Producer: Spice and Tea Exchange
Origin: Ceylon
Brewing Parameters: 1 tsp, 8 oz. water, 212°F, 3 min. (recommended)
Appearance: Small, broken up and curled dark brown/black leaves
Rating: B+ | 89/100
# of Brews: 1
Tasting Notes and Thoughts
Since this is a black tea with small leaves, and since it's flavored, I'm going to be brewing this Western style today as per the recommended instructions (4g instead of a teaspoon, and a bit more than 8 oz of water though). No milk or sweetener added, but I'll probably be adding those on my own time.
First things first– this tea smells amazing dry. The hazelnut smell really comes through, with very sweet and slightly caramel undertones. Brewing it, the tea came out an opaque, dark brown color still with the sweet hazelnut smell, but also a bit of earthiness characteristic of English Breakfast tea. The flavor itself is a bit bitter (may be because of the amount of leaf), with a bit of citrus sourness and earthiness. The hazelnut cookie flavor comes after, and its sweetness helps balance the coffee-like flavor of the base. The tea does go down pretty smoothly, but it does dry the throat slightly and leaves the sour taste on your tongue.
Overall, it's less sweet than Lupicia's cookie tea, but that doesn't mean its bad. Personally, I like it; I think it'd go well with milk and honey, and it'd be good for those who enjoy coffee.
Other Notes
Today's album is Art Angels by Grimes. Not sure how I found her, but lately, this album has been my jam. I like most of the songs on this album; my favorites are Kill v. Maim, Butterfly, and Realiti (demo version). All of the music videos for this album are trippy as hell, too, which is great.
So, last night I got off of work at around 11:30 PM. It was pouring; I gave my umbrella to my grandparents, so guess who had to run through the rain home. I didn't mind, though, because I felt really good by the end. I sprinted about half of the way, and then I realized, soaking head to toe, that there's no reason for me to rush home. There's something about spring rain that doesn't make you feel cold– you're soaking, but you're still strangely warm. Since I work at an ice cream shop, I brought some that I made and I ended up just sitting on the street sidewalk and eating, listening to the rain and continuing to get soaked. It was a great experience; afterwards, it felt like everything's going to be okay for the rest of this year, college, and later. Now, let's just hope I don't get sick again after that.
So, last night I got off of work at around 11:30 PM. It was pouring; I gave my umbrella to my grandparents, so guess who had to run through the rain home. I didn't mind, though, because I felt really good by the end. I sprinted about half of the way, and then I realized, soaking head to toe, that there's no reason for me to rush home. There's something about spring rain that doesn't make you feel cold– you're soaking, but you're still strangely warm. Since I work at an ice cream shop, I brought some that I made and I ended up just sitting on the street sidewalk and eating, listening to the rain and continuing to get soaked. It was a great experience; afterwards, it felt like everything's going to be okay for the rest of this year, college, and later. Now, let's just hope I don't get sick again after that.
