The smell of this blend intimidated me a little bit because it was so pickle-y and acidic smelling. It reminded me a lot, actually, of Monster Mash from DT – even though the tea I believe it’s trying to be is Baked Apple Chai. Thankfully, like Monster Mash, it doesn’t actually taste pickle-y once it’s been steeped.
For such a pungent dry leaf aroma and so many spices and other strong ingredients, like hibiscus, in the ingredients list… I was a little surprised by how thin the mouthfeel was and how light the flavour. I even left my fill your own teabag in the mug to give it a chance to get more potent and it didn’t seem to make much of a difference. The taste was pleasantly apple forward, with a crispness that seemed fitting the name and notes of anise, cinnamon, and ginger – but just not a lot of any of them.
I could see this working for people who find Baked Apple Chai, from DT, a little too strong because that is a very strongly flavoured blend – but for me this just felt a bit flat and lackluster. But again, at least it wasn’t pickle-y.