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This is a strange example of a tea, where my appreciation of it was undone rather by its marketing blurb.
I quite enjoyed my first cup of dark caramel tea. It wasn’t life changing or anything, but it was a pleasant enough brew with a sweet Dulce De Leche overtone.
Then I read the box. Twinings have, for some reason, taken it upon themselves to have the same sort of arbitrary non sequential numbering system that Whittards have been using for years. This tea is number 22 which is because “22% of people in the UK add sugar to their regular cup of tea. This caramel flavoured tea is for that 22%; a tea that is already slightly sweet – just boil, brew and enjoy!“
Now, wait just a minute Twinings, are you telling me that this sugary-thing-flavoured tea is just basically sugary tea? Now, I’m no tea snob (this is a lie – I’m totally a tea snob) but I’ve always looked down on people who put sugar in their tea. I feel like it’s the equivalent of stabilisers on a bicycle. I mean, we all start off with sugar but at some point you have to start drinking your tea like a grown up.
I can tolerate all sorts of nonsense in my tea mug. But I haven’t added a teaspoon of sugar to my tea since I was fifteen. Twinings have effectively told me that this tea is not for me. I am one of the excluded 78%. I think this has coloured my thinking to the extent that I haven’t enjoyed subsequent cups of dark caramel, as much as the first one.
It doesn’t help that the added ingredients consist of caramel and golden syrup “flavourings” rather than proper ingredients. Although I do appreciate that one can’t put actual globs of syrup into one’s tea blends. Apart from anything else, all the tea bags would stick together in the box.
Maybe they should have stuck to all natural plant based products in this blend. Like sugar.
Today’s featured book is Just Desserts by Michael Smith. Admittedly, it’s pretty hidden in the photo but it’s definitely there.
