Christmas Green Tea

A chocolate-and-marzipan take on Sencha, with pink peppercorns adding a spiced lift and cloves running warm underneath. The base is green tea leaves, but the character comes from what's layered on top: almond pieces, marzipan and rum flavourings, and sugar crystals mixed with chocolate chips, cocoa butter and milk powder. The result reads more like a spiced dessert than a straight green tea — grassy at the edges, but dominated by cream, butter and almond notes with a cocoa finish. Colour comes out golden-yellow in the cup. Sencha forms the backbone here, giving the blend its bitterness and body before the sweeter additions take over. Green tea itself has a long history in China, where it was cultivated and drunk for centuries before becoming common worldwide; this blend borrows that base and dresses it for the holidays with spice and confectionery flavourings rather than anything traditional to Sencha itself. Pink peppercorns are an unusual addition for a green tea and bring a light, tingling heat rather than genuine chilli spice, while the clove buds add the kind of warmth associated with mulled drinks. Brew it with water at 90°C rather than a full boil, which suits Sencha's tendency to turn bitter and grassy if scalded. Three minutes is enough to draw out the flavourings without overdoing the tannins — pull it earlier if you prefer a lighter, sweeter cup, since the marzipan and chocolate notes come through even at a shorter steep. It contains soya and milk, so worth checking before serving to anyone with allergies. This one suits an afternoon rather than a jolt of caffeine first thing, given how much sweetness sits alongside the tea itself.