Raspberry & Apricot Delight

I used a little over 1 tsp because I use 8 ounces of water and I never know if steeping recommendations are for 6 or 8 ounces so I just added a little more tea. I also steeped for an extra minute so even if that was wrong it is a forgiving tea!
This tea is JUICY! It makes your mouth water and the flavors are really quite wonderful! I could not detect any artificial flavors even if they are used and I am pretty sensitive to artificial flavorings.
I am also not typical a fan of apricot flavored teas but this one is soooo good!
I think the sweet raspberry – not tart which really helps to mellow the usually more pungent earthy apricot and while I do like earthy teas, apricot and I do not normally get along.
The aroma of this tea is super sweet super yummy with this almost vanilla aroma to it.
No sugar is needed to add to this tea its really quite perfectly sweet and balanced all on its own and I can only imagine adding sugar would make it all the more decedent or dipping some sugar cookies into it but I have had my allotment of cookies for today lol.
I am impressed – I purchased some 52 teas that had been revived from iHeartTeas.com and this was included as a free sample! This lovely lady blends her own teas and I give her two huge thumbs up – if only I had more thumbs!
Try her teas people they are dang good! :)

I ordered the newly rescued Gingerbread Chai from iHeartTeas and Rachel included this sample with my order.

This is really very nice. At first, all I really tasted was the slightly grassy taste of the green tea, but after allowing it to cool a few moments and taking a few sips, the raspberry really emerged. It is sweet and just a little tart, like a fresh berry would be. The apricot is there too, although it is a much softer flavor, asserting itself in the aftertaste more than at any other point.

Quite enjoyable. Sweet but not too sweet, and the combination of raspberry and apricot is very pleasing. My full-length review of this tea will publish next week on the SororiTea Sisters, but for now, this is a good one.

Thanks Kittenna for this sample! this is tasty. Not my fave flavoured green, but purty durn good. First steep was great, sans sugar. Raspberry and apricot actually came through which was a nice change from the average fruity green. Second steep wasn’t that great though, it came out all floral like, a little too perfumey for my preference.
Rating: 80

The dry tea smells fruity with a metallic twinge of sencha. I’m not a big fan of green teas with that flavour, so hoping it doesn’t carry over into the flavour.

Whew, there’s no astringency or bitterness, so the metallic aroma mustn’t be linked to those (it was in my mind). Cannot put into words how relieved I am about that – so many times with green blends I’m getting unpleasant flavours from the sencha. Initially I’m mostly tasting sencha, which is pleasant enough, but not what I want. I think the flavours are coming out in the aftertaste, but I feel like I have too much fruitiness going on in my mouth right now to pick them out. I’m also drinking this warm/hot (unusual for me), and I’m wondering if the flavours will come out better when it’s cooled…. only problem, I’m not sure the tea’s going to last that long. I’m enjoying the pleasantly fruity, buttery sencha regardless.

Ok, I’m giving this one a temporary rating because I’m enjoying it whether or not I can taste raspberry or apricot (can’t pick out either right now). I expect that another time, when I try this cooler and with an untainted palate (I’m blaming Mango ‘n Friends here), the rating will be upped. I’m also interested to try this iced and cold-steeped. Haven’t cold-steeped a flavoured green before (other than DavidsTea’s Lime Gelato, which hardly has any green tea in it to begin with).

ETA: Resteep, 175F/2 min is similarly of buttery sencha, albeit weaker.

Thank you to Kittenna for sending me a sample of this. It’s a rather refreshing cold brew. The sencha is metallic and grassy. Perhaps a bit too much since it seems to overpower the fruit flavors. It is smooth and buttery, however.

I can tell that it’s a fruit flavor, but I can’t distinguish what kind of fruit. It’s so faint. Well, anyhow, the green base is nice and the vague fruitiness is pleasant. A nice refreshing brew overall.

Thanks Kittenna! All of a sudden samples from you that I’ve been holding on to for forever have made their way to the forefront. Probably a good thing.

I’m not getting much flavor from this in the way of raspberry or apricot. Sencha though? Definitely. And there is a subtle fruity sweetness to it but it’s kind of hard to tell what it might be.

I let it cool off and I can taste raspberry for sure now. I think I will save the rest of my sample to cold steep.

Also I am so excited for hockey I am already plotting places I want to go in Raleigh. I can’t believe how long North Carolina is, it’s only 65 miles further to go to Tampa and driving back from Tampa felt like AGES. Short list: Tin Roof Teas, tea buying moratoriums stop when you’re somewhere new right?

But I know my boyfriend wants to go to Tampa because they have tesla coils in the arena. Wah wah wahhhh there aren’t even schedules yet what am I doing.

This one was a sample from Kittena over the weekend. This is a tea I’d be willing to buy for myself. I really enjoy the fruity aspect of the tea while not losing out on the “green.” I really like the mix of rasberry and apricot as well. No unpleasant aftertaste and even as it cooled it was still a pleasure to drink.

I was worried about the raspberry in the green tea being either too tart or taste like cough medicine used to taste like. But it’s very light, with a subtle hint of apricot as an after taste. It’s a very light green tea that is perfect hot and would likely be a very nice cool treat this summer. Check out the full review here: http://www.erinstea.com/handcrafted-teas-iheartteas-launches-teas/ DO NOT OVER STEEP. I steeped at 2 minutes and used water at about 82 degrees.

This is lovely! Sent to me by Emilie, thanks!
I’m a complete green tea newbie, so I don’t really know what I’m talking about. Anyway, the flavors are nice and light and the green tea base comes through nicely. I can’t pick anything out exactly, but there is a nice light sweet juiciness. Whatever the green base is, I like it!