Brand: David's Tea
Primary Type: Black
Dry Scent: At first sniff, this smells like walking into an old-fashioned tea shop like Murchie's; rich, dark and earthy black tea. Then the caramel notes perk up, thick and sweet, faintly vanilla and with a sortof burnt-sugar scent. The salt is evident as well, but only if you know what to look/smell for. There is a sort of freshness that brightens the scent and makes it pop and reminds me of the dawn breeze off the ocean first thing on a warm summer morning.
Steeping Time: 5-6 min
Steeped Flavour: This has a delicate, almost perfumed flavour with notes of vanilla and burnt sugar coming through strongest, the earthiness of the black tea slightly bitter but sweet as well. The tea is not as sweet as might be expected from the caramel, but the caramel does become clear on the tongue once the tea is not steaming hot. Although it says it can steep for up to seven minutes, I don't recommend going much above five and a half on this. It can get a bit tannic, and also I find that a longer steep puts it out of balance, making the black tea earthy flavours too strong for the delicate sweetness of the caramel.
Food/Drink Pairings: One of these days I'm going to try this iced with a shot of butter ripple schnapps. Or maybe a shot of sour apple liqueur… It definitely makes one think of sophisticated yet sweet martinis and cocktails. It is also very good with baked goods, and perfect for dunking cookies in. If you're the type who likes to bump up the sweetness of their tea, for this one, if you happen to have some on hand, I suggest a little bit of caramel sauce rather than sugar. White sugar would probably overpower the burnt-sugar flavour of the caramel.
Rating out of Six Tails:
4.5/6
Buy/Don't Buy
I would rate this as high as a 5.5 but for the fact that it's a bit finicky and takes repeated brewings at different times to really figure out how to get the most out of it. Also I would wish for just a TITCH more caramel in this.
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