After a morning of housework I really fancied a black tea today. I wanted something strong and robust, something to hit the "spot" whatever that "spot" was. I also wanted to write about something special today, so I decided to review Canton's Sugarcane Black.
Sugarcane Black is a black tea that comes from China. It gets it's unique name, and equally unique taste, from the fact that a special red cane sugar from Yunnan is mixed with water and added to the tea during the early processing stage of the tea's production.
As this was a tea I had not experienced before I followed instructions on the packet to the letter. I added two teaspoons of tea to the infuser, let the kettle boil and then cool for a minute or so and then brewed for three minutes exactly.
The tea itself has rather long and curly leaves as you can see above. When opening the packet it had a slightly nutty and woody taste. It's also very dark in colour.
When the tea was fully infused it was really, really black. I don't think I've actually seen a tea so black before. It was gorgeous to look at and gorgeous to smell.
Upon tasting this tea I was delighted to find that it is strong and pleasantly fulfilling - exactly what you expect from a good quality black tea, and this tea is of a very high quality.
So, how did the sugar cane affect the tea? Well, it did so gloriously well. The sweetness is rather odd in as much it certainly does not taste like you had added the sugar to the tea after it had brewed. It was like it was part of the tea itself, like it had grown inside the tea. So the sweetness is very reminiscent of the sweetness you have with rooibos tea.
Due to the sweetness this is a very mellow, relaxing, calming tea. It's indulgent and hugely different to any other kind of black tea that I've had before.
On the first infusion the sweet taste was very prominent. However, on further infusions (and I infused this tea three times) though there was a background sweetness remaining but that was when you got to experience the lovely Chinese tea so with this tea you get the best of both worlds - sweetness, then a nice mellow flavour that is rich and comforting.
This is a very special blend. Even if you get a taster from Canton that is enough for five cups everyone should experience this tea - even if it's just once!
The only caution I would give with this tea is be very exact for who long you brew this. This has the potential to turn slightly bitter if overbrewed. Also, try to drink the tea hot as it cools it can become a little sharp.
Sugarcane Black is a unique tea that was lovely to taste and try. I was genuinely surprised I liked it as much as I did as I'm not the worlds greatest rooibos fan, and this is the tea nearest to Surgarcane Black, but I enjoyed it hugely and as much as I love green tea this made a really lovely change.
I feel this tea would be wonderful to serve as a after dinner drink to guests that perhaps do not like coffee. As with most black tea's it's slightly heavy so wouldn't be suitable to serve with lighter meals. But it's perfect to have curled up on the sofa watching a good film or reading a good book.
I'm really impressed with Canton Tea Company as a whole and this tea is just as much a impressive tea as any other that I've tried.
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