Cherry Garcia

The leaves were really interesting – big cherry pieces and tiny black tea leaves.
Oddly enough this tea is remind me of electronic cigarettes… I’m not a smoker but I have tried the nicotine free flavored vapor things before – the cherry flavor. And that is what this smells like. Kind of creamy cherry with a smokey element.
Really not digging the flavor. Maybe I overbrewed it but I’m not getting a ton of cherry and I am getting serious astringency.
I’m going to throw this in my tumbler, add milk and sugar and shake it into a tea latte-thingy.
Okay, well, with way too much milk and sugar, shaken into a latte, this is great! I probably won’t brew this up again but it’s good to know I can rescue teas I don’t like

I was really REALLY excited when this tea was first announced, because Cherry Garcia is one of my favorite flavors from Ben & Jerry’s. Then I read some of the tasting notes and got a little worried.

My first sip was a disappointment, but then I decided to allow the tea to cool somewhat, and now that it has cooled to a drinkable temperature (without being too cold or even lukewarm … it’s still hot, just not too hot), and the flavors have emerged. I taste the chocolate and the cherry and even the delicious creaminess that tastes a bit like someone dropped a spoonful of ice cream in my tea to melt. The tea is still strong, and it is very full-bodied and a fair amount of astringency, but, I am not finding it nearly as disappointing as some of the tasting notes here on Steepster have been.

Not my favorite from 52Teas, but I am enjoying it.

Now that I have lowered my expectations, and thanks to the tips that some of you have shared re: steep times and water temperature, I’m finding that 52teas blends and I are getting along much better, so thank you for that.

This is one of the most accurate 52teas blends I’ve tasted to date. The dry leaf’s fragrance is that of chocolate-covered cherries and black tea. I’m very sensitive to medicinal/chemical tones in cherry flavours/fragrances and am happy to report that no such tone is to be found here. It really smells spot-on and delicious.

I’ve been wanting to try this one for days, but it never seemed like the right time (I’m hyper-sensitive to caffeine, so I have to time my black tea intake carefully). As I’ve got to drive up to New York in a little bit on about two hours of sleep and will be out ‘n’ about most of the day, I thought now would be a good time for this, and it’s hitting the spot.

The fragrance doesn’t lie. The flavour, too, seems quite accurate. The cherry, chocolate, and black tea are coming through very clearly. I would prefer more cherry and chocolate and less of the black tea, not because I don’t like black tea, but because I don’t like this base. I’m not a black tea connoisseur, but I’ve read tasting notes on Steepster written by folks who are, and they all talk about strong malty and cocoa notes in the good black teas. I think a good black tea would really complement the cherry and chocolate here, but this isn’t it. I’m not sure what exactly is off-putting about it. It tastes like it would be quite bitter on its own and it also somehow reminds me of…twigs. I’ve never sat and chowed down on twigs, mind you, but that’s what comes to mind.

As it cools (as LiberTEAS mentioned¹, not cool or even warm, still hot, just not piping hot), I’m also getting a bit of that creamy mouthfeel of ice cream. But again there is that threat of bitterness from the base black tea that motivates me to finish my cup quickly. For what it is, this blend is very good, but it’s really held back by the black tea. With better black tea—one that people describe as smooth from sip to swallow—it could be amazing.

Tea amount: 1 tsp/~4.75g
Water amount: 6oz/~175mL
Additives: 1 tsp/~4.75g Demerara sugar

¹ http://steepster.com/LiberTEAS/posts/113385

Cherry Garcia Black Tea complements of Kittenna!!! As others have commented, these leaves are interesting. There are big pieces of freeze-dried cherries, small nuggets of chocolate, an abundance of tiny minced leaves, and then some more normal whole looking leaves. Interesting is the right description. I wonder how this will turn out.

I’m not much of a tea purist when it comes to 52teas’ dessert blends. So I added skim milk and Truvia before tasting it. The brewed tea definitely smells like cherries and chocolate. Mmm! And it tastes wonderful too!! The most prominent flavor is dark chocolate.

I’ve never thought that ice cream translates into tea well. And honestly, this tea is no exception. I don’t taste ice cream. But I do taste a creamy, chocolaty, yummy, cherry tea. Thanks again Kittenna!! I’m surprised by how many teas I still have left in this swap box! You’re one generous gal! :)

1 tablespoon for 375 ml of water

The black tea astringency takes over the blend. Only slightly bitter. Hints of cherry-chocolate flavour near the end of the sip. Maple sweetness in lingering aftertaste.

I was told that this was an older tea and it may have lost some flavour.

Rating: 47

Thanks to Kittenna for sharing this with me!

Excited to rip into my new set of packets today! Yes…. because as always, I needed more tea.

