Perhaps I should call this post "Maple Tea revisited." Maple Cream tea is pretty much a loose tea version of last month's review subject, maple tea. I really enjoyed the maple tea, and figured, a loose version with cream added would be even better. Surprisingly, the cream didn't add much to the tea. True, it is loose tea, and so brews up a higher quality cup, with less astringency, but flavorwise, I have to say, it's pretty much the same. Don't get me wrong, it's a great cup of tea, it's just that in every other case, the addition of cream flavoring makes for an absolutely amazing cup of tea with the addition of sweetness and a velvety texture. Score: 85 (B)
That may well go on record as my shortest review ever, so I'll throw out the notion of my latest brainstorm. I've been slowly gathering interest in blending my own teas, and it has occurred to me that all of the basic flavor elements in Talisker, a truly excellent single malt from the Isle of Skye, are notes of particular teas. We have smoke via Lapsang Souchong, malt and oak via Assam and Keemun, and pepper with Yunnan (aka Dian Hong). Given my less than amazing success at replicating Irish Breakfast, a fairly basic blend, it may not quite be the amazing cup I hope for, but it should prove an interesting project. Updates to come.
Showing posts with label maple tea. Show all posts
Showing posts with label maple tea. Show all posts
Friday, April 15, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Maple Tea (from Metropolitan Teas)
I'm a little behind on tea reviews. It's been a busy month for whisky. At last weekend's wonderful yearly event, Whisk(e)y-a-Go-Go, I met up with my good friend Jacob, who was the inspiration for last month's experiment in sweetening a Canadian breakfast tea with maple syrup. He noted in a comment that the maple themed gift shop near his new house also sold maple tea, and in fact came down to the whisky tasting with a generous surprise gift of a box of maple tea and a bottle of maple syrup. The timing is perfect. Here in New England, it's officially maple season...the temperature is starting to go up, and the sap is running.
The base of the maple tea is Ceylon. Ceylon is an archaic name for Sri Lanka,an island nation off the coast of India. Like so many tea producing areas, Sri Lanka is a former British colony, gaining independence shortly after World War II, and officially changing its name to Sri Lanka in 1972. Though the nation changed its name, the tea kept the old appellation, and is still known throughout the world as Ceylon. Ceylon tea, like Darjeeling and Earl Grey, is commonly labeled an "afternoon tea," which usually means a milder tea than the bolder, maltier British breakfast teas. Indeed, Ceylon often has hints of fruit or floral overtones, but I find it is not nearly as delicate as Darjeeling.
Ceylon is an interesting choice for a maple tea. At first thought, I would have expected a pairing with a heartier, maltier blend featuring a lot of Assam. After all, I associate the flavor of maple with hearty, warming winter breakfasts that fight off the chill and clog our arteries. However, the Ceylon works well, even if it is an afternoon tea with some delicate notes. It doesn't fall apart at the mere hint of other flavors, and I suspect Assam or something equally as malty might distract from the real star in this tea, the maple syrup. I often forget that the target audience for a flavored tea probably cares mostly about the added flavor, and less about how it blends with the tea base, though I must say, this tea works far better than all those fruit flavored teas I've had.
So, we brew in the usual way, water at a rolling boil, two teabags for my overly large mug (covered with mathematical and scientific equations...I will have to post a picture sometime), brew for about four minutes, add milk and sweetener. So far, I've tried sugar, and my usual sweetener of choice, agave nectar. I haven't dared add actual maple syrup to maple tea yet...I'll post a comment when I feel ready to tackle that much maple at once. The resulting cup is quite pleasant. The Ceylon provides a solid but unobtrusive base. Any actual fruit or floral hints are lost behind the maple, but the maple flavor really shines, and blends quite nicely. I get a slightly thin body and some minor astringency, but that's likely from the fannings. I've spoiled myself a bit with loose tea over the last few months, and milk thickens up the mouthfeel pretty well. All in all, a good cup, perfect for a New England winter morning or afternoon. 85 points (a solid B)
The base of the maple tea is Ceylon. Ceylon is an archaic name for Sri Lanka,an island nation off the coast of India. Like so many tea producing areas, Sri Lanka is a former British colony, gaining independence shortly after World War II, and officially changing its name to Sri Lanka in 1972. Though the nation changed its name, the tea kept the old appellation, and is still known throughout the world as Ceylon. Ceylon tea, like Darjeeling and Earl Grey, is commonly labeled an "afternoon tea," which usually means a milder tea than the bolder, maltier British breakfast teas. Indeed, Ceylon often has hints of fruit or floral overtones, but I find it is not nearly as delicate as Darjeeling.
Ceylon is an interesting choice for a maple tea. At first thought, I would have expected a pairing with a heartier, maltier blend featuring a lot of Assam. After all, I associate the flavor of maple with hearty, warming winter breakfasts that fight off the chill and clog our arteries. However, the Ceylon works well, even if it is an afternoon tea with some delicate notes. It doesn't fall apart at the mere hint of other flavors, and I suspect Assam or something equally as malty might distract from the real star in this tea, the maple syrup. I often forget that the target audience for a flavored tea probably cares mostly about the added flavor, and less about how it blends with the tea base, though I must say, this tea works far better than all those fruit flavored teas I've had.
