Country of Origin: not listed
Leaf Appearance: very small, dark
Ingredients: black tea, natural flavoring
Steep time: 5 minutes
Water Temperature: 212 degrees
Preparation Method: porcelain teacup
Liquor: reddish brown
I got a sample of this tea at the Fancy Food Show earlier this year but I thought that it would be best to save my review until now. While paper filter tea bags aren’t quite my thing, this is just the kind of tea that misguided but well meaning folks will give me to me for Christmas. I’m not going to give you the whole “tea bags are evil” speech because they do have their place. However, I really dislike the lack of depth in the ingredient list. It is not stated what kind of black tea was used or exactly which natural flavorings. Their description names cinnamon and cloves but it’s anybody’s guess as to what is in there. For folks with allergies and sensitivities, that can be a real problem. The verdict? It wasn’t terrible. The taste was earthy and spicy with a subtle sweetness. The spices certainly evoked the season. Why is it that we always seem to associate cinnamon with the holidays? Sweeteners like honey or agave might brighten it up a bit but I did not think that it had enough body for milk. If I was at someone’s house and they offered me a cup, I definitely wouldn’t refuse. Plus that might save me the awkwardness of whipping out my tea wallet.
Christmas Tea sample provided by Twinings at Fancy Food Show.