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Black Currant from Tea Forte

Steepster Score 10 Ratings Rate This Tea

73/100

Black Currant

Black Fruit Blend by Tea Forte

Finest quality black tea leaves superbly blended with the bright fruity taste of just-picked currants. A delectable, lush cup with soothingly sweet blackberry undertones, floral notes and a delighting finish.

Ingredients: black tea, blackberry leaves, flavoring

Steeping Guidelines: 3-5 minutes at 208 degrees

12 Tasting Notes

Uniquity
82

Let’s be real here – I love black currant flavoured things. Black Currant Simpkins drops are one of my favourite candies and I am always on the lookout for a tea that can recreate that taste, albeit with a lot less sugar! When a coworker of mine told me she was doing a Tea Forte order, I knew I’d end up tossing in their black currant to try it out. I piked up the 50 gram loose pouch for $7.00 – if it’s good, that’s a decent price for a flavoured black.

The aroma out of the bag is bold and very closely aligned to the Black Currant Drops I so love. MMM, a deep breath of this is lovely. Weary of a potentially bitter base, I am giving this 2.5 – 3 minutes to steep. Steeped, the aroma has diminished but if you get close to the cup it hangs heavy like fog. I wish the smell were as vibrant steeped as dry, but hopefully the taste holds true.

First sips are a good balance of the tea itself and the black currant flavouring. No bitterness but neither is it sweet. I get the sharp flavour of black currant on the back of my tongue, and it builds throughout the sip. I wish there were a little bit more of the black currant, but this is a pretty good balance. I’m not sure if I prefer it to the Twinings Black Currant (one of the best bagged teas I’ve ever had) but it’s very nice. I’m very glad to have a black currant back in my cupboard as before this I only had the dregs of an old batch from Bulk Barn.

Yay tea!

Nicole
67

Hm. Not sure I’ve had a plain black currant tea before so I wasn’t sure what to expect. The smell of the dry leaf is slightly sweet. I guess this is grapey? I know currants are grapey. The steeped liquor smells like grape and is slightly sour but not bitter. I probably won’t replace this when I’m out but not a bad flavored tea. I’ve been overdosing on unflavored blacks lately so getting back to some flavored blends it’s been nice to have decent ones. :)

This was the loose leaf version.

gmathis
gmathis 2 tasting notes

Really nice—a nice round fruity taste, not tart and none of that nasty hibiscus hiding behind the good stuff :o)

But I’m wondering … do you consider black currants to be more grape-ity or more blackberry-ish? I am having to re-think my opinion.

More detailed review is up at http://www.itsallabouttheleaf.com/ (with some other really enjoyable tea & product reviews - I’m enjoying reading them.)

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Meghann M
31

Such a fruity currant aroma, but got nilch flavor in the taste. It tasted like a sweet black tea with such a teasing scent of currants. I was really hoping for a great currant flavor in this too!

TeaEqualsBliss
81

Medium orangish-brown in color. Smells a bit like currant jelly or jam. It’s a bit more flavorful taste-wise then sniff-wise. This isn’t bad…actually I kind of like it! I think it’s one of the better flavored ones from Tea Forte that I have tried.

LiberTEAS
90

Sweet and fruity! This is one of the better black currant black teas that I’ve tasted, and definitely one of my favorites from Tea Forte. The flavor is smooth, no bitterness, and a pleasant level of astringency.

Very nice indeed!

Indigobloom
80

Hrm, I’m not sure about this. The black currant sings through, but I added some agave to help it along. I think it’s kindof like peach teas where even if it’s great, I would still prefer something else in that vein, only a different flavour.
Blueberry is not a flavour I really love, and this reminds me very much of blueberry.
Otherwise, the tea itself is good. A little sour, but not astringent really… I think it comes from the currant.
There is also a very fresh note, and a lively refreshing aftertaste that I actually like. If this tea had strawberry flavouring instead, it would have gotten top marks! so 85on the tea, and 75 on currant flavour (lower because I had to add sweetener)… which brings it to a nice middle ground of 80. I’m glad to have tried it, as always! :)

oOTeaOo
53

Not bad. I got these during a swap from another site. It is nice, solid, and smooth. The flavor is mild and not very intense. The bag it comes in is pretty; although, I’m not a huge fan of teabags. I didn’t use any sugar or milk as this tea didn’t need it at all. It wasn’t sweet though, but it wasn’t bitter at all either. Nice tea.

Invader Zim
54

Back-logged from this morning.

I’m not a big fan of black teas needless to say, but this was in a sampler pack I had received and gave it a go. To my surprise this wasn’t too bad. It’s pretty fruity without being tart. I could taste the black tea, but the black currant was strong enough that it made it pleasant for me.

Marlena
81

Oh, but i am a happy camper – finally a black currant tea that doesn’t smell disgusting and is nice and fruity and tastes like the black currant teas I used to love. Woo Hoo!!!!!!

fayebert
94
fayebert 2 tasting notes

I really enjoy this. The black tea is strong enough and pulls through over the fruit. It isn’t too bitter, a tad sharp/tart but that is fine. Having rarely ever had anything black currant-y I don’t know how black currant-y this tea tastes but whatever it is it tastes fine to me.

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