Mom's Birthday Cake (aka Date Cake with Ginger Orange Glaze)

The dry leaf of this tea has a really pleasant aroma that really evokes dates and orange marmalade jam for me. Steeped, I lose the citrus in the aroma and get a very strong grape scent. I get strong grape notes on the sip as well, which are reminding me of the “Tea and Scones” tea (one I really enjoyed). At the back of the sip the orange starts to pop, and I taste a very subtle hint of ginger in the aftertaste. As the tea cools, the flavors start to meld a bit more… I’m getting more “raisin bread” than “date cake” with orange glaze, but I really like the malty raisiny/grape notes with the sharp citrus undertones.

(52teas (Anne) 2022: 233)

A rather pleasant cup of this one today, and I’m really tasting the named flavours – date and light orange, mayyyybe a hint of ginger, too. Particularly enjoying the aftertaste, which tastes like black tea and cakey flavouring… and since I drink 52teas’ flavoured teas for this combo (tea AND flavouring), I am pleased. Also, perfectly smooth, which is nice for my currently unhappy stomach.

Sad Sad Sad Sipdown! I loved loved loved this blend. A little spice, a little sweet, a little sass- this tea really was one of my ultimate 52Teas favs. The black tea notes were noticeable but really the orange, ginger, and dates were the main star. Might not taste 100% like a cake but regardless, this tea was delicious and I’m sad to see it go.

Not a favourite, but not bad either.

The flavouring here is just a little bit much for me – it’s a lot of orange in a way that reads as a bit perfumed with how dense and floral the undertones are. Quite coating on the palate, and while it starts pleasant (like a cake drenched in orange liquor/syrup) it builds to a point where it’s just sort of okay for me. I like the little undercurrent of ginger warmth with the sweet, dense orange though. The balance is just a little off for me personally.

I think I’m gonna try and focus on sipping this one down, and leave it on my counter next to the kettle – I like the idea of keeping sipdown focuses close by, I know some other people here on Steepster use that method to help them keep focused on their sipdowns.

This smells absolutely incredible. Like a honey pound cake topped with date syrup and candied oranges. The flavor is much more subdued than the smell, and there’s a bit of sharpness from the black tea blend. The ginger is very mild, almost undetectable. The combination of flavors is lovely.

Our Tea of the Week for March 2, 2020! This tea was crafted in honor of my mom – her birthday is at the beginning of March, and I wanted to create a tea for her birthday.

Date! Orange! Ginger! Even a touch of cake-y flavor. This blend comes together the way I hoped it would. The orange & date are a bit softer so that the flavor of the dates could be front & center. The orange is sweet & bright – complementing the notes of date very nicely so that the sweetness of the date does not become a cloying taste. The ginger is gently warm – a warmth that starts off in the back of the throat & slowly develops. It’s nice – not too spicy – but contrasting the sweeter notes of the fruit & cake just enough to keep things interesting for the palate.