Spring Fest

I took a tsp of this when I had the Marco Polo TTB. It was rather cold today and when I got out of work it was super dark outside so I really wanted to be reminded of spring. Also- my first try of RiverTeas!

Maybe because the sample was old- I was trying to drink a spring tea in late autumn. I didn’t get very much in the way of strong flavor from my brew. I also may have underleafed, but I followed the package directions! There were LOTS of jasmine flowers and other things scattered in with the green tea leaves. In the end though it only tasted like a vaguely floral and vaguely sweet green tea. I was really hoping for something similar to Sakurabo (sp?) from Lupicia. That’s one really cherry tea! I think that cherry-ness plus jasmine on a green base would be really pretty.

A plus at least for RiverTea, they use fairly large and intact jasmine flowers in this. I was expecting more from the tea because of that, but I guess they are mostly decorative. I’ve had jasmine teas in many forms, and this is among the most pretty (excepting blooming teas, of course).

Marco Polo TTB

Well, it happened, Microsoft bought Mojang and by extension, Minecraft, when the rumor was first leaked and no ‘damage control’ happened I pretty much assumed it was a done deal. It is not all doom and gloom though, Microsoft has done some awesome things and from the press release details, as few as they are, it seems like they are going to treat Minecraft right. I am cautiously optimistic and look forward to watching Minecraft grow, and hey, maybe the Xbox 360 version will get quicker updates now (doubtful.)

Today’s tea is possibly being reviewed at the wrong time of year, depending on your hemisphere, presenting Spring Fest by RiverTea! Inspired by the Cherry Blossom Festival in Japan, this tea is a blend of Green Tea, Papaya Bits, Pineapple Bits, Sour Cherry Halves, Raspberry Bits, Rose Blossoms, Jasmine Blossoms, and Flavorings. The aroma of the leaves is quite fruity, blending cherries and papayas with floral notes of jasmine and roses. It does not really evoke spring to Japan to me, it evokes summer in a more tropical climate to me. Of course how well it matches its name is not really what is important, what is important is rather or not it smells good, I think it does, the fruit and flower notes mix really well, however the cherry aroma is much stronger than the other notes and has a bit of a tart quality that has me nervous.

The steeped leaves are really quite sweet, lots of sweet papaya and cherry notes with a hint of pineapple, the initial fruity sweetness fades to rosy perfume and heady jasmine at the finish. The aroma of the liquid is a mixture of jasmine’s subtle sweetness and floral intensity along with fresh vegetation and a hint of rose. The liquid smells more like a jasmine green tea than a fruity blend.

The taste is very mild and subtle, it starts out floral and sweet with faint notes of roses and jasmine with a hint of vegetation. This transitions into slightly tart cherry and sweet tropical fruit, the aftertaste is rose and tropical fruit. Spring Fest is pretty light and fairly refreshing, one of those teas that is very unassuming and can be used as a ‘background’ noise tea that you want to sip without having to think about. Obviously this is not my favorite type of tea, but they certainly have their purpose and are good to have around when in need.

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/09/rivertea-spring-fest-tea-review.html

There is no balance in this tea. No harmony or joy. Just jasmine, jasmine, jasmine. I now know what it’s like to drink perfume. That is not something I ever wanted to know. Yet now I do.

Unlike the lucky reviewer before me whose sample tasted mostly of cherries, like I had wished mine would taste, my sample was predominately jasmine flowers, no cherry, a hint of vegetal bitter green and whole lot of NOPE

Frankly I’m thankful. Spring Fest was actually a huge contender among the teas I wanted to order in my last rivertea purchase. At the last minute, right before checkout I took it out of my cart with the hopes that, given RiverTea’s usual practice of picking out similar, thoughtful tea samples, that I would see it in my order anyway. My hoping paid off! In that sense at least. Unfortunately, and very fortunately -seriously, I can only imagine how upset I would be if I actually spent money on tea that makes me physically recoil in horror – I hate this tea. Okay hate is a strong word. Intensely dislike. Better. I intensely dislike this tea. And so does my nephew. But luckily my little tea snob in the making will drink anything. He drank the whole pot -with a bit of rock sugar – for me like a champion. Good lad.

I got this as a free sample in my RiverTea order and I’m not sure how I feel about it exactly. The fruit is very strong—it tastes exactly like dried cherries—and overpowers the other flavors a little. I can taste the green tea but not the jasmine. It’s not bad, and as a cherry tea I like it, but I love jasmine and was hoping for more of a balance.