Brew Time: 3 minutes
Brew Temperature: 212F
Rating: 7/10
Label information: "Black tea with natural and artificial flavors."
Cost: $1.25/ounce from The Spice Merchant
This tea has a very, very strong scent of amaretto before it is brewed, with just a hit of almond. This concerned me at first, because I'm not a big amaretto fan. I like it in small doses, and I don't like the smell of amaretto at all - the smell makes me slightly nauseous.
Because of the smell, I decided to make a single serving of this one to taste. Once brewed, it's fairly dark - I can see to the bottom of the cup in good light, but only just. It doesn't smell nearly as strong brewed as it does dry. This is a good thing. It has just a slight hint of amaretto scent, but I can make out the distinct scent of black tea, which wasn't detectable while dry.
I did not taste this tea prior to putting milk in it because it is not a flavor that appeals to me plain. After adding milk (I used a splash of lactose free milk, since that's all I had on hand), it tastes very mellow and smooth with just a hint of sweetness. It's not bitter, and it doesn't have an overpowering amaretto flavor. In fact, both the amaretto and the almond flavors are noticeable, but not very strong. I rather like the flavor.
Overall, this tea did not stand out as anything particularly special. It is a good tea, but not better than most other black teas of comparable quality. The scent of the unbrewed leaves turns me off, and due to that alone I am less likely to make this tea regularly. If you like the smell of amaretto, you will probably enjoy this tea much more than I did. I give it a 7/10 overall.
