30

312/365

Another B&B store blend, this time for Nottingham! It’s inspired by Robin Hood and Sherwood Forest, and features a green base with nettle, hibi, apple, and bee pollen. The description suggests they’re going for a “fruits of the forest” kind of vibe.

It brews up unattractively murky, but I suppose it is suggestive of the depths of the forest! I suspect it’s partly the fault of the bee pollen, which sinks to the bottom fairly rapidly. I had the same issue with Worker Tea – the store blend for Manchester.

To taste, it’s seriously grassy. I actually thought I’d misjudged the water temperature and scorched it, but I remade it (this time extra carefully) and it’s just the same. I’m wondering whether it’s the nettle, but I’ve had nettle blends before and not experienced this. It usually tastes peppery to me, more than anything.

There’s a hint of apple and honey, but it’s mostly a very vegetal green. There’s a place for that, but here it’s just distracting…added to the fact that it completely disguises any real fruitiness. No forest berries here! It’s not often that I wish a blend contained more hibi, but I actually think it might help here. There’s something I never thought I’d say!

I’ll finish up my sample, largely because I’m interested to see if I can somehow improve my experience of this one, but at the moment it’s far from being a favourite. It’s not often I come across a dud from B&B, but I guess this could be the exception that proves the rule…?

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 2 min, 0 sec 1 tsp

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

People who liked this

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

Profile

Bio

Hi :) I’m Sarah, and I live in Norfolk in the UK. My tea obsession began when a friend introduced me to Teapigs a good few years ago now. Since then, I’ve been insatiable. Steepster introduced me to a world of tea I never knew existed, and my goal is now to TRY ALL THE TEAS. Or most of them, anyway.

I still have a deep rooted (and probably life-long) preference for black tea. My all-time favourite is Assam, but Ceylon and Darjeeling also occupy a place in my heart. Flavoured black tea can be a beautiful thing, and I like a good chai latte in the winter.

I also drink a lot of rooibos/honeybush tea, particularly on an evening. Sometimes they’re the best dessert replacements, too. White teas are a staple in summer — their lightness and delicate nature is something I can always appreciate on a hot day.

I’m still warming up to green teas and oolongs. I don’t think they’ll ever be my favourites, with a few rare exceptions, but I don’t hate them anymore. My experience of these teas is still very much a work-in-progress. I’m also beginning to explore pu’erh, both ripened and raw. That’s my latest challenge!

I’m still searching for the perfect fruit tea. One without hibiscus. That actually tastes of fruit.

You’ve probably had enough of me now, so I’m going to shut up. Needless to say, though, I really love tea. Long may the journey continue!

My rating system:

91-100: The Holy Grail. Flawless teas I will never forget.

81-90: Outstanding. Pretty much perfection, and happiness in a cup.

71-80: Amazing. A tea to savour, and one I’ll keep coming back to.

61-70: Very good. The majority of things are as they should be. A pleasing cup.

51-60: Good. Not outstanding, but has merit.

41-50: Average. It’s not horrible, but I’ve definitely had better. There’s probably still something about it I’m not keen on.

31-40: Almost enjoyable, but something about it is not for me.

11-30: Pretty bad. It probably makes me screw my face up when I take a sip, but it’s not completely undrinkable.

0-10: Ugh. No. Never again. To me, undrinkable.

Location

Norfolk, UK

Following These People

Moderator Tools

Mark as Spammer