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I decided upon this tea for a meeting this morning, sipping away as the speakers made their presentations. Despite its sweet and slightly floral aroma, I must admit that this tea was not what I was expecting; at least, not compared to the darjeeling I had tried previously. I returned a few times to the station at the room’s rear to add more sugar or milk, trying to ease its strong bitterness. In the end I simply nursed the cup until the tea had gone, not enjoying it as much as I had hoped.

I’m tempted to write off the bitterness as being a result of the wooden stir sticks that were offered – I don’t usually use them unless I have to, as I find they affect the taste of the tea(s) – but it was rather strong to be a result of just that. The sweetness managed to come through a bit. I think that, perhaps if I prepared it a bit differently, I could enjoy this tea. This cup, however, did not impress.

I like the idea of seeing what is in other people’s tea cupboards and being able to try something new at random! Staying with friends in Pasadena, who have a big Mason jar full of assorted tea bags. This one was interesting to me, as it was from a company I hadn’t heard of before, and something with berries in it sounded nice as a summertime drink. It brewed up a deep, rich red color, much like Red Zinger, with a similar fruity aroma.

Wow, talk about tart! Looking at the ingredients, I see that they could have hardly picked a more sour blend – rose hip, hibiscus, blackberries…all seemingly picked before their prime. The flavors were strong and fruity though, so I think this would probably make a very good iced tea, just far too sour for my taste to have straight as hot tea.