Oof – and not a good oof.
So this is obviously inspired by DT’s Cherry Berry Punch, which was one of my favourite teas that DT released this summer. It was super juicy with punchy, vibrant cherry and pineapple notes and a playful pucker to it. This is… not that.
The one thing that I will say it’s got going for it is that you can taste more of the black tea, and it’s a pretty nice/smooth black tea. However, that’s about all the praise I can give this one. Even if you view it completely as its own cherry tea without any other direct comparisons, I think it’s a let down. The cherry is flat/stale tasting at best and medicinal at worst. Unfortunately the dry tartness of the hibiscus comes through and exaggerates those notes. Not every tea needs to be sweet to be good (far from it!) but I feel like in this case the blend is reaaaalllyyy lacking either sweetness or tangyness – probably both in all honest. The dry and tart mouthfeel and medicinal tasting cherry are very harsh combined, and sadly the pineapple is more waxy than anything else.
Cherry has a wide spectrum of flavours, but medicinal is probably the worst it can get and in my opinion this lands on that end of the spectrum. Definitely a shame.