Almond Shortbread

Thanks so much for the tea swap, AJ Rimmer! I love being able to try teas like this one, from tea shops I’ve never heard of! The black tea doesn’t result in too dark a mug. It’s more of a lighter cup, but I think the base pairs well with the flavors that are going on. I’m not entirely convinced the ‘shortbread’ is noticeable in the flavor (which is interesting because AJ Rimmer totally notices the shortbread), but I was enjoying this cherry or light grape flavor that was most present in the cup. I’m not sure if the cherry/grape is from the black tea itself or was part of the flavoring. Sometimes I can get a cherry note from a marzipan flavoring, I guess? But there was definitely some marzipan. I’m not sure if I noticed the rose or pistachio. I liked the experience of this tea overall. It’s certainly something unique that I don’t have in the cupboard. The closest thing might be some of those Dammann Freres teas that sometimes seem to be cherry.
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug // 18 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 3 minute steep
2019 Sipdowns: 62 (one of my pouches of Zen’s lovely Phoenix Pearls)

I bought this one when I was still obsessively buying every almond tea I could find. I’m happy to report, though, that this one is pretty great. It needs to cool to room temperature in order to fully appreciate the flavor. If you have it hot, it’s mostly just a fake marzipan flavor. Cooled, it’s pleasantly bready and so true to its name. I was falling asleep watching Netflix, so I drank some of this to stay awake and ended up talking a 2.5 hour nap, so it’s possibly not the most caffeinated tea ever, but I prefer low caffeine anyway (or maybe this was just a fluke, who knows). Anyway, this tea is very tasty. I love bready teas.