Country of Origin: India and Sri Lanka
Leaf Appearance: dark, varied shapes
Ingredients: Assam, Ceylon, glazed lemon peel
Steep time: 5 minutes
Water Temperature: 212 degrees
Preparation Method: ceramic teacup and mesh infuser
Liquor: dark reddish brown
As you can all tell, I’m terribly behind on tea reviews. Life just seems to get in the way sometimes. This blend was the May shipment from +Handmade Tea. What I love most about their teas is that they are truly blends, no additional flavoring beyond the basic ingredients. This one is made up a 50/50 blend of Assam and Ceylon along with some glazed lemon peel. The taste was bold yet mellow with just the right amount of astringency. The lemon was very subtle but that’s the way that I like it. It wasn’t very sweet, just a hint of citrus zing. It became a bit more pronounced when prepared as an iced tea. The base black teas had peppery and malty notes that meshed really well. If you love having something new to look forward to in your mailbox every month, I cannot recommend their service enough. +Caleb Brown is a flavor combo master and I’ve definitely been blown away by his creations more than a few times.
Find out more about Handmade Tea here.