Caramel Apple Supreme

So I could have sworn this tea was in my cupboard, but apparently it’s not on Steepster… nor could I find it on Culinary’s website. I got it a few months ago when I won the $100 gift certificate, which I used to indulge in some dessert blends I usually wouldn’t buy for myself. This one popped right out at me, since caramel apples are some of my favorite fair food and they have such a high calorie content recreating them in tea-form seemed like a good way to relive the experience without all of the sugar. I made this last night while hiding out in the bedroom: I am SO tired of this heatwave, and it’s the only room of the apartment that gets fully cool when it’s in the 100s. On the plus side it’s arctic chilly in there, so I can have a hot cup of tea without feeling like I’m on fire!

This is a great dessert blend, and you can clearly taste the caramel and apple notes, along with a rich, creamy undertone. It’s quite indulgent, especially with a little cream and sugar. It doesn’t need much since it’s naturally quite sweet! Like many of their black blends that I’ve had, boiling water is a big no or it ends up a bitter mess, but brewed at a more gentle 195 this is heavenly. Frankly there’s not much “tea” taste and more “holy wow this tastes like a melted caramel apple” but sometimes that’s really exactly what you want.

First, I want to thank Alphakitty for this one, too!

At first I found this one to be a little strange. It tasted a little bitter but also like Peanut Butter, Apples, Caramel, Cream, various Candies, and flowers.

After it cooled at room temp for a few moments the bitterness was toned down a bit but was still present. The Apple stepped up more. It was a ‘nice’ sweet. But it’s a tad oily due to at least one of the ingredients and the caramel is a bitter yet attempt-at-a-creamier type caramel.

Not one of my faves from Culinary but I’m sure glad I got to try it. Something wasn’t totally jiving for me yet it wasn’t bad. I would sip this on occasion but probably wouldn’t buy it for myself. Perhaps a more gentle infusion time would fit the bill here?

Backlog from yesterday.

I also got this tea from Alphakitty, thanks!

This was pretty pleasant. The base of the tea was similar to the pumpkin cream: uninspiring, but inoffensive. The apple was juicy, the caramel was definitely caramel “flavored” but not very authentically. It’s like some caramel candies, or caramel flavored things that don’t have caramel in them inherantly. Again, not necessarily bad, but just with that hint of fakeness to it. Still, again, I drank up my cup of this tea with pleasure.

I may have oversteeped, but this one is exceptionally bitter to me. It smells like a good, albeit artificial, caramel apple, and I’m hoping that if I keep a closer watch on it next time, I’ll get a flavor closer to that scent.

I’m having a cup of this tea right now. I came across this in my stash and i have no idea how long I’ve had this sampling. Hopefully it’s not too stale.

Well, the good news is that I don’t think it’s stale. After a few moments of cool time, I can taste the apple and the caramel notes come through nicely. The black tea is brisk. It’s also a tad astringent. I think I’d prefer it to be a little less tannic, but, overall, it’s a tasty tea.

It’s one that I can’t find on the Culinary Teas website anymore, so I guess they’ve discontinued it. While there, I did happen to notice that they’ve changed their website.

Anyway, due to the potential age of this sampling, as well as the fact that it’s no longer available from Culinary Teas, I’m not going to bother rating it.