I’d saved this one for last out of my most recent order, because it comes in a very small tin that reminds me of just how little there is (at least with a bag you can pretend)! Upon opening, the blend smells just like a chocolate orange, which always reminds me of the holiday season. The blend is made of fuzzy golden curls of black tea, orange rind pieces, and chocolate chips (which as I verified with the Red Queen blend, are quite delicious!). It brews up to a nice gold color, and tastes predominantly of Yunnan black tea — malty, potato-ish and complex, a little fuzzy around the edges. The orange and chocolate are more gentle than the aroma would indicate, and pleasingly sweet without being sugary. I didn’t get much marshmallow with this brew, but I’ll play around with the preparation a bit more. Overall it’s less dessert-like than I imagined, but the base tea is very solid and enjoyable.
This is You :-D
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Bio
Science writer and a cat that learned to type.
I grew up in a tea-loving family, and tea has always been a part of daily life. I’m still astounded by the amount of tea and teaware back home every time I visit! While I’m most familiar with straight Chinese teas, I’m growing to explore and appreciate other types of tea, including blended and flavored ones. A good blend can reflect the thought and creativity that was put into making it, instead of being too sweet or busy in a way that gives the “genre” a bad rap.
Likes:
-most black teas (even lapsang)
-most oolongs, especially Fujian teas, baozhong and dancong
-houjicha
-straight white teas
-citrus
-almond/amaretto
-coconut
-vanilla
Variable (some are great, some not so):
-most green teas
-tie guan yin
-flavored white teas
-assam
-rooibos
-melon
-mint
-grape
Ratings:
90-100: definite repurchase if possible, recommended
80-90: enjoyed, possible repurchase
70-80: fair to good
60-70: fair with some shortcomings
50-60: there’s still a chance I’d take this if it were free
under 50: absolutely not
Location
Southern California
