4 Tasting Notes
There is a very distinct tartness here but I don’t mind it too much. I think there needs to be a bit more green tea to help round it out some and I’m considering blending it. The fruit flavors are very pronounced and if overstepped (even just a little bit) the fruit flavors (in addition to the green tea) turn bitter; it taste like lemon peels. I found this out the hard way when my roommate steeped it for a minute too long, it was terrible! Adding sugar to it has never done much for me so I just drink it unsweetened. On its own there’s nothing about it that makes me want to re-purchase, but I imagine it would be good blended with other teas so I will give it another chance.
Preparation
This blend is sweet with a definite tartness. I think it’s best served sweetened when hot to help tone down the tartness a bit. Just be careful with the sugar, it doesn’t need much because the tea has a natural sweetness. It brews a beautiful grape-ruby-red and the dry leaves smell kind of like a fruit punch kool-aid packet and sweet tart candy. I quite enjoy the smell. :)
I prefer to make this iced because I find the cold temperature cuts some of the tart flavor (of course I use the cold brew method so I don’t know if that makes of difference). I used to love this blend when I was extremely new to tea but now I find it taste too much like juice. In fact there’s not really much tea at all, mostly berries. If you want a low calorie juice drink this is great, but if you want to taste the tea I would steer clear.
Preparation
Thanks for the tip, I think I will write them a letter. :) At most I’d be out the cost of a postage stamp and never receive a reply.
If you do send them a note, I would be very interested in hearing how they respond. If you wish, you could alert me by posting another comment here, by sending me a personal message (as I am following you), or you could even post it in a Teavana discussion thread that already exists, or start your own.
I have yet to try a H&S tea that I truly dislike. I picked this out of my samples because I wanted a tea to give me a kick in the pants. I expected it to be harsh and jolting, like coffee, but I was surprised… pleasantly surprised. I always thought Assams were a bit on the harsh, sharp side, but this one is great! It’s bold, smooth and a bit sweet. It’s just strong enough to be a great morning tea without making me cringe. And it doesn’t really need milk or sugar! This is likely to become one of my staple morning teas.
Preparation
I enjoy this blend. The dry tea leaves have an amazing sweet vanilla smell. I don’t really smell or taste the coconut much though. I really wish the coconut was more pronounced because I adore coconut but this tea is still pretty good. I would agree with some of the other reviewers, it seems to be Irish Breakfast with just a hint of flavor (but I’m a tea newbie so my palate is still new and relatively undeveloped).
I like to let this tea cool a bit because it seems to develop a sweeter, creamier, vanilla flavor after some time has lapsed. And it’s especially tasty with a little bit of cream/milk and some sugar.
