In which tea tries to kill me

I'm allergic to capsaicin, the chemical that is the active ingredient in chili peppers and other hot peppers.  Fortunately it's not a "one taste and OMG bring me my Epi-Pen and get me to the ER" allergy, but it's bad enough.   In self defense, I've become very adept at detecting peppers and chilis in food by scent and initial taste, without actually consuming any of it.

This evening I made some herbal tea out of the David's Teas sampler that I got for Christmas/birthday.  The tea was called "Sugar Plum Forest" -- sounds like it should be a sweet, fruity tea, right?   The description of the tea on the package says: "And this tartly fruity, lightly spiced blend is the perfect winter companion. Just one sip and you’ll have visions of sugar plums dancing in your head. Not to mention apple, hibiscus, ginger and warm winter spices."   So I'm expecting pumpkin pie-type spices with a significant helping of cloves and cinnamon.

When brewed, the tea smelled a little spicy, like the cloves I was expecting, but there was something slightly off about the aroma.  One mouthful later, I'm spitting the tea into the kitchen sink because I taste *chili pepper* in the tea.

Looking at the ingredients list on the sampler insert, I see: Apple, hibiscus, rooibos, ginger, licorice root, raisins, cinnamon, rose hip peel, plum, cardamom, star anise, bruised pepper, cloves, chili pieces, artificial flavouring.   [emphasis added]

WTF.   All the WTF.   Who puts chili pepper pieces into tea?

Someone who is trying to kill me, that's who.

From now on I am checking all of the ingredients in David's Teas because they cannot be trusted.  Harumph.

Tea tasting: Tea Forte's White Cinnamon Sage

Cinnamon can either be sharp and zingy, like a red hot candy, or soft, mellow and comforting, like cinnamon toast.   Tea Forte's White Cinnamon Sage is of the soft, mellow variety.   The cinnamon flavor is used with a light hand, the sage serves to smooth out the flavor.  There's no sharpness at all, not even in the aftertaste.  It's like a warm hug on a rainy day.

Tea tasting: Tea Forte's Honey Yuzu Green Tea

I picked up a sampler of Tea Forte green teas that included Honey Yuzu green tea.  Yuzu is an Asian citrus fruit.  In addition to yuzu flavor, the tea also incorporates grapefruit and orange flavors.

It's a complex and fascinating tea.  It starts with the slight sweetness of honey and then finishes with a distinct citrus flavor, all of it overlaid with a smokey quality.  It's refreshing and palette-cleansing.  However, it's definitely not a tea for everyone.  That smokey quality is going to turn off a number of people, and there's a certain grapefruit-like bitterness in the aftertaste.  But I rather like it, at least in small doses.

I'm going to try it with some buckwheat honey as sweetener to see what flavor notes that brings out.

In which Alys tries to love rooibos and fails

Rooibos is a "a broom-like member of the legume family of plants" according to Wikipedia.  Its leaves are used to make what is called "red tea."   I have tried and tried and tried to like red tea, but I'm ready to call my efforts a complete failure.

To my taste buds, there is something almost chemical and artificial about the flavor.  Red tea doesn't have the sharpness of proper black or green tea, and attempts to add fruits and other flavorings don't complement it as well as straight up herbal teas.  It tastes to me the way dyes smell.

My latest good faith effort to learn to enjoy rooibos was trying Tea Forte's Swiss Apple.  About the nicest thing I can say about it is that I did not rinse my mouth out after drinking it.  It's supposed to taste of apple, cinnamon and chocolate.  I don't taste any of those things.  All I taste is the rooibos and I just can't like that taste.   On the other hand, the tea smells amazing, so maybe someone who likes rooibos will find it appealing.

Soluna Garden Farm's Berry Berry

Soluna Garden Farm is a small farm in Winchester, MA, which has a storefront where it sells its various products.  +Cheryl Kent brought me a selection of their teas when she came to visit for 12th Night.

Today's review is for their Berry Berry herbal, a tisane of elderberries, hibiscus and raisins.  It makes a beautiful deep ruby purple brew that lacks a strong aroma.  The tin recommends brewing for 5-10 minutes.  At 10 minutes, it's a dense, strong cup of tea.  Fortunately, even brewed at its strongest, the hibiscus isn't overpowering - it gets mellowed out by the other berry flavors.

Brewing for 6 minutes seems to produce the best flavor, balanced without being overly strong.  The elderflowers and raisins predominate, but the hibiscus adds a hint of tartness.  I like it, but I come away wanting something more -- more berry, more fruity somehow.  I think raspberries would be an excellent addition.

I may try combining this tea with Republic of Tea's Downtown Abbey English Rose Tea and see what happens.

Republic of Tea Education E-mail Series?

Republic of Tea is promoting its newsletter about tea:  http://www.republicoftea.com/newslettersignup.aspx?v=4&c=CK-ES-D2-GG-IMG-RM-RM1-R01-v7&gclid=CJ_z2fePycMCFW4V7Aod6ycADA

I'm tempted to try it.  Has anyone else signed up?

In praise of a good Assam

Assam is a province in north-east India where tea is grown.  When it comes to uncomplicated black tea, Assam is a tea's tea.   It's smooth and dark and slightly malty, with a fresh finish.   It stands up to milk, sugar and honey.   So don't reach for some crappy, characterless orange pekoe thing.  Reach for some Assam!  

Twinings sells a darn fine Assam that can be purchased and shipped through Amazon.

I like Harney & Sons' Assam in both caffeinated and decaf forms

Taylors of Harrowgate's Assam is findable in many high-end supermarkets and again, orderable through Amazon.

The lovely +Cezilia Raposa brought me some excellent small-batch Assam this weekend, from Soluna Garden Farm.   I've been limited in my ability to appreciate it by the awful head cold of death, but I plan to try some as soon as I regain my sense of taste.