Bubblegum

I thought I would like this tea more. Herbal AND bubblegum flavoured? What isn’t to like!. Unfortunately I have fallen victim to treachery of hibiscus (again). Just when you thought your herbal was safe, BAM! There it is to slap you in the face and ruin your cup. Very soup, nothing like candy or bubblegum. There is a mixed berry and artificial bubblegum flavour going on, but I’ve never had tart bubblegum before. It just doesn’t work. It reminds me more of DT’s “Sweet tart” than any bubblegum blend I’ve had before. I can almost make out raspberry and cherry but then it is just sour again.

Sipdown (798)!

Another share from VariaTEA – and definitely something that interests me!

I really love the idea of bubble gum teas but have yet to find one that I’ve really been happy with. I find that they often are too tart/hibiscus forward or apple forward without enough bubblegum pay off, or they have the gumballs blended in for visual but the taste is flat and doesn’t reflect the impactful visual…

I was pretty into this one, though it definitely has a sharper hibiscus note that does fall into that first bucket of disappointing aspects about bubble gum blends. I always wonder if people use hibiscus in blending bubble gum teas for the colour of it or if it’s more for body – surely people don’t actually believe that bubble gum is tart like that!? After the hibiscus top note kind of subsides, there is a quality about the main body of the sip that does remind me of bubble gum though – very sweet, sugary and slightly fruity. It’s so close to being what I want, but doesn’t quite land on the right flavour. However, as the tea cooled I did think that flavour element was getting a bit more strong and noticeable, and the tartness that the sip begins with seemed to be mellowing slightly.

It was an overall enjoyable cup, and not a half bad attempt at a bubble gum tea! However, it still doesn’t get me where I want to go – but at least it took me part of the way. Thanks for sharing VariaTEA!

Sipdown (216)

This did not seem promising when I opened it and it lacked the actual gum balls that Necessiteas’ bubble gum tea had. It also smelled a bit off. I just did not think it would achieve the same bubble gum flavour I enjoyed in the Necessiteas blend.

Steeped this had the classic hibby redness and a whole lot of hibby flavour. Hibiscus and waxiness. I am not digging this all that much. Hopefully Roswell Strange can make the last serving of this work for her.