Berry Victoria

tried to update the image for this tea… steepster is not in the mood to accomodate.

i found this tea very smooth, not astringent, not bitter… when i picked it up it read rather as a vanilla berry earl grey. that said i found it rather muddled; definitely not an earl grey, hardly a hint of bergamot…oddly it tastes fairly significantly of apples?

smooth black caffeinated apples.. it’s not bad. just lacking focus.

Another from yesterday;

My little sister and mother were over because we had spent the morning Christmas shopping and I’d invited them back for tea. I let my mom pick the tea, and she wanted this one. Probably because she’s the one who bought it for me and she hadn’t had a chance to try it yet. I like this one, so certainly no complaints on my end.

I had to break out one of my giant Western sized pots; ‘cause I was definitely not gonna take the time to make three individual mugs and making this one Gong Fu? Probably not the best plan. I’m sure that the pot liked the attention – it only gets used when I’m making tea for three+ people which isn’t often.

This one went over well with everyone; I found it particularly floral and soothing and my mom really liked the red berry notes that are always present in this one. Surprisingly, even my little sister liked it and there are very few teas she actually drinks/enjoys. Most of the ones she is into have sprinkles and icecream bits and other things like that as well; so for her to enjoy a flavoured tea that’s a bit more on the nuanced side of things was definitely an achievement.

I tried a sample of this iced today, but my view of it has not changed. This is an overly tannic black tea with generic berry notes and some bitterness. I hate the base they used, and I can’t pick out any distinct fruits. This would have been so much better with some freeze dried local woodland strawberries, blueberries, Oregan grape, and salmon berries. The base should have been smooth and fruity, but instead it tastes like a cheap bagged breakfast tea.

Had the last of this sample this morning. As always, I had a little more than I would usually use, so I dropped by steep time a bit. It was pretty tasty, although I find the flavor combo a touch overwhelming. Perhaps it is the lavender, even though it (thankfully) isn’t a very strong flavor. Still, a pleasant tea.

ANother from omgsrsly i was trying to get to 75 this weekend to start the year off at my goal for last year but then SOMEONE (variatea) decided i needed a few more teas…soooo i’m still aiming for 75 by end of day tomorrow but i certainly got put far away from it again. trying tog et that done AND go through all my YS teas again.

This tea? strangely not for me. I’m not sure if its all the other berry teas that i’ve had over the past week but this one fell flat for me. the base wasn’t cooperating with me and then the flavours where just sort of there. ah well, can’t win them all! thank you though omgsrsly! always appreciate the share!

I actually quite enjoyed this at lunch today. “Red berries” flavour plus some floral from the lavender, and a black tea that surprisingly did not go bitter on me, even though it was in the travel mug with no milk or sugar.

Not something I’d get again, but a nice enough tea to have around!