Peppermint Creme Brulee

166/365

I’m drinking this one a little out of season, although it’s back to winter temperatures today so more appropriate than it would have been last week! I really like this one – it manages to capture creme brulee more accurately than I thought possible, and the peppermint isn’t too overpowering. It strikes a nice balance! Sweet vanilla custard is the first flavour I get, and it’s deliciously creamy with just a hint of brown sugar. The mint comes out primarily in the mid sip, but it’s sweeter than I expected, and fairly candy-like; more candy cane than straight peppermint tea. I did notice a slightly artificial sweetness in the aftertaste as my cup cooled, which reminded me of stevia. I wondered if maybe it came from the sprinkles, since I can’t see anything else in the ingredients that would potentially cause it. It’s easy to overlook because it’s not too distracting, and it didn’t detract significantly from an otherwise wonderful cup. There’s no way this one should be a seasonal limited edition!

I was kind of surprised how much I wound up liking this one; the flavour was totally something I was very skeptical about and initial reviews didn’t seem promising to me. The dry leaf has a fascinating aroma to it – boozey peppermint schnapps with an almost vanilla pudding/tapioca kind of undertone? The taste is similar to the smell in that the mint is strong and very boozey/schnapps tasting but that weird pudding kind of aroma comes off as more of a smooth, vanilla/caramel custard type thing that’s a lot more appealing that minty tapioca pudding. Very accurate to the name, I think.

So my sister lives in Mimico and I live in Markham. For those of you who don’t know what that means, just know we’re about a 45 minute drive apart. However, my work is a bit more centered so some nights I stay at her place and other times I come home. Food is often ordered at both places and there has never been an issue…until today. Stupid me placed a burrito order for me, my brother, my mom, and my brother’s girlfriend, only to realize too late that I placed the order to go to my sister’s address and not my place. When I tried cancelling they said they already started making the food so I had to pay for it but not actually get the food. I would have just sent it to my sister but she wouldn’t eat the flavors we picked and her husband is allergic so he couldn’t have it either. Then I got to pay for the order AGAIN so that we could have the food delivered to us at home. I realized all of this while preparing this tea.

Anyways, the tea is nice. It smells like candy canes but is a little medicinal because of the peppermint. I don’t know if it screams creme brulee but there is a creamy caramel note. Also it burns the back of my throat just a touch when I drink. Not sure why. It is good but not great.

Another one i finished off this afternoon while making bolognese sauce for lasagne later as well as broccoli cheddar soup. We’ve got plans to go on a biking adventure with the dog tomorrow so i wanted to have soup ready for once we’re back – gotta have comfort food! This one is pretty tasty today – might make an interesting latte if it wasn’t an oolong. Not sure why but i always feel weird turning oolongs in to lattes. thanks variaTEA!