As the name might imply, it’s not your typical spicy, winter herbal infusion. It’s got a red berry sweet/tart kick, a bit of citrus, and a smooth vanilla overtone that I really enjoyed. Being an herbal, you can adjust it to be as strong or as subtle as you like. I got two cups out of my serving and it was enough to inspire me to try it in other ways – in recipes, adding it to seltzer or ginger ale. It doesn’t leave your mouth puckering from elements that are overdone – not too much citrus or berry that it overpowers, just enough spice from the star anise that it tastes festive, but not like you’re drinking another version of a chai.
More pics and thoughts (recipe additions I’m thinking of trying out) on my blog review: http://bit.ly/tuNKvd
This is You :-D
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Still fairly new to the life-long process of learning and appreciating tea. Got into loose leaf a number of years ago after health concerns cut soda and sugared drinks from my repertoire. I’ve been blogging about and exploring tea more in-depth for the past several years and I just plain enjoy it. I keep an eye out for French tea trends as well, so if you parlez, bienvenue!
My ratings tend to fall into these categories:
I don’t bother discussing teas that I wouldn’t recommend to other folks on some level. Not worth drinking, not worth wasting time, so you won’t see many yellow light scores from me. I will, however, post if a tea is marketed as something it’s not. There are a couple of examples in my tea log.
50-70’s : Fair. Either a quality or grade issue or perhaps not suited to my personal preference. Wouldn’t turn it down if it were a gift, but wouldn’t purchase it for myself.
80’s: Good teas. Enjoyable and well-crafted, but maybe some slight room for improvement or maybe a notch below another of the same type that I’ve tried. Would buy again if the price were reasonable.
90’s: Excellent teas. My personal favorites that I’ve fallen in love with and have been surprised by.
I don’t know that I’ve ever rated a 100, which is why the 80’s and 90’s are more representative of the teas I like and would recommend. A 96 is just about perfect.
So glad you enjoyed. We just made a mulled wine with this and IMHO it came out pretty great.
Can’t wait to get my sample.
I can’t wait to get mine either! : )