Some tea purists look at flavoured teas the way wine connoisseurs consider wine coolers…
At Steeped Tea, however, we believe that the average tea drinker is open to a little adventure and a lot of fun. After all, flavoured teas have been around for hundreds of years, with the Chinese adding flowers to their tea, and the English adding Italian orange rind. We believe great flavoured teas start with high quality loose teas and natural (not artificial) flavours. This year, we are excited to offer 3 new black teas to the product line.
Canadian Breakfast, eh!
Canadian Breakfast is blend of Assam and green tea. If you do not want a flavoured tea, this one’s for you!
Brewing Temperature: 214oF
Brewing Time: 4 minutes
Dry Leaves: Combination of dark tight leaves and pellets.
Liquor: Lovely warm medium brown.
Aromas: The dry leaves have a slightly sharp and mildly leathery aroma. The wet leaves remind me of tobacco in a pleasant way (I toured a cigar factory once and the aroma was wonderful and definitely different from the smell of a burning tobacco).
Body: Medium - Full
Flavours: With little to no astringency, this breakfast tea may please tea drinkers raised on Red Rose or Salada and seek that flavour without the bitterness. Lightly malty.
This tea held up nicely to a hearty bacon & egg, hashbrowns and toast breakfast, and would easily carry over into lunch as well.
Mrs. Earl Grey
Brewing Temperature: 214oF
Brewing Time: 4 minutes
Dry Leaves: A very pretty blend of long dark leaves intermixed with blue petals and lavender buds.
Liquor: Amber brown
Aromas: As soon as you open the bag, you will smell the fragrant lavender. The wet leaves remind me of a meadow, not surprisingly, but the lavender is not as dominant.
Body: Full
Flavours: The first taste is that of black tea, and as you swallow the tea, you detect the flavour that makes it Earl Grey, the bergamot flavour. The lingering taste is the floral character of the lavender.
If you do not enjoy floral teas, it is likely you won’t enjoy this tea either. For those of us who do like floral teas, this one’s a lovely soothing cup of comfort to be enjoyed in the afternoon or evening. When you can’t have a bath to soothe your troubles, have a cup of this!
Raspberry Cream
Brewing Temperature: 214oF
Brewing Time: 3 minutes
Dry Leaves: A very pretty blend of long dark leaves intermixed with pink petals and green leaf bits (blackberry leaves).
Liquor: Amber brown
Aromas: As soon as you open the bag, you will smell the fragrant sweet and tangy berry aroma. The wet leaves smell fruity and vegetal.
Body: Full
Flavours: Since this is a black tea not a herbal tisane, the initial flavour is still that of tea. As you swallow, you’ll notice a creamy raspberry flavour in your mouth, and that fruity flavour lingers.
What a great anytime tea! I’ll bet it’s nice iced, too.
