Christmas Spiced Tea
Some teas are for quiet contemplation. This one is for pulling a cracker. It is my loose-leaf black-tea Christmas blend, and the nicest way I can describe it is that it tastes rather like a mince pie: a warm, spiced black tea with roasted apple, cinnamon, vanilla, a little almond and a bright note of orange, the whole thing somewhere between a spiced biscuit and the fruit-and-peel of a proper mince pie.
It is unashamedly about the mood more than the provenance. Brew a pot when the decorations go up, or the wrapping comes out, or you simply want the kitchen to smell like Christmas, and it delivers exactly that. It is a proper black tea, so it has caffeine to see you through the wrapping marathon, and it is lovely with or without a splash of milk. Naturally, it is very good indeed alongside an actual mince pie.
One important note: this tea contains almond pieces, so it is not one for anyone with a nut allergy.
If you would like your Christmas without the caffeine, my Reindeer Rooibos is its caffeine-free other half: where this one is mince pies, that one is more the mulled-wine end of the season.
Brew at 100°C for 3 to 4 minutes.
Ingredients || Black Tea, cinnamon, roasted apple, vanilla, flavours, almond pieces
Contains almonds (nuts). Also packed in an environment that contains nuts.
Caffeine || Yes
Tasting Notes || Like a mince pie: warm spice, roasted apple, orange and almond
Brewing Notes || 1 teaspoon per cup, 100ºC, brew for 3-4 minutes.