I actually drank most of this iced over the bank holiday weekend, but I managed to salvage a couple of cups worth to drink at work today. Iced, the main flavour is papaya, closely followed by hibiscus. I guess that’s understandable, but it seems to lack depth a little bit, given all of the fruit flavours that are in there. I’m hoping this will shine more hot!
Dry, it does smell irresistibly fruity. I can definitely pick out the papaya, passionfruit, mango and orange, and it just screams “tropical”. The summer we’ve been having so far hasn’t been all that wonderful, so it’s nice to have something sunny in my cup if nowhere else! Brewed, this has the tell-tale colour of hibiscus – the ubiquitous pinky-red. Thankfully, though, it doesn’t taste overwhelmingly of hibiscus. The mango contributes a pepperiness, which is very welcome, and cuts through the sweetness of the papaya and passionfruit. There’s a slight citrus tang that I assume is from the orange, and a tartness that’s almost certainly the hibiscus, but no one flavour really dominates. Of all the tropical fruit blends I’ve tried, this is one of the more convincing ones! It’s genuinely fruity and very refreshing. It’s a shame it seemed to lose some of its punch cold, but I’m more than happy to drink it hot – it’s how I prefer my tea anyway! Another great blend from Bluebird!
