2 Tasting Notes
I’m a huge fan of Cabin Pressure, so I decided to jump and purchase this.
In the bag, the aroma is strongly of cream … that Ceylon likes to push to the front for attention! … but in the background you still get that lemon-y rooibos. The aroma is pretty potent, and I’m curious as to how rooibos and black tea will taste together since they’re so different. At least the water temps are the same (boiling for both).
In the cup, the aroma mellows into a muddled mess of lemon, tea, and sweetness. I can’t quite pinpoint one scent from the other. Hmm. Tasting it is an adventure in itself, as the rooibos leaps forward and says “HELLO! HERE I AM! HI! HOW ARE YOU? PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE BLACK TEA BEHIND THE CURTAIN!” The rooibos reminds me heavily of strawberries in both taste and scent, and while the lemon is there, I’m getting a more fruity than citrus-y note to the tea. I think it might be the combination of cream and rooibos that’s doing the trick.
Also, be warned. The rooibos/black tea combination is a bit strong. I let it steep for 3-4 minutes, but even then, the rooibos is definitely kicking. After a bit, I cut it with a splash of milk and some sugar. Milk mellowed the rooibos, while sugar brought out the cream a bit more.
All in all, this is a strange blend, but for some reason, I think it might be growing on me. It might be spectacular iced, too. I think the cream/lemon would come out really well over the rocks. Worth a try … but not my favorite.
Preparation
This has been my mother’s favorite tea for a long time, so after looking through her cupboard today, I decided to finally give it a shot.
In the bag, it smells delicious. The caramel/chocolate-y aroma wafts up and reminds me of Girl Scout cookies or freshly baked chocolate cake. I was really impressed and excited to try it, so I steeped it for 3 minutes at just under boiling temp.
In the cup, the sweet deliciousness from the aroma somewhat disappears. The black tea base comes out pretty strongly, making the cup almost bitter, and adding milk only seemed to water it down rather than cut the bitterness (disappointing). I haven’t tried it with honey or sugar yet, but I hope a half teaspoon of rock sugar or brown sugar would help bring out the caramel and chocolate without ruining the nuances of the tea base itself (which I like tasting…but not in a “in your face!” sort of way).
The chocolate I can taste pretty easily. It’s the first thing that sweeps across my palate when I take a sip. However, the caramel needs a little more coaxing because I can hardly taste it right now. I think sugar would help that.
Overall, this is a tea that tries really hard to be lovely, and I think it has great potential to be a nice dessert tea without the added calories. However, it’s not quite there for me, personally.
