186/365
This one smells so much like Black Forest Gateau, it’s ah-ma-zing. Literally mouthwatering! It also brews up to a rich red, which helps. So much like the black cherry sauce! I’m guessing that’s the beetroot, since it has much the same effect in Bluebird’s Red Velvet Cake. I thought this one was a black tea when I picked it out, but the “base” ingredient is actually cocoa shells and cocoa nibs. The “leaf” I can see is apparently blackberry leaves, although I’m used to seeing those look green and these ones definitely aren’t. Other ingredients are strawberry pieces and pink pepper, so it’s an interesting blend for sure!
The flavour is actually pretty good. I get cake, and I’m not entirely sure how. The cocoa helps, obviously, but there’s something specifically cake, and cake soaked in cherry syrup, at that. It’s moist-tasting, chocolatey, rich, red-fruity, and cake. I even get whipped cream, towards the end of the sip. It’s not strong, but there’s a hint of soft, dairy creaminess that rounds things out perfectly. The cherry returns at the very end for a final farewell, and while it’s rich it never borders on over-sweet. It’s pretty perfectly balanced, as flavoured blends go.
This one was a limited edition, and sadly I only had a one-cup serving. I’m really sad this one’s no longer available (a little like Two Stones from a few days ago), because they’re really solid flavoured blends that I’d happily repurchase. Buying this sampler box was probably simultaneously the best and worst thing to do – I’m glad that I got to try these blends that are now gone, but that’s tempered by sadness that they are no more.
