3 Tasting Notes
Little bit of back story on this one – I was in Copenhagen, DK in November 2012 for a work trip. Because Sweden and Denmark are located so closely together, I took a train one Sunday over to Malmo, Sweden for some sightseeing. After a fairly long day of seeing the city, a colleague and I popped into a small tea shop to poke around. The tea shop, Five O’Clock teas (Handel), had a lovely display of Christmas gifts and teas, including this one. Jule = Christmas, te=tea, Julete = Christmas tea. Having sampled a bag of Christmas tea a few days earlier at a shop in Denmark, I figured I would purchase a large bag at Five O’Clock. 250g was only 10kr, a great deal. The smell upon opening the foil bag was like smelling the most festive kitchen at Christmas – notes of orange, apple, cinnamon, and my favorite, clove. I couldn’t wait to brew this one but had to wait until I returned home (I had no loose-leaf tea making supplies!) The brew was better than the smell. No one element was overpowering – the spices were the perfect blend without losing the delicate fruits. This is a wonderful tea for a cold day, actually for any day that you want a comforting, warming cup. Too bad this is a difficult one for me to buy again!
Preparation
I’ll disclose up front that I am a coffee junkie at times. When I saw that David’s had a tea blended with coffee, I was intrigued. The scent is definitely earthy, a little smoky, and strangely sweet. Brewed, the tea has a fairly strong, sweet scent, but the flavor is a bit of a letdown. I brewed 2-1/4 tsp in an infuser basket but it wasn’t quite enough to really bring out the full flavor. I tried again with a little more tea and it was the same. It’s a little too weak for my liking, unfortunately, but still had a nice flavor.
Preparation
This is truly a flavored tea that tastes as good as it smells. When I first opened the bag after purchasing it a couple weeks ago in Vancouver, I was greeted by a strong (but pleasant) banana scent, a medium scent of creamy coconut, and a pinch of spice (Allspice, I think). Brewed, the tea has a lovely blend of creamy coconut and banana. I find I like it sweetened mildly. It’s also good with a hint of cream. It would probably also be really nice accompanied with a little touch of black rum! This is a keeper from Murchie’s.