Steeped, this one mostly just smells sweet. The bag is juuuuuuust out of reach… too lazy to get it…. ok, got it. The dry tea is filled with huge dried cherries and cocoa nib chunks, and it actually smells like a sweet version of Malted ChocoMate. Cherry sweet. Yes, I can actually smell cherry.

Ok, even with a three minute infusion I’m getting bitterness. I feel like I can almost taste cherry, moreso in the aftertaste, and there’s some creaminess too, but it’s very difficult to find. There was a big cherry, so there should be some flavour…

I think I’ll have to try this again for perhaps a 2 minute infusion? I think the bitterness is just getting in the way. Probably because of the ctc leaves?

ETA: Well well, second infusion at just below boiling for 2 minutes is nearly astringency-less. Much better. However…. also rather lacking in flavour. I can taste a sort of creaminess though, which makes it pleasant enough to drink. I have high hopes for my next attempt at this tea with a shorter initial infusion time!

ETA again: Ok, cooled down, the second infusion was actually rather nice! I mean, this is even the next morning! The tea was malty and creamy and a bit sweet. I’m really excited to try this one again cooled and with a shorter infusion time.

Thank you Kittenna for this sample.

I just realised that I have never tried Cherry Garcia ice cream but have always wanted to. It may be because if I get the option to buy ice cream which I seldom do (too many calories) then I go for my favourite: Cookie Dough.

The raw tea blend has super large round cherry pieces (they remind me of large currants) with finely cut black tea and a fair amount of cocoa nib. It does smell a little chocolatey and sweet but at this stage it’s too hard to say for certain what it would be, if I was blind folded I wouldn’t have necessarily said it had cherries specifically.

Once steeped the tea has a strong cocoa smell that’s slightly sweet but as as much as it’s raw form.

The taste is a little better, sweet and somewhat cherry like with a creamy finish. It’s not bitter but nor is it completely smooth which makes me think that perhaps the black tea is too strong for the cherry flavour. I think I would struggle to drink this straight so I will be adding a drop of milk to it, after all it should only help aid the ice cream effect.

Well the milk has helped reduce the black teas harshness which pushes the sweet fruit to centre stage. It’s still hard to define it as cherry though which is a little disappointing. The cocoa nib always seems to have a stale/dusty sort of taste (as do most teas that contain cocoa nib) so it’s not as fresh as I would have liked either. I think that’s the main issue, the black tea and cocoa nib are too heavy and harsh for the cherries to actually come through.

Happy to have tried this but it’s hands down not for me. I would have made this into a white tea instead of black as you can make it A – creamier, B – fruitier and C it would not overtake all flavours leaving it more balanced and lighter, fresher in taste. But that’s just me.

Thank you Kittenna for this lovely sample!
I was surprised by the state of the tea leaves.. rather small and tattered with some larger pieces. I think this is the older tea base. Either way.. The dry leaf smelled of cherries and sweetness.
The liquor after a 3 min steep for 1sp/cup was a nice reddish amber. Smelled greatly of cherries. The taste is cherries with a creamy layer. I can definitely taste a black tea base. Not bad.. slightly malty and I can see it could go bitter if the parameters are not watched.

Overall this is a tasty tea. I’m not sure it will be my favourite but I am really really glad I got to try it! Yum!

Disclaimers: 1) based on previous notes from other samples, I know this has lost some flavour. 2) I fully expected to hate this one, given my experiences with cherry and vanilla lately. I just want a cherry tea!!! sighs.

That said, I was surprised. After brewing up a cup, I don’t mind it! I mean, the flavouring is pretty weak, but that’s ok, I knew that going in.
The cherry is really mild, but the part that I like is the creaminess. Yep, I can actually taste some sort of icecream element in there. So much so that I, felt it didn’t need milk. A lovely surprise indeed. What whaaaaat ;P
Now don’t get me wrong, this isn’t something I’m keen to have in my cupboard or anything. I prefer my cherry tea to have more oopmh, like cherry pie.
Still, I wouldn’t turn a cuppa this baby down!
Thanks for sharing a sample Kittenna

Sipdown! :) So another tea that i’m glad i can cross off my list of 52 teas that i’ve tried. Thanks to Kittenna for sharing!

Not impressed with this one at all. Could be the age of it but it’s bitter, astringent and there’s not a whole lot of cherry going on. Even with a bit of milk and sweetner added, the taste wasn’t much improved.

I’m really confused about this tea. My packet seems to be mostly tea dust with a few tea leaves. Is this what it is supposed to be like, or did I get the last dregs of the batch? I steeped some this morning, and it was too strong and thick, probably from all the tea dust. I’ll reserve judgment until this is figured out.

I’m a little wary of the itty bitty black tea leaves that are in this blend. It’s just not what I look for in a tea. Perhaps I should have read the description before requesting this tea from Alphakitty? Who knows. I have enough for 1-2 more cups after this, though I usually make pots of 3 cups at a time, as I did this time.

