Duke Cardiff's Black Tea Blend

Still working my way through the Simpson and Vail order I received yesterday. This tea smells very fruity in the tin and has purple flowers in it. :)

This was steeped for around 3 minutes and soymilk was added, but I think it would be very good plain as well. This tea is hefty enough for morning but would also be good as an afternoon tea. The currant flavor is light and not too sickening like some currant teas can be. The description says China and India teas but I’m not sure I could place which ones – perhaps a yunnan and an assam? In any case I definitely like this blend and am happy I got a tin of this. It will be a great everyday drinker.

Amy Oh and Nicole had me curious about this one so I got it! Glad I did! It’s way different than I was expecting but that is what I like most about it. The various black teas used in the base make up a flavor of its own and it does have notes of grape and/or currant as others as well as the product description noted. There is a bit of smoke but more notably the peppery black tea popping thru. And there are fruity/floral notes, too! This is very different but quite good, indeed!

Very noticeable grape scent from the steeped tea. Seems lightly sweet though there is no sweetener in the blend and I added none. I know that true currants do not come from grapes but the grape smell and taste is so distinct as to make me wonder if dried currants were used in this blend because I think most dried currants do come from grapes – Black Corinth grapes.

A very enjoyable blend. I may have to keep this one on hand.