The ingredients list - a blend of black tea, cardamom, cloves, vanilla, rose petals, and citrus peel reminds me a lot of Peet's Winter Solstice; though the inclusion of rose petals, here, could add an intriguing note to the flavor. The loose leaf smells so very spicy. And yet, the vanilla smooths the scent and adds a hint of sweetness that reminds me of a spicy candy.
Four minutes of steeping, using just-boiled water over two teaspoons of loose leaf, results in our aromatic pot of tea being complete. Sniffing the cup that I just poured, it definitely seems that the black tea base has come to the forefront. The first sip...light flavor hits my tongue first. Slight astringency from the black tea slides over the sides of my tongue. As I taste the body of the tea, very light - not sweet as the dry leaf suggested - vanilla notes come forth. Overall, the spices are a lot less intense than I had imagined them to be from smelling the dry leaves. The aftertaste leaves a touch of cloves, vanilla, citrus...and rose petals...on the tongue. Interesting how the rose petals arrive now in the flavor. Certainly, with such strong ingredients, they were in danger of being overwhelmed. But they all combine very well together.
This tea surprised me with how light it tasted. It does make a great winter drink and goes down very smooth. On my personal enjoyment scale, I would rate this offering from Upton Tea Imports an 88/100. And yes, the flavors are definitely different than Peet's Winter Solstice.
Photo credit to Built from Ink and Tea.
Upton Tea Imports' Mélange Noël Christmas Tea is available from their website, here.
This review was unsolicited and uncompensated.
Text is copyright 2015, Built from Ink and Tea.
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