Kimberley's Kyusu

Hey there Teacups! I hope you’re all doing well I’m back today with another Let’s Talk Tea post and this time around I’m going to be reviewing T2’s – Who Stole The Eggnog which is one of the new blends they released this Christmas. When I saw this blend on the website the day that the collection was released while I thought it sounded nice having never had eggnog before (It just doesn’t sound appealing does it!) I was a little bit hesitant to order it without trying it in store first but with it having a black tea base I took a chance on it and ordered some along with a few other festive bits. I live quite close to a T2 so I never normally order any of their blends without trying them first so it’s very unlike me to take a risk like that. I think in the back of my mind I knew that If i didn’t end up enjoying it either my fiancé or one of my tea friends probably would so it was worth taking the risk.Here’s what T2 have to say about this blend on their website: Eggnog – that sweet, luscious concoction at the centre of so many Christmas traditions. A delicious mess of creamy, custard-like flavours, this yuletide treat is loved for its indulgent dessert flavours. But when a gremlin threatens to destroy their treasured Christmas ritual, Stella and her grandfather will have to think quickly to save the day and their beloved eggnog brew.

Dry Leaves

Ingredients: Black tea, sweet blackberry leaves, natural and artificial flavouring, hazelnut brittle (sugar, hazelnuts), nutmeg | I was sad to see that the natural and artificial flavourings used in this blend have been used in a higher quantity than the hazelnut brittle and the nutmeg and I hoped that the overall flavour of this blend wouldn’t be artificial and off putting.The dry leaves of this blend smell absolutely amazing, the black tea hazelnut and nutmeg are all much more powerful than I thought they would be and no specific note overpowers the other in the aroma. I was expecting the nutmeg to be too powerful and overpower almost everything else but it’s actually really well balanced. Considering sweet blackberry leaves taste nothing like blackberries and more like a very weak black tea I’m not sure why they were included in the blend and aroma wise they didn’t really add much to the blend. My only hope was that they would add a slight natural sweetness to the blend and that as a result I wouldn’t need to add much sweetener to it.

Tea Tasting Notes

Due to DPD delivering my order to the wrong place and T2 having to send out a replacement package it took me a while to get round to trying this and I actually did end up being able to pop into my local T2 and trying this before I get round to doing my tasting session and I’m very glad I did. When I went into T2 they had this out on the tea bar and they had prepared this like a latte with milk and honey and even thought I only had a small sample I loved it and couldn’t wait to get home and make up a big batch for myself. Even though I had tried it as a latte in store for this tasting session and review I wanted to try and form a more rounded opinion on the blend so I decided to try this blend both on it’s own and with milk and honey to see which way I prefer it.

Brewing Guide : 1- 1 ½ Tsp Per Cup (2 if you are going to add milk) | 2-4 Mins | 100°C (212°F) | To make lattes I used 1 – 1 ½ Tsp(s) of Honey per Cup and Oatly Barista or Alpro Soya Milk.

After trying this blend both on it’s and as a ‘latte’ I have to say that this is deffinelty a blend that shines it’s brightest as a latte. Don’t get me wrong I’m not saying that it’s not nice on it’s own because it really is, it’s malty, sweet, nutty and reminds me a little bit of egg custard tarts. It’s been a good while since I’ve had one of those but when I took my first sip of this tea that was the first thing that came to mind and I loved it, it’s so nice to find blends that are able to replicate sweet treats perfectly because they help to satisfy any sweet craving you might have and in the long term they are much better for you. Those kind of blends are also the best tea blends to bake with, I’m really looking forward to experimenting with this and seeing what kind of tasty treats I can make with it.

Normally I wouldn’t add any sugar to a blend like this as it already had brittle pieces in it that add a certain sweetness but this blends sweet, nutty and spicy notes were amplified tenfold when I added just the smallest amount honey and the creamy custard like notes were also amplified when I added a little oatly barista to it hence why I said they works best when prepared as a ‘latte’ I  myself can’t stomach normal eggnog but I can image that using that instead of milk to make a eggnog based latte with this blend would be quite nice for people who do enjoy the traditional Christmas drink. Overall I really enjoy this blend and I can see myself drinking so much of this throughout the rest of December. I’ll deffinelty be making a latte with this towards bedtime of Christmas eve and I’m going to try my best to save the other box I have of this until next Christmas just in case they don’t bring it back.

Overall Teacup Rating: 5/5

If you want to find out more about T2 and purchase some of this blend for yourself (be quick it’s limited edition), you can do both here. As always if you have any questions either stick them in the comments or send them to me on Twitter/Instagram @teaisawishblog and I’ll answer them all as soon as I can.

Speak to you all again soon. Happy Steeping – Kimberley