172/365
I chose this one today largely because of the name – sweet spice sounds like something that might be good for a cold. Turns out it has an unusual selection of ingredients, though – they’re not things I would have thought to put together. It’s an interesting one in terms of appearance, too – and, for a fruit blend, pretty impressive. It has literally huge whole rose buds, dried quarters of sliced orange, whole raisins, cloves, hibiscus petals, and mini meringues! Very pretty to look at.
It’s a slightly odd flavour, but perhaps that’s not entirely unexpected. It’s sweet, from the meringues, tart and a little sour from the hibiscus, with a background floral from the rose. There’s a splash of orange, which tastes more like fizzy vitamin C tablets than actual orange, and then a fairly significant kick of spice. The earthiness of clove is there, but I’m sure there’s also some chilli, and possibly cayenne. I can smell it.
It kind of works, but it’s a bit crazy. In some ways, it tastes like a Christmas tea, and I’m pretty sure the clove is responsible for that. The spice works well with the sweet-ish background, largely because the hibiscus helps to mediate between the two extremes of flavour. That tart sourness in the mid-sip really seems to help bring the two together, and it’s a rare day I say anything complementary about hibi. Mostly, though, I feel like this suffers from an excess of ingredients. There are things I can’t see the point of, and that just distract from what on the whole is a pleasant, if unusual, flavour. Raisins, for example. I also have my doubts about the rose.
I’d probably not buy this one again, just because I can’t see myself drinking it regularly. It’s a little confused for my liking, but it’s certainly been an experience! I think I can see what T2 were trying to achieve with this one, but I just don’t think they quite made it.
