I received this tea through a sampler package I’d bought a bit back. The sample came in a gold packet with only the logo for “The East Indies Tea Company”, the name of the tea, the type of tea, and the address of the company. Therefore, I can only guess as to what is in it and tell you what I’m picking up. I could find no info online for the tea, and I didn’t find a single tea retailer who offers it, at least not by the name on my sample package. I have e-mailed the company in hopes they can give me a little more information. Anyway, onto the good stuff:
Upon looking at this tea, I saw what appeared to be bits of marshmallow, some kind of snowflake sprinkles, and the same gold sugar balls one can find in David Tea’s “Glitter & Gold”. There also seemed to be some pieces of caramel in there, though this I am not 100% on. It smells almost like coco when dry, and I also detect a hint of marshmallow.
Upon brewing the tea I noticed it sparkles, just like “Glitter & Gold” does. Very pretty. It smells like hot coco w/ marshmallows to me. The tasting is also very similar to hot coco, only with less of the chocolate. The marshmallow comes through pretty nicely (this from someone who dislikes marshmallow), but doesn’t make it too sweet. It also makes for a slightly creamy cup, which I found rather enjoyable. The sugar candy also adds a little sweetness, but it isn’t like drinking a latte or anything. Just present and pleasant. I do seem to pick up a very faint caramel taste, though I can’t be certain. It’s nice, though, whatever it is. It’s a smooth cup, with the black tea base just breaking through to give the cup a nice, subdued, black tea taste. As I’ve said in previous reviews, I’m not a fan of strong black teas, so this brew was well received. The tea base is present, but contains no astringency, nor is it overpowering. The tea tastes best once it has cooled a little bit. Overall, I really enjoyed this Holiday brew. Now, if only someone sold it….
I’ll update if I find anything out about this tea.
EDIT: So, I looked online for a marshmallow black tea with gold balls and blue sprinkles and found a tea that seemed either the same or very similar to what I’d had. It’s called “Eight Candles” and it’s sold by Della Terra Teas. This may be the same tea, but I can’t be certain. Maybe they changed the name?
