Wild Blueberry Tea

Picked this up in Courtney’s stash sale. I’ve been wanting to try Georgian teas for a while now, but for various reasons kept missing my chances, so I’m really glad this one worked out. Thankfully, I did not get the wet dog scent that others did. To the extent that I’m getting anything scent-wise, it’s more like a mild Chinese black tea. Flavor-wise, I primarily taste sweet citrus with an extra bit of tartness at the end of the sip. I agree with derk that the mouthfeel is really pleasantly pectic. If you handed me a tisane named “lemon hibiscus jam” and it tasted like this, I’d be like “yup, yup, I can see it.”

That was herbal? It fooled me! (Doesn’t take much.)

I enjoyed a couple of cups this weekend, courtesy of derk, thinking it was a mild black tea. It could pass for one. But my favorite element was the gentle whiff of blueberry—not artificially sweet, not so tart it makes your eyebrows sweat. About the same strength as the non-berry part of your blueberry muffin.

Looks like a black tea, almost tastes like a black tea.

Dry leaf is earthy and tangy with berry, maybe a hint of dill. I used a big pinch in a metal steeper that I use for herbals. Guessing 4 grams in a brand new mug who’s capacity I do not know. Brewed for howeverlong.

I can see where Courtney was coming from saying the tea smells like wet dog. And it’s not in a bad way! Clean, wet fur. Or human hair washed with a lemon shampoo. Potato peels definitely.

Taste is tart, lemon-citrusy and bright with earthy-vegetal mid/base. And here again I can see LuckyMe’s description of potato peels. Undertones of blueberry – like Trader Joe’s frozen boreal blueberries – and something redder which the vendor describes as hibiscus. I’ll roll with that. The mouthfeel is a treat – somewhat pectic like a runny unset jelly, not at all what I expected from an herbal tea! It does thin out as the tea cools.

I feel warm and relaxed. Interesting. I ate way too much cheese and bread today. This feels like it might help with digestion.

Feeling: acidic, good for many systems

So the smell of this one reminds me of a wet dog? It’s not turn-the-stomach repulsive or anything, just wet dog. The tea medium-bodied with hints of lemon in the taste. This one is hard to describe and I’m not quite sure what I was expecting, but this wasn’t it.

Dry leaf smelled of jujube and blueberry. When heated, the aroma turns slightly earthy with a little black tea malt.

The tea brews up a medium amber resembling a GABA oolong with its potato skin earthiness and prune-like flavor. There’s a very subtle undertone of blueberry that lends a pleasant fruity touch.

A nice tisane especially if you’re looking for something that tastes like real tea. Just wish the blueberry flavor was more prominent.