Friday, December 19, 2014

Bigelow, Salted Caramel

Bigelow Description:
Enjoy this popular combination of sweet and salty, now in a teacup. Our all natural blend of hand-picked black tea and succulent caramel with just a hint of salt flavor is the perfect treat. Add a splash of milk and a little sweetener for a sublime guilt-free indulgence.

Ingredients:

Black Tea, Natural Flavors (Soy Lecithin), Rose Hips, Chicory Root

My Review:
An early Christmas surprise from my friend GG. Thanks! We are always on the lookout for inexpensive teas that are comforting. Here's hoping on this one!

Bigelow was my introduction to the world of tea beyond Lipton iced tea. Constant Comment was my very first purchase. Earl Grey, Lemon Lift, and Cinnamon Stick, came later - I tried everything the local grocer put on the shelf, and fell in love. So, Bigelow has a special place in my heart, even if we have drifted apart these last few years.

This tea bag is sealed in a foil pouch. That is the only way to go with tea bags if you want them to stay fresh. Pulling out the bag, I notice two things. First, this smells really deliciously of caramel candy. Second, the string is long enough that I know it won't get sucked under when I pour water over the bag. A third, and very important thing was learned while looking at Bigelow's website. Each bag contains almost 2 1/2g of tea. This will make a real cup of tea! Some companies (I'm looking at you Stash and Republic of Tea) put about half that amount of tea in their bags.

I used boiling water and steeped for the recommended 4 minutes. That is longer than I would normally go with a black tea bag. I'm trusting you Bigelow!

The brew is dark reddish brown and the cup aroma is making me hungry. I removed the bag, and yes I did not follow my own rules - I squeezed it. At least I didn't leave it in the cup.

The taste is nice but not spectacular. I can taste the black tea base. It is typical of grocery store black tea. It tastes nice but kind of plain with no depth. Good enough that it will do. The caramel is kind of faint. By the aroma, I thought it would smack me up side the head, in a good way.

So, per the label directions I added sweetener. In my case it was Splenda. Oh my! The caramel jumps out to shouts of Taaa-Daaaa! Yeah, now this is pretty good.

The label also recommends adding milk. Except in my morning green tea frappes, I never add milk. Here goes. Now the cup looks like a melted caramel, you know the milky tan color I'm talking about. The taste is not that much different than just adding the sweetener, but the feel is rich and silky.

I would certainly drink this again. If you love a bargain and find this on your grocer's shelf, I recommend giving this one a try - remember to add your choice of sweetener. Bonus, my fingers smell like caramel from squeezing the bag. Yeah!

You can buy this direct from Bigelow here, but I'm pretty sure you can buy it locally for less.

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