My Overall Impression (Score of 86.5 %)

The weather for Canadian Thanksgiving weekend may be raining but the temps will be cooler like traditional Fall.  I plan to be working in the garden and I’ll be looking for a boost when I come inside for a break.  This is the first tea I’ve reviewed from Tiesta and I’m exceptionally happy with it.

This is one of the few teas that the flavor covers the entire profile of the sample when tasting.  It’s long lasting with exceptionally balance with the malt, flowers, and bergamot.  My only issue is how they suggest measuring.  A teaspoon and a half measured is hard  to maintain consistency.  When I sampled it for this review, I used my tea scoop to estimate the volume measurement.  That’s why the weight is lower at 1.6 gm than my normal 3 gm.  In this case, the brew is still lively and full of flavor.  If you see my note below, you may want to bump it up to 2 gm. 

The price as of 10/4/23 is $14.95 for 100 gm or 4 oz.

Broken down:

• 100 gm / 1.6 gm for steeping = 62 cups
• 62 cups from package = $0.24 per cup

Typically, I double steep all my teas (use the tea twice) so I can get 124 cups or approximately 12 cents per cup.  This is a big brew so I would steep it at least one more time.

SideNote:  If you are worried about the depth of the brew, change the measurement to 2 gm per cup.  The cost will be 30 cents per cup for a single brew.  That’s still exceptional for the price point.

Aromas

• In the bag, intense aromas of bergamot and lavender shine with toasted malt slightly underneath.
• It shows hints of lemon peel, floral notes (cornflower distinctive) and smoked thyme.
• Once brewed, the aromas are still intense. They are balanced between the bergamot, malt, and flowers.  The hints of lemon peel are stronger along with good herbal notes of oregano and apple mint.
• It does show some creaminess to the profile as it reminded me of summer squash casserole.

Flavors

• Brewed at 1.6 gm for the sample, the tea was fantastic but felt just a hair washed out.
• The bergamot, malt and floral notes are all balanced on the profile equally. These flow over the entire profile and do not drop off from the beginning to the end.
• There is a slight bitterness but definitely not unpleasant.
• It does show some herbal/green notes which are hard to distinguish.
• I loved its structure with dry notes, good acidity, and large tannins.

Scores

• Aromas (4.5/5)
• Flavors (8.5/10)
• Overall impression (4.3/5)
  • Total score = 86.5 percent (17.3/20)

Foods to Pair and Why

• Since its Canadian Thanksgiving, I wanted to do something festive but turkeys in the US are hard to find. I decided to make Cornish Game hens with cranberry dressing with tangerines and drink this tea after to refresh.
• I’m not a big fan of Pecan Pie but I saw one the other day that used a stout as an ingredient. I’d love to serve this tea with it as the slight bitterness, acidity, body, and malt aromas and flavors would be a great match.
• I would love some old Cheddar with some shortbread cookies to serve with this. I recently tried a cinnamon roll shortbread cookie that would be great with this.
• For breakfast, I would serve a big breakfast of sauteed country ham, peppers, onions, fried potatoes, and eggs (however you like them) with this tea to get you going for the day.