couldn’t see myself drinking a candy related tea without sweetness (growing up with all my tea sweetened makes it hard to get away from). I must say this tea is yummy. I was a bit afraid it would be too intense of a peppermint or that the chocolate would come across as fake or just too rich. It is a perfect blend of mild peppermint rounded out with a bit of chocolate. This is the first tea with chocolate I can say I really enjoyed the first cup of.
The second steep I allowed to sit longer and again added a touch of raw sugar. It too was good, although a bit milder, and the chocolate came through more at the end of the sip.
I’m a bit saddened that after I tried this I went looking on their website and see that they have already pulled it from their Limited Edition teas. I almost wish I would have bought a second ounce… Hopefully they will offer it again next year when I need some Christmas in a cup, because I’m sure I will have finished this one by then.
