Tea Temptations

When the tea was really hot it tasted sort of thin, but as it cooled it became more full bodied and absolutely decadent. I taste marshmallow – I guess that is the crème brûlée. It also has a lovely caramel vanilla flavor. It’s like drinking a dessert that would have had hundreds of calories in it. This isn’t a chocolate cupcake, it is a vanilla cupcake – maybe a vanilla cupcake with caramel icing! The finish is long lasting, sweet and decidedly caramel. I don’t taste almond at all so it must just be in there supporting the other flavors.
Full review and photos: https://tealover.net/2015/07/tea-temptations-cup-cake/

Tea Temptations is the retail side of Empire Tea Services. They blend their own tea. I have reviewed several teas under the Empire Tea Services name. This one came as a sample in my last order. It smells nicely of apricot when opening the package. Once steeped, the apricot tastes lighter than expected and the ginger adds a depth of warmth and spiciness that leaves the mouth tingling long after the sip is gone. The Ceylon base is present but it kind just fills in the gaps and never really commands attention. I have never encountered this combination before. If the combination appeals to you, I believe the flavors are natural and the quality solid. For me this is not something I would order for myself.

I have been craving LS for a few days. People in the neighborhood are firing up their wood stoves (pun not intentional) and it just smells so good. When I mixed lavender with EG this morning I got the idea smoke and lavender should mix well. Used my usual scoop of leaf and slightly less than 1/4 tsp of lavender. Steeped 3 minutes. This blend also has a very light touch of bergamot but it is barely noticeable. I was right. The two seem to go together very well. So much so in fact I would have liked a little more lavender in my cup. That’s just crazy talk but true. A very nice cup. When I have time I am going to try rose and lavender. Gmathis, you have created a monster. It’s alive!

The red Spanish safflower against the black lapsang souchong and Ceylon base accompanied by a rich smoky aroma makes for an almost ominous looking leaf. Perfect for October. This also has bergamot but honestly it is so light it isn’t particularly noticeable. It is satisfying my LS craving from yesterday.

I wanted iced tea to go with whatever leftover I just heated up. Some kind of spicy ground beef with cheese covered with sweet corn bread. But I digress. This iced is good but I like it better hot I think. The bergamot almost disappears and the smoke is not as layered. Good and satisfying but won’t ice it next time.

I hope to have a full review on my blog maybe tomorrow but couldn’t wait to mention this one. Tea Temptations appears to be the retail name that Empire Tea Services is now using. Maybe they always did and I didn’t realize it. ETS is focused mainly on wholesale, or at least that is what I think. This is the only tea business within a 100 miles of my home. Fortunately it is a really good one.

This, by my standards, is not Earl Grey but then they don’t call it that. The bergamot is light and adds only a light citrus breath towards the end of the sip. This is primarily a LS blended with Ceylon. The combination produces a sweet, moderately smoky but totally smooth, cup of rolling flavor. I don’t know how else to describe it. Maybe it is the addition of safflower and thistle but this keeps your senses guessing.

A nice change of pace for smoky tea lovers.