I added a ton of sugar to this after reading all the reviews on the astringency of this blend. I hate astringency. It seems to have worked partially, although now the flavouring is POPPING and so much so that it all tastes pretty artificial now. There’s a bitter tinge to it that not even the sweetener could eradicate. I’ve let it cool down some now and the cherry flavour is really really there, but at the same time, I do not like this one. Oh well, can’t love them all.

I really love Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia ice cream so I absolutely love the idea of this tea! The dry leaf smells so deliciously cherry. This tea is astringent as mentioned in other reviews. A teeny splash of milk and a pinch of sugar helps to balance out the sharper aspects and allows the creamy cherry ice cream flavor to come to life. The chocolate is subtle which I appreciate in this blend.

It’s a nice comforting cup without a doubt. Especially on a day like today – I’ve been watching movies on the couch all day and just have not had the motivation to get up and cook dinner. I think I’ll have one more cup before I get going. Then I’m pretty sure another movie is in order. It’s just been one of those kind of days…

Steep Information:
Amount: 2 tsp
Water: 500ml at 195°F
Tool: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker BTM800XL
Steep Time: 2 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: perfume
Steeped Tea Smell: Nut, Cherry, Bakey
Flavor: Smooth, bakey, hint of cherry
Body: Full
Aftertaste: astringent, bakey
Liquor:translucent dark orange brown

Good, but not great.

Rating: 2/4 leaves

Blog: http://amazonv.teatra.de/2012/07/08/52teas-loose-leaf-black-tea-cherry-garcia/

This tea is definitely a disappointment. The first whiff smells SO good, I just want to eat it—definite cherry-chocolate going on there with even a hint of creaminess. Steeped, though, it looses this magical quality and becomes more standard. The leaves are very crushed and tiny, definitely broken as others have noted, and I think the black base is wayyyy to strong. I think a soft black would have gone well (I am really dying to blend my own cherry/cream/chocolate mix with Sinharaja as the base), but it’s an overpowering astringent taste. I really like astringent teas but on their own, not with a dessert blend like this. I want this to be a soothing, comforting tea, not one that makes me wide awake.

I also have issues steeping this—at 2 minutes the black tea is juuuust right, not bitter or overpowering, but it’s kind of hard to taste the cherry/chocolate combo. At 5 you get a ton of cherry/chocolate and a hint of creaminess, but the base is too strong. It’s really a conundrum, because any time in the middle yields mediocre tea/taste combos. I prefer the longer steep with cooler water and cream & sugar, but that’s a lot of work for what I really want to be a simple dessert tea.

My first try at this tea. I agree with other reviewers: initially thought CTC was from crushed shipping bag (judged from the state of my Teavivre samples that came too). If 5 min is oversteepped, I’m worried the flavour won’t come through with less time. My mouth is very dry drinking this. I get a sour note which isn’t pleasant. The dry leaves smell absolutely delightful and dessert-ty. My second steep I added one tsp of my own Keemun to keep the flavour going but the cherry vanilla is definitely muted. I tried it straight first, then added left over milk foam from the morning cappucino (could have influenced my dry mouth feel), then I just had to add agave syrup to cut the astringency. Will re-evaluate again with shorter steep.

I believe my first words when I opened my pouch and gave this a whiff was, “****, this is awesome.” Smells like a cherry cordial. I haven’t even tried the ice cream so I don’t know how the two compare, but this has more chocolate in it than I expected, which is a good thing for me!

The dry leaf perplexed me too, as I haven’t had any teas including cut, tear, curl leaves. Mixed in with those are chopped up freeze-dried cherries and cocoa nibs.

I oversteeped this the first time. I think I steeped it for like five minutes and it was way too bitter. The chocolate and cherry were nowhere to be found. This time I aimed for three minutes, and it’s better. I can smell the chocolate and cherry now, but taste-wise, it is still too heavy on the black tea. The chocolate and cherry still get a little lost. Will need to do some experimenting with steeping parameters, so I can try to get the chocolate and cherry out more without the black tea going insane.

I try really hard not to drink caffeinated drinks after work, but when I got this in the mail yesterday I couldn’t resist. It smells fantastic.

I brewed it hot at just below boiling for just 2 min 30 sec. At first it was too hot to enjoy. I had to let it cool for a bit. I drank it when it was warm, maybe 140°F to 150°F. It was worth it. It tastes just like the ice cream to me. I taste cherry and chocolate. The base tea is good too. The aftertaste, while it doesn’t linger too long, is pleasant and not artificial.

I was able to get a second steep out of the leaves. This time I steeped just under boiling for 2 min 45 sec. The taste was remarkably close to the first steep. I suspect that I could have gotten another steep, but two glasses just before bed was already more than I should have had.