So, we brew in the usual way, water at a rolling boil, two teabags for my overly large mug (covered with mathematical and scientific equations...I will have to post a picture sometime), brew for about four minutes, add milk and sweetener. So far, I've tried sugar, and my usual sweetener of choice, agave nectar. I haven't dared add actual maple syrup to maple tea yet...I'll post a comment when I feel ready to tackle that much maple at once. The resulting cup is quite pleasant. The Ceylon provides a solid but unobtrusive base. Any actual fruit or floral hints are lost behind the maple, but the maple flavor really shines, and blends quite nicely. I get a slightly thin body and some minor astringency, but that's likely from the fannings. I've spoiled myself a bit with loose tea over the last few months, and milk thickens up the mouthfeel pretty well. All in all, a good cup, perfect for a New England winter morning or afternoon. 85 points (a solid B)
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Canadian Breakfast tea
I've always been very fond of the British concept of "breakfast teas." Strong blends of black teas, a bracing cuppa to help you wake up and begin your day, and a fair contrast to mellower afternoon teas, such as Darjeeling. English breakfast and all the other variants I've found almost always highlight lots of Assam, a strong, malty Indian tea that plays very well with milk, perhaps a breakfast tea's central characteristic. (I've read of fancy English breakfast blends made solely of Keemun, but never had one, so I'll leave that as the exception.) Keemun, Ceylon, Kenyan, or Nilgiri teas are blended with the Assam in different amounts by regional variant and by blender. Irish Breakfast is perhaps the darkest and most astringent, featuring some amount of Nilgiri blended with the Assam. Scottish Breakfast, one of my favorites, is as malty as the Irish breakfast, but with a rounder flavor profile and less astringency. English Breakfast is mellower than it's Celtic cousins (confusingly, both of which were referred to as English Breakfast at one time in their own countries), with a biscuity, buttered toast note to it's profile.
This was it for breakfast teas that I was aware of, until a few weeks ago. Erin and I were browsing through Culinary Teas, our go-to these days for loose teas, looking for a few old favorites and some new things to try, and we stumbled across Canadian Breakfast tea. I was immediately intrigued; I don't come across many "traditional" North American tea blends, but pondering it, given (most of, sorry Quebec) Canada's hugely English and hugely hugely Scottish background, it made immediate sense. We grabbed a 2 oz. pouch to try, amongst several other great teas, with forthcoming reviews (Cream Irish Breakfast is amazing, but that's for another day).
The day the package came in the mail, I had to open the Canadian Breakfast and have at least a nice long smell. I smiled, and said to my wife, you know, we should really sweeten this with maple syrup, it just seems fitting. I first had maple tea almost ten years ago, courtesy of my good friend Jacob. The maple sugar or syrup blends great with the right tea, and it seemed to me, a fine blend from Canada, also known for it's maple sugar, was perfectly appropriate. I know, an actual New England Breakfast might be more appropriate. After all, what New Englander doesn't love maple syrup? It brings to mind images of Vermont farmers tapping maples on a cold winter morning, or perhaps a huge stack of pancakes, drenched in butter and mapley goodness. Unfortunately, I've yet to find any such local tea blend.
I brewed in the usual steps for black tea. Four good spoonfuls in my warmed teapot, water at a rolling boil, steep for about four minutes, strain into cups, add sweetener and milk, sniff, sip, and enjoy.
The tea itself is excellent. Malt notes predominate from the Assam, and I detect a hint of oak (a favorite flavor of mine, I must find out what tea that particular note comes from!), and a nice round flavor and feel on the mouth. Less malty than the Scots variant of breakfast tea, and not as astringent as the Irish, but bolder then the English. The maple syrup blended very well with the strong flavors, with the tea and the maple complementing each other, and neither flavor standing out too much. A good match, it seems, though I'm holding out for an honest to God, New England breakfast tea to mix my maple sugar with next. Perhaps I'll have to learn to blend tea myself, and create it.
Score: 90 (A-) Another great breakfast tea, I'll be sure to get this again.
This was it for breakfast teas that I was aware of, until a few weeks ago. Erin and I were browsing through Culinary Teas, our go-to these days for loose teas, looking for a few old favorites and some new things to try, and we stumbled across Canadian Breakfast tea. I was immediately intrigued; I don't come across many "traditional" North American tea blends, but pondering it, given (most of, sorry Quebec) Canada's hugely English and hugely hugely Scottish background, it made immediate sense. We grabbed a 2 oz. pouch to try, amongst several other great teas, with forthcoming reviews (Cream Irish Breakfast is amazing, but that's for another day).
The day the package came in the mail, I had to open the Canadian Breakfast and have at least a nice long smell. I smiled, and said to my wife, you know, we should really sweeten this with maple syrup, it just seems fitting. I first had maple tea almost ten years ago, courtesy of my good friend Jacob. The maple sugar or syrup blends great with the right tea, and it seemed to me, a fine blend from Canada, also known for it's maple sugar, was perfectly appropriate. I know, an actual New England Breakfast might be more appropriate. After all, what New Englander doesn't love maple syrup? It brings to mind images of Vermont farmers tapping maples on a cold winter morning, or perhaps a huge stack of pancakes, drenched in butter and mapley goodness. Unfortunately, I've yet to find any such local tea blend.
I brewed in the usual steps for black tea. Four good spoonfuls in my warmed teapot, water at a rolling boil, steep for about four minutes, strain into cups, add sweetener and milk, sniff, sip, and enjoy.
The tea itself is excellent. Malt notes predominate from the Assam, and I detect a hint of oak (a favorite flavor of mine, I must find out what tea that particular note comes from!), and a nice round flavor and feel on the mouth. Less malty than the Scots variant of breakfast tea, and not as astringent as the Irish, but bolder then the English. The maple syrup blended very well with the strong flavors, with the tea and the maple complementing each other, and neither flavor standing out too much. A good match, it seems, though I'm holding out for an honest to God, New England breakfast tea to mix my maple sugar with next. Perhaps I'll have to learn to blend tea myself, and create it.
Score: 90 (A-) Another great breakfast tea, I'll be sure to get this again.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)