Cashew Turtle

This week is a five-day series of sleep, starve/drink protein shakes while doing lab work until the wee hours of the morning, come home, eat, sleep, repeat. So no time for tea decisions, I’m sticking with the most easily visible. So, more of this guy. Still love it, and yes Sil, there will still be some left for you. It just might be in the original packet…. because the rest is all gone…

Hey, you guys? Guys? Guys! Guess what?

I’m opening my very last pouch of my FAVOURITE 52teas flavour for a very special reason… I got a seasonal position at LUSH!

eeee~!

Caramel & cashews and delicious creamy chocolate bliss – I couldn’t be happier today!

So ladies and gents, I was able to wrangle a small sample of this one from the lovely Kittenna who is hanging on to the last of her bag for dear life :) I have to say that I’m really glad I did. Not that I can get any of this again from Frank unless he magically brings it back, but i’m happy to have at least been able to try it!

I’m often not a fan of nutty teas. I’d rather eat them than drink them i guess :) This isn’t exactly a sweet tea, and yet it is. There’s a good caramel chocolate flavour going on here (dark, not milk imo) and then you taste the nuts. Delicious cashew nuts. Yep. I am enjoying this one and can certainly see why Kittenna was hesitant to part with it!

Thanks for the great share Kittenna! I’m sure i’m going to enjoy sucking as much out of the resteeps as i can :)

Snuck a quick cup of this in before heading out to the dentist yesterday morning. It also happened to be the last cup I had of this from last year’s Xmas sampler. This was one of the teas that I enjoyed from it more.

(Now I’m sitting here trying to remember what the 6 teas that I’ve already finished from that sampler were. lol)

This cup of Cashew Turtle was strong but delicious. I very much enjoyed it. Bumping the rating up a couple of points since I like it more than when I first tried it. =)

I don’t quite know what to say about this. So far I’ve tried it straight up, and with sugar. I have to say I prefer it straight. First steep was actually nice. I can’t say if it was something I’d purchase again, or put on a permanent list, but I was glad to taste it! I’ve heard so much about 52 teas! It’s nutty, but I don’t taste any cocoa.

Could have sworn I did a tasting note for this one when the 12Tas of Christmas came out, but maybe I just tried it. This is yet another sample from the 12Teas that I am trying to finally finish up. I recall the aroma not being very recognizable at the time, but it is much more powerful now, with chocolate and caramel dominating. For me, that’s good news. I am always on the lookout for a good caramel tea, though most let me down.

Steeped this for 2 to 3 minutes in a T-Sac to avoid the harsh taste of the bitter black base that Frank used to use and this yields an aromatic and orangey-brown brew. I find that using a T-Sac can help cut the bitterness as there is less room for particles to escape so I expect this will be a bit smoother than if I brewed it in a strainer.

Finishing up my chocolate chip granola bar (a moment of temptation – usually I go for the fruit and nut ones, but everyone needs a little chocolate, right?) this tea does smell delicious. Hopefully it will compare to the “real” chocolate I just had. OH man, it does. Wow. Typically I don’t like Frank’s blends, but this one is really hitting the spot. The chocolate is building on the aftertaste from my bar and I get the sense of caramel behind all that. It is, in fact, shockingly like a caramel turtle. Two thumbs up on this blend – I’m glad I have enough left for a small cup to enjoy another time. As the cup cools the bitter black tea is creeping up on me, but that’s to be expected. I’ll just have to slurp it quickly! : )

Thank you Sil! I am always quite impressed when you can taste something other than Frank’s black base and you certainly can with this tea. There is a hint of dark chocolate and caramel but what I really taste is the cashews…nutty, delicious cashews. I am glad I got to try this one, though I don’t think I would get more in the future as there are other teas I would reach for first.

My electric kettle is still set up next to my bed from the shu nuggets the other day. I almost don’t want to move it to the kitchen because Sebastian loves the thing. When the kettle starts to make that “whoooooosh” kind of noise, he starts chirping. Every time. Sorry, Sebastian, you can’t have chocolate or caffeine.

I started on my gingerbread house (yeah I know) and so this is my cup of tea while it dries, as I get together all my Black Bear Lab orders from the past couple of days (almost $40! yay)

So this is from last year’s 12 teas of Christmas and it’s still pretty cashew and caramel tasting, not so much chocolate. I possibly should have added a bit more tea to it, but I’m quite impressed with the flavor anyway since it hasn’t been kept in the best container.

It’s still pretty good but it also wasn’t really a favorite to begin with. I’ll finish everything I have of it though!

I gather this is some sort of American sweet. Now, this strikes me as rather less peculiar than yesterday’s popcorn, although it’s not a sort of sweet we get in Denmark. In Denmark chocolate turtles are filled with a caramel and rum-y cream, so I will have to try and distract myself away from a firm conviction of how a proper chocolate turtle should be. Obviously my proper chocolate turtle is rather different from yours. The picture on the label make me think more of a snickers bar, only with a different sort of nut, so that’s the image I will try to keep in my head. I’ve never in my life laid eyes on the sweet in question so I have to go by close enoughs.

The aroma is very honeyed. My aunt, who doesn’t like honey, would hate this smell. I rather enjoy honey myself, and I always find it a pleasant note to find in tea. It also smells caramel-y and nutty, so from what I can tell, the aroma is pretty much a hit.

The flavour seems to be primarily caramel with a bit of chocolate on the sides. I can’t immediately find any nuts in it, but I suspect they’re sort of hiding below the other flavours. And as I write this, I discover them coming out gradually in the aftertaste. Nuts, check.

Nuts, caramel and honey. It’s not quite a snickers bar, but it’s close enough. I’m rather enjoying this, but again, I’m glad it’s a small cup, because I think I could also easy have too much of this.

2nd Day of 12 teas!

Puppies are exhausting, especially when you have to keep an eye on both the puppy and your adult dog to make sure they are being nice to each other… and work a full work day. Due to this, I have been getting around to opening and brewing my teas a little late. But better late than never! It gives me a great way to unwind at the end of long long days.

When I opened this tea I was hit with caramel smell. Thick and gooey. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the label. Not only did I guess the caramel right, but it sounded and smelled delicious! The leaves had little cashew pieces that made me smile.

Steeped it gave off a wonderful nutty caramel smell. I tried it unsweetened first, and as I expected, the flavor didn’t quite pop out. Added sugar and POOF! burst of flavor. I didn’t get chocolate, but definitely a smooth nutty caramel taste. I enjoyed it thoroughly!

Now, finally, laying in bed as the rain softly hits my window, with an empty tea cup on my night table, a sleeping beautiful doggy at the foot of my bed and a snoring puppy in her kennel, all is bound to work out all right.

Happiness is a warm dog and puppy and a hot cup of tea! : )