The 2nd Tea of Christmas 2024!
This is the first “new” tea of this year’s 12 Teas of Christmas box & I love it! It starts with a single-estate, finely cut CTC Ceylon that provides a pleasant base that’s rich & smooth with very little astringency. Then I added spices (Cinnamon, Ginger, Allspice & Clove) that I crushed finely with my mortar & pestle. Then I finely shaved some nutmeg & some finely chopped vanilla bean before I topped it all off with some lovely little snowflake sprinkles!
It’s a fun & warmly spiced cuppa – not too spicy, but something more reminiscent of a gently spiced cookie that is warm & satisfying during the holidays. There’s notes of freshly baked cookies & the cozy spices give it a very seasonal warmth – plus that smooth tea base. YUMMY!
It’s also organic, vegan, gluten-free, allergen-friendly & all natural!
organic ingredients: black tea, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, clove, nutmeg, vanilla bean, candy sprinkles (Cane Sugar, Potato Starch, Maltodextrin, Vegetable Fat (Rice Bran Oil), Lemon Juice, Carnauba Wax) & natural flavors
to brew: I recommend giving this pouch a gentle shake every time you open it to measure out the tea – because there are a lot of spices in here that are all finely ground, but may not remain equally dispersed throughout the tea – so you want to give it a shake to make sure all the ingredients are properly dispersed throughout! Use 3g of tea to 12oz of nearly boiling water (205°F) & steep for 3 minutes. Strain & allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before sipping to allow the flavors to develop.
serving suggestion: I’ve tried this tea both hot & cold – I’ve gotta say that it’s amazing served either way! So, if you’re looking for a tea to cold-brew, this one would work nicely. Personally, though, I tend to prefer spiced teas like this served as a hot beverage, just for the cozy factor! I like a hot, cozy tea like this! It’s good without any sweetener, however, if you really want the spices in this tea to really shine, I recommend adding a teensy bit of sugar (a little less than ½ a teaspoon!) Perfection!
