Unlike a lot of my female friends, when a spot of retail therapy is required, I do not sit and drool over expensive shoes or handbags. Mostly, (with the exception of looking for cross stitch patterns) my online version of window shopping is done on tea websites. Of course, I do not stray very far at all from my favourites.
Earlier this week, with not much money but the will to spend it, I was browsing Northern Tea Merchants brand spanking new website and come across their apple tea.
Having a almost insatiable craving for apples this touched a nerve so I ordered 50g's of the tea. Today, it arrived.
There is nothing quite like Northern Tea's lovely packaging. Almost magpie like, I am attracted to the shiny gold packets!
Apple tea uses Keemun as it's base tea. In addition the tea also has apple pieces and apple oil. Part of the reason that I choose this tea is because keemun is my favourite black tea. It's smoother and far easier for me to drink then, say, assam, which can be strong. Northern Tea's keemun is by far the best I've tasted and what you can find boxed up in supermarkets just doesn't seem to compare, and believe me, I've tried several different brands of keemun over this past year.
If you'd like to read my review on Northern Tea's keemun it can be found here.
Anyway, I digress.
Upon opening the packet, the lovely aroma of the tea was quickly evident. I was expecting a very strong, fresh scent of apples. Instead, the scent is warmer, rather caramel or toffee like. In fact the smell that comes to mind is toffee apples that you get around this time of year. It's very pleasant indeed, and very warming.
As you can see in the picture above, the tea leaves are wonderfully dark and inviting, and within the leaves there are pieces of dried apple which add a contrasting splash of colour.
I filled up my Floatea infuser with a perfectly round teaspoon and poured over the water. One of my favourite things to do, with new tea's, is to watch the infuser bob around in the water, seeing the wonderful colour of the tea seep into the water.
This apple tea, though not best reflected in the photograph below, brews to a golden honey coloured tea, then to a coppery red. I brewed the tea for around five minutes. As there were no brewing instructions with the tea, it was a guess, but it worked out wonderfully well.
The first thing I will say is that this blend, probably due to it's base tea being keemun, is incredibly comforting and warming, and it's perfect for the grey days ahead. Although it's a apple tea, which could be related to summer, I think it's perfect for this time of year. It's also brilliant if you want a warming autumnal drink but dislike the strong blends such as chai which are very popular at the moment.
First of all, I will mention the Keemun base. Oh what joy it is to once again experience Northern Tea's Keemun. It's so tasty, mouthwatering so, that a cup of this tea doesn't last very long at all. It's smooth and mellow. Because of it's softness it's happiness in a cup.
Keemun tea is a bit like Darjeeling in the respect that when you are drinking a top quality blend you know it, but when you experience one of a lesser quality, you know that too. Without a doubt this blend retains the quality which I experienced when I first tried Keemun from Northern Tea.
High quality is what I have to come to expect with everything I've tried from Northern Tea, and this is no different.
What of the addition of apple to the tea? Well, I really liked it. Quite often, when I've tried apple tea (and I think I may of tried three or four), it's either been lip smackingly bitter or teeth shudderingly sweet. With the exception of Twining's Apple Crunch, this blend is the only tea that gets the balance just about right.
The apple flavour is not overpowering, it's hinted at more then actually taking center stage, however, that is not a criticism. It means the tea is evenly balanced. If you want a tea that tastes mostly of apple it would be advisable to buy a fruit tea. The fruit is blended within the tea, and works in partnership rather then being at odds with it.
Very much like the aroma, there is a sweet, caramel like taste to the tea. I may even put my neck out and say there is something almost chocolatey about this tea, which may seem odd, but it's honestly how I feel about it. This element of the tea is probably due to the base tea used.
I re-infused the tea leaves three times with this tea. The second infusion was still very lovely and enjoyable, full of flavour, the third was a fair bit weaker. I would say the leaves are good for reinfusing up to three times but if you want the full on flavour I'd say no more then two times.
I was pleasantly surprised with Apple Tea. It's much softer then drinking a fruit tea and a whole lot more fulfilling, too. There is not much I can add except that I'm really pleased that I brought this tea, it's a wonderful tea to experience.
I would also like to say how impressed I was at the turnaround between purchasing the tea and the actual delivery. I ordered this late Wednesday afternoon and it arrived very early this morning (never have I jumped out of bed so quickly then when the postman knocked today!). And, what's also brilliant is with their new website you can now check at what stage your order is at!
I only paid £1.95 (this, obviously is just the price for the tea) for 50g's of this tea, which is a really good price.
So why not treat yourself to some of this fantastic tea? It will keep you very warm on the colder winter nights!
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