Another big thank you to AmazonV for the packet of this that she sent me! I’m not a big plum fan (yes, I do actually eat food, but I could live off of fresh bread and good cheese to give you an idea of my taste preferences). It’s been years since I’ve sampled a plum and went “patooie” so maybe it’s time I need to try again. Keep that in mind.
I love this tea just for the happy-bright packets — I’ve cut the top off carefully and have preserved the two that I’ve had so far. I sniffed the granules and my eyebrows immediately knitted together. Burnt metal? This does not bode well.
Blended (since it’s not really steeped per se), the smell is more fruity. With burnt metal. It reminds me of the smell emitted from large double boilers used for soup when the heated water would boil away and the two metal surfaces touched. This was something to be avoided for both health, safety, and smelly reasons, but it did happen occasionally. If you had had never smelled it before, then you’d wander around the store going “I smell something like an electrical fire.” Once you figured it out you would forever know exactly what that smell is and be able to correct it immediately.
You add that metallic taste plus some plum-fruitiness with lots of sweetness and you’ve got this tea. I couldn’t finish the cup (sorry AmazonV!). I am forever grateful to have gotten a chance to try this, but it’s something I’d never want to try again. GA