Dry: This is a very pretty dry leaf with different colored flower petals (I can see cornflower for sure). It smells rich and creamy, with a nutty vanilla fragrance.
Steeped: Medium clear red-brown liquor. Still has that soft and sweet vanilla-nut blended fragrance, except now I also smell Darjeeling muscatel with a buttery background. I can see how this is called Irish Cream because the smell reminds me in a subtle way of Bailey’s.
Taste: This one is nommy and I am enjoying it, but I am not really getting cheesecake or Irish cream on the palate at all. Instead I believe the base is the main feature, which is an excellent Darjeeling as it turns out. Sweet with a hint of sour and astringency, this reminds me dead on of a good quality Darjeeling with the muscatel background. There is also that same nut aroma/flavor and buttery notes, which from the description, sounds more like the base tea than the flavored one, too. I will say that at the end of each sip there is a nice dose of cream to enjoy that is clearly not the stand-alone base. I drank this one straight and I am not sure I would enjoy it as much with sugar as I think the sweetness could somewhat obscure the dessert nuances. Glad I was able to try this- what an interesting blend!
I have a sample of this one calling my name…