Samples Only TTB
I have to say, I didn’t like this at first sip but it grew on me.
The aroma out of the bag isn’t overwhelming. This tea doesn’t really wow you until it’s finished brewing. Steep it long enough to let the fruit and flowers do their work. In my cup, this had a gorgeous aroma which I pondered over long enough to identify. It reminds me of when one is making cherry jello, the way it smells when you add the hot water to the powder before progressing to other stages. It smells delicious and reminds me of childhood.
At first sip, it was a sour, tangy nose with a sweet, lingering tail.
The amount of sugar in my cup grew slowly with subsequent sips until I found it to my liking (at closer to 3t, which is way more than I usually like in any tea, albeit this being for a 16 ounce mug) At this point, the tea is delightful! It’s sweet with a sour and tangy middle, but the nose is purely sweet and fruity and the tail lingers with the same. It creates a little tangy burst in the middle and this is how the rose hips truly shine; as an accent rather than a feature.
I am honestly growing to dislike rose hips and hibiscus in tea because the tangy sour flavors just don’t do it for me… But sugared more than normal, they can be quite delightful. I wonder if some of the other teas I’ve found to be too sour would have tasted better if I’d sweetened them more. I like to avoid too much extra sugar, but some teas may not be able to really stand on their own without it. However, this one becomes a delight with enough sugar, so I am afraid I must make an exception.
I may well purchase some of this in the future from Adagio.
Flavors: Cherry, Floral, Flowers, Fruity, Hibiscus, Pleasantly Sour, Red Fruits, Rosehips, Round, Sweet, Tangy
