1240 Tasting Notes
My pick for National Strawberry Day. Strawberry teas are my very favorite, especially strawberry black teas, but I’m going in with something different today and trying a honeybush I picked up recently. Unfortunately, it doesn’t taste or smell anything like strawberries. Or pie. My first and immediate thought was that it smells like cherry cough syrup. The taste is medicinal as well but with that woodsy note added from the honeybush. Side note – I haven’t decided yet if I actually like honeybush. Most of the blends I’ve tried are from 52Teas, though there was one from Satori that I really enjoyed. It’s like it has this almost stale nutty taste that dominates all the other flavors. Does anyone else experience this or is it just me? Maybe I feel about honeybush the way some others feel about red rooibos (which I do like, by the way). The honeybush is overpowering the other flavors in this cup as well, but since the other flavors are cherry and medicine it’s not such a big deal.
Flavors: Cherry, Drying, Medicinal, Tangy, Wood
Preparation
I always get a peppery note from honeybush, which can really be clashing depending on the blend.
I really do think it’s the honeybush for me. I don’t know if it’s only the one that 52Teas uses or if it’s honeybush in general, but I’ve definitely had other honeybush blends that were off-putting to me.
I put too much honey in this one so that’s mostly what I taste. Before steeping, it had a very perfumy fragrance, though not in a negative way. I don’t know if I would call it floral, maybe I would, but it was definitely not spicy like some of the other blends I’ve tried from this company.
Flavors: Perfume
Preparation
I’m hoping one day to find a replacement for my beloved Bedtime Blues from A Quarter to Tea. This one has similar ingredients, but the flavors aren’t quite there. I’m guessing it’s the blueberry I’m missing. It’s still enjoyable, if a little bitter. The ingredient list is interesting too, lots of good stuff in here – chamomile, ashwagandha, mugwort, valerian root, passionflower, wild lettuce, chaga mushroom, peppermint – all the good sleepytime stuff, some adaptogens, and a little mushroom goodness. Having this as a latte, which is my preferred way to drink herbals these days.
Flavors: Bitter
Preparation
A gift from Devon Bartholomew in honor of Random Acts of Kindness Day. I had wanted to try this one before buying a full box and Devon kindly offered to send me a bag to sample. I’m glad I did try it first because it’s not really my thing. I don’t taste any caramel, only an artificial apple candy flavor and that familiar dusty quality I always get from hot hibiscus. I’m glad to try it though and mark it off my wishlist. Thanks, Devon!
Flavors: Apple Candy, Artificial, Dust
