As a New Jerseyan for pretty much my entire life, I have, of course, visited the Jersey Shore quite a lot. One of the flavors I associate most strongly with my trips down the Shore is the blend of vanilla frozen custard and orange sherbet that is the Kohr's creamsicle, found on every boardwalk from Cape May to Sandy Hook.
Using Adagio's custom blends, I tried to make a tea that captured the flavor and feel vanilla custard and orange sherbet swirl, without those pesky calories. Boardwalk Creamsicle is a low caffeine blend so that it can be consumed as iced tea throughout the day during the summer. It consists of decaf black tea, orange peels, safflower, natural creme flavor, natural vanilla flavor, and natural orange flavor.
The aroma of the tea in the tin is perfect -- creamy and citrus blended in a way that fills me with nostalgia. As a hot tea, it is just okay. The vanilla and cream overwhelm the orange. It's not unpleasant at all, and I would certainly drink this tea hot, but it's not what I intended.
As an iced tea, perhaps fittingly, it is much better and far closer to what I had in mind. Vanilla and cream still predominate, but the orange flavor comes out as an aftertaste that lightens up the flavor. I think a little bit of orange sugar or orange extract would make it perfect. It's refreshing and gentle at the same time. I recommend it highly.
Also, a portion of the proceeds from the purchase of this tea go to the American Red Cross, who provided such invaluable assistance to the Jersey Shore after Hurricane Sandy destroyed so many of my childhood memories.
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