Since I have been drinking loads of caffeine in the form of diet soda, yerba mate and oolong all day long, I thought I would slow down a little tonight and steep a little herbal “tea”. This is a fruit infusion that I bought from Tea Desire, and it came highly recommended.
The nose of the loose product is INTENSE. This is a blend of blood orange wedges, apple, lemon grass and mint. It smells candy-like and sweet and immensely cool and fruity. Normally I would choose a warming cup of rooibos for a non-caffeinated night-time drink, but I thought I’d give this a try.
The color of the steeped liquid is, well, it looks a lot like apple juice. The flavor is bright, a little bit acidic, but in a refreshing, thirst-quenching way. It is very fruity. I am sure that is the whole intention of this blend. The flavor of the lemon grass is more prominent on my palate than both the blood orange and the mint. Luckily, I love the flavor of lemongrass, but it may be a little overwhelming for some. I find the mint mostly comes out on the finish and it is very pleasant. The blood orange is a unique touch, and adds beautiful color and flavor to this infusion. This is definitely a candidate for iced tea. Blend it with a little iced white tea and a touch of honey, and I think the flavors would come out very nicely if not a bit more subtly.
I like this one, I enjoy the unrestrained intensity of the big, bold flavors and aromas. It’s not complex, it tastes exactly like it looks like it’s going to taste, no surprises. Sometimes, that can be a good thing.
