A Berry Frui-tea July! This is an old sampler, that has still never been opened… now, I’ve had other old samplers that have never been opened that, upon breaking the seal, I’ve discovered rancid coconut, so I know that means nothing, but I’m still crossing my fingers and hoping for the best. I actually grabbed this one because considering it’s age, and that it has the unlucky tea ingredient, I’d better check it now. * long sigh * Okay, here goes.
Well, it passes the smell test… The dry leaf actually smells like key lime pie to me, and I quite like key lime pie! But I’ve had other teas pass the smell test, too, so I’m still not entirely convinced. Eating a small piece of coconut from the package, it still tastes sweet and doesn’t have that sour taste, though, so I’m hoping it has, somehow, managed to be spared by the Tea Gods. Now I just need to give this a speedy sipdown before They decide to smite it…
The brewed cup is a bright yellow, and smells much more strongly of lime than the leaf (there is less coconut and sweetness presenting in the aroma now, so I’m not getting much of that key lime pie association). The lime is actually quite nice here, though. I’ve had other teas where it was very strong and overpowering, and here it is a very distinct flavor note, and certainly the strongest note in the cup, but it still doesn’t feel like it is completely dominating things. It is tangy with a noticable citrus bite which makes it feel more natural to me. The lime leads in the sip, with the coconut a softer flavor note that falls towards the end of the sip. It does blend with the citrus nicely, and if anything, I think the coconut could’ve been a bit stronger, since the lime is pushing a little heavy here. But overall, it is a very pleasant cup, slightly more tangy than sweet, but not overly so. I think the green base lends enough grassy smoothness to pull this off nicely, but the flavoring here is heavy enough that you won’t really notice any base flavors pulling through.
I like this, and am glad it has survived the test of time! Will probably be making an iced jug to help it on its way, both because lime is a refreshing flavor for a cold brew, and because I can drink up iced tea very quickly in this hot weather. And it’s just time for this sampler to go, before the coconut in this sampler decides to turn its back on me.
Flavors: Citrus, Lime, Smooth, Tangy, Tart
