Photo: Tea for Me Please |
Country of Origin: China
Leaf Appearance: small, dark
Ingredients: black tea, cumin, fennel and anise seeds
Steep time: 5 minutes
Water Temperature: 212 degrees
Preparation Method: ceramic teacup and mesh infuser
Liquor: deep reddish brown
This tea was really interesting because of its use of seeds. I have never experienced any of these ingredients in a tea before. It was definitely a fall inspired change from the fruity blends that the summer months brought. The base black tea was earthy and sweet with mild smoky notes. The cumin, fennel and anise seeds added a spicy, almost broth-like quality. Caleb’s tasting notes describe this tea as savory and I would say that is pretty spot on. I’m not a particularly big fan of fennel so this blend was not really my thing. That doesn’t speak to the quality of tea at all, just a personal preference. Funnily enough my boyfriend enjoyed it quite a bit. It would be interesting to play around with cooking with this tea. I could see it working well in a rub or maybe even for smoking meat. Although this blend was not for me, I have reviewed a little over twenty of Handmade Tea’s offerings and have immensely enjoyed almost all of them.
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