I received this as a sample with my first RiverTea order. I’ve had two cups so far, with a third remaining in the bag, so a pretty generous sample! I did actually think about adding 50g of this to my order, but I decided against it at last minute. Based on the sample, that was probably the right decision for me. It’s nice, but it’s not quite as punchy as I’d hoped.
The dry leaf contains huge pieces of cinnamon stick, and equally huge whole chamomile blossoms. The chamomile blossom actually unfurled while brewing, and it was pretty to watch all of the petals folding back. I was slightly concerned that the cinnamon would overpower everything else, but it didn’t. I gave 1 tsp of leaf approximately three minutes in boiling water and added a splash of milk.
First sip didn’t taste of much to me — the honey-like sweetness of chamomile, a swirl of spice, generic black tea. I left it to cool a while, and when I returned to it the flavours I was looking for really came through. There’s definitely mango, and there’s also quite a lot of banana. I wasn’t expecting to be able to taste the banana at all, so it was a pleasant surprise! The vanilla adds a touch of creaminess and a sweetness to the overall cup, but it’s very much a background flavour. There’s a lot going on in terms of flavour…maybe a little too much at times. I do wish the mango was a little stronger and jucier, but it’s a pretty nice cup as it stands. I’m definitely glad to have had the opportunity to try it! A good first experience with RiverTea — on the strength of this one alone I’m looking forward to trying the rest of my order!
This makes a nice cold brew :)