Holiday Tea-son! This was my Bird & Blend advent calendar tea today, and I’m glad I put this one off, since I had a small amount that I got from a cupboard sale of tea-sipper’s last January, and I planned to finally try it this month (I know, I am the worst of the worst when it comes to tea hoarding!) I can’t remember if I actually got this tea from the cupboard sale or if it was a sampler tea-sipper included because she is awesome, but thank you tea-sipper! So I just cut open my sachet from the advent calendar and put the leaf with what I already had, so I could make a nice pot this morning with my breakfast.
The dry leaf probably has been the most enticing to me yet, with a very nice clove scent, and this underlying fresh aroma of orange citrus and pine. The steeped tea smells even more decadent, as all the little sugar snowflakes have melted and it has a scent and nutty aroma mixed with the spice and citrus. I’m looking forward to this one!
It is no secret I brew my blacks on the more mild side, and this has come out very mild and smooth as far as the base is concerned; the flavor is very citrus-forward, with orange notes and even just a hint of lemon playing on my tongue, and a very mild astringency left after the sip. The pine is a very subtle background note and blends well with the citrus, so it doesn’t come off as tasting like cleaner. There is a lot of spice present in the sip, but it is a gentle, sweet, warming spice; it does leave an aftertaste on the tongue, but it is not a heated, burning, or unpleasant sensation. I can make out both a sweet cinnamon flavor, but the clove is a more dominant flavor note, and pairs nicely with the orange. As much as I could smell a nutty aroma, and I’ve tasted that sweet marzipan-like flavor in many of B&B’s teas this month, I’m actually not getting that in the flavor here; there is a very subtle nuttiness to the taste, which is more roasty/woody than sweet, while the sweetness is more of dash of vanilla that, when paired with the strong orange citrus, comes out as a subtle creamsicle flavor.
This has probably been my favorite black tea featured so far (with Great British Cuppa and Mrs. Claus’ Raspberry Prosecco being my runner’s up).
Flavors: Astringent, Cinnamon, Citrus, Clove, Lemon, Orange, Pine, Roasted Nuts, Smooth, Sweet, Vanilla, Wood
Glad you like it! The marzipan flavoring is mostly only noticeable when this one is super fresh.