Friday, December 8, 2017

O Christmas Tea, O Christmas Tea

Every year the big tea companies put out holiday-themed teas and every year I buy them and drink them, with varying results.  Here's a round-up of this year's blends so far.

(1)  Twinings' Holiday Berry:  You'd think a venerable tea company like Twinings could get a holiday tea right.  And you'd be wrong.   It's not that this is a bad tea.  It's just utterly mediocre.  There's nothing particularly holiday about it, either.   It's an adequate berry tea with very little sweetness.  It needs to be brewed very strong (I recommend 2 tea bags per large cup) to get what I consider a proper flavor.  On the other hand, when brewed strong for icing, it makes a very nice iced tea.


(2)  Republic of Tea Sip and Be Merry:  I got a free sample of this tea in my Republic of Tea catalog (so check your catalogs!!).  For some reason the Republic of Tea website is telling me this tea won't be available again until Sept. 2018, but it's definitely available on Amazon.  It's black tea with vanilla, caramel and cardamom.  The vanilla and caramel are the up front flavors, with the cardamom coming out in the aftertaste.   It doesn't really work for me, but I think it would be splendid with milk (if you like that sort of thing -- I don't).  There's a weird creamy backtaste that doesn't sit right with me.  I'd rather the tang of the black tea as a finish.


(3)  Harney & Sons' Holiday Tea:  The winner and still champion of holiday teas for me.  It combines black tea, cloves, orange, vanilla, almond and three types of cinnamon.  The aroma is everything Christmas.  It's a deep, satisfying drink, wonderfully warm.  I can't imagine icing this tea.  Honey adds an extra layer to the orange and vanilla tones.  Dipping gingerbread cookies into this tea is sheer perfection.

(4)  Celestial Seasonings' Cranberry Vanilla Wonderland:  This tea works miracles because it makes rooibos palatable to me.  More than palatable, actually.  I find myself really really liking this tea.  The cranberry is full-bodied and fruity, with an overlay of vanilla to take out the worst of the tartness.  Admittedly, I really like cranberry juice (it was one of the few things that still had flavor while I was undergoing chemo).   It's a nice decaf that isn't too sweet while having a lot of flavor.  Supposedly there is cinnamon in it, but I don't quite taste it as a discrete element.

No comments:

Post a Comment