Mood Indigo

I received a sample of this from apieceofquiche yesterday (Thank you again). I figured that I needed a boost this morning, and that I might as well try something beyond my usual preference, in both flavor and tea.

Aroma: I must admit that there’s quite an unusual aroma to the dry leaf and liquid. The dry leaf reminds me of an old spice rack that had leaked out some of it’s contents; which then was mixed somehow by water, giving it that Cajun seasoning vibe. The tea in the cup reminds me of a Lapsang with a splash of orange and tomato juice.

Flavor: BBQ sauce. Or as apieceofquiche had written, “BBQ sauce or liquid bacon.” I’d find this tea to pair well with various meats you’d find at a cookout. Instead of pre-soaking your steak in some oddball bag of sauces, steep a cup of this, soak the steak in your tea, and there you’ll have a delightful BBQ steak. The citrus only sweetens that smokiness, but it also gently adds a tomato bite. I guess you could give this tea to an everything-bacon kind of person, and they’d enjoy it; however, it’s not quite what I’m looking for in a tea.

Thank you again, apieceofquiche. Unfortunately, this isn’t my cup of tea either. Ha-ha.

I gave this blend a go this morning and, again, could not make it through the cup. I’m getting a bit of spice and a bit of sweetness on top of a lot of smoke. Not to sound like a repeat of yesterday’s tealog entry, but it’s like BBQ sauce or liquid (lightly peppered) bacon. I added a bit of milk to see if that would tone down the smokiness. It did, but it still tasted odd. I can’t wrap my head around it (smoky tea). I’m happy to have stepped out of my comfort zone, but I think it’s safe to say that smoked black tea is not my thing.

If anyone (in the US) is interested in sampling this, please let me know. Happy to pass it along to someone that enjoys smoky teas. :)

The first time I had this I followed the recommended steep time of 5 minutes and well I enjoyed it at the time (according to my tasting note), I remember feeling kind of sick afterwards. More experience has shown me that this was probably because I found the tea over-steeped as I’ve had it happen with other teas that I otherwise have no problem with. So, long story short, I decided to give this go only a two minute steep time.

Bacon is still the prominent note here. I can see how this would be off putting — it’s certainly something you have to be in the mood for — but I actually kind of enjoy it (and I’m not even a huge bacon fan). It is coming off as sweeter this time — more of a maple bacon. In fact, the more I sip the more a maple note comes out of it. There’s still a cheese note too, but something less sharp than cheddar. Something creamy. I’m not really a cheese expert so I can’t really go further on that.

Something new on this steep, however, is a rather strong blackberry flavour. It blends well with the orange notes and manages to lighten up what would otherwise be a ridiculously savory tea.

Boyfriend’s review: “It tastes like campfire cotton candy.” This pretty much sums it up. Smoky and sweet. In fact, now I can’t get that image out of my head.

All in all, I still really like it. Fingers crossed the reduced steep time helps with feeling gross afterwards.