For a thoroughly delicious tea blend, this offering is something of a mystery. Within a couple months after I ordered it last year, Maple Toffee disappeared from the Murchie's website, and hasn't returned in over a year. It's either seasonal, sold out or discontinued. I don't know which, but sadly, am starting to suspect the latter. If so, too bad...this is wonderful to smell and drink.

The loose leaf seems to be nearly half each of maple-flavored black tea (unknown origin, but of a character generally resembling Ceylon) and rooibos, with dried chunks of light-brown stuff that appear to impart the caramel/toffee flavor. Murchie's already produces a couple maple-flavored black teas, so perhaps they just cut it up with about equal amounts of rooibos and a dollop of "brown stuff". The combination works well, yielding a naturally sweet brew that has little to none of rooibos' bothersome characteristics (the broom-straw note to the taste) but colors and smooths the overall blend nicely. Maple and caramel, as flavors, readily blend well into something equal to or greater than the sum of the parts. In dry aroma, and as sweetened liquid, this tea is like candy. I'd love to recommend it, if only I could be confident it's still made (or again will be!).

If I see Maple Toffee reappear, I'll report back to this review and update it accordingly. If not, I'll wonder why a blend this good came and went so fast, especially from a company that tends to give even its seasonal or experimental teas more time.

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