Berried Treasure

This really stays true to its ingredients – the berries and the bergamot especially. Most prominent is the raspberry, and it’s so sincere that I almost expect to taste and feel the crunch of raspberry seeds on my tongue.

Initially, I felt that the bergamot was far too present on this inspired berry marshmallow fluff tea. Then, as it cools a bit, the bergamot begins to back down to manageable levels.

Nice cup. The berry malt marshmallow is just beautiful.

Lugging this around in a carry cup on this appallingly humid day. Berry goodness. I’d like more vanilla, but perhaps that’s a familiar refrain from me.

I’m sitting on university campus and am jus amazed at the number of American plates: Connecticut, NY, and Florida. And that’s just here in front of me in this corner. Not surprised but amazed. Apparently, the numbers are in the tens of thousands, or more, since this administration came to power. Really something.

And yes, I am aware that the exchange rate favours Americans, but the it usually does.

OK, back to my tea sipping.

I believe I commented on someone’s post that I didn’t remember this tea but desperately wanted it. As luck would have it – I had a taster pouch! And it was delightful. Anne definitely works some sort of magic with bergamot, berries, coconut, marshmallow root, vanilla… any blend with those ingredients is almost always a winner.

I like Foggy Coconut a bit better, but it also has the downside of coconut. No coconut here, but creaminess from the marshmallow root and possibly other flavourings, plus berry flavours and bergamot. Yum yum yum. Also had about 3-4 delicious infusions.

It’s a nice change to be able to experience a berry-flavoured tea that actually tastes like real berries and not artificial flavouring. I can actually taste the raspberry and strawberry in this, and the marshmallow root truly does give this a fluffy background texture.

Am I detecting a mineral note from the base? I swear.

I brewed this and then got distracted by our little puppy aka Poupée so this is cold. Still tastes like it smells though and it smells pretty good. Someone made the comparison to DAVIDsTEA’s Fantasy Island and I can see why. A tasty berry black tea. Alas the berg builds the more you drink :(

Not sure how i ultimately feel about this one. It was on my list of teas i needed to try but having tried it, i think i can pass. It’s a nice black strawberry/berry tea but there’s something not quite harmonious about this blend that doesn’t work for me. Thanks for all these samples VariaTea!

Final Count: 56

While superficially reminiscent of the old Fantasy Island blend from David’s Tea, this blend is boozier, brighter, and more acidic (thanks, Bergy). There’s also no coconut, but it makes up for that in vanilla marshmallow, and even more berries.

It’s surprisingly juicy, with all the sweet-tart dimensions that blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries bring to the table. It’s a refreshing cuppa, even when consumed hot, without milk. The vanilla and the woody fluff textural quality of the marshmallow root gives it that desirable berry dessert vibe. The bergamot is actually not that blatant, merely complimenting the lush berry flavours with its floral/citrus profile.

If you love Bluebird’s Vicky’s Spongecake, DT’s Fantasy Island, or AQTT’s Black Cherries in Sweet Cream you’d probably enjoy this too.

This sample was generously provided by 52Teas. Thank you!

I got this as a sample with my last 52Teas order. I put it off because I saw that bergamot was one of ingredients. I am not fond of bergamot. Earl Gray is not a fave! But either my cup didn’t have much bergamot or it is so light I can barely taste it. I enjoyed this cup. It had a mellow strawberry flavor that avoided the fake or “children’s cough syrup” version of strawberry, and it didn’t taste like sickeningly sweet strawberry candy either.

I’ve realized that strawberries are a hit or miss ingredient for me in teas, especially in black tea blends. I’m finding that it almost has to be the primary flavor in a black tea for it to jive on my taste buds. I don’t dislike the blend, but I probably would’ve loved it had the strawberry been excluded altogether. Another delicious base and the other berry flavors are quite nice. The bergamot and bourbon essence are not really discernible at all. I’ve had it both hot and iced. It makes for a pleasant little cuppa, but, sadly, the combination of berries just didn’t work for me. I’ll sipdown the rest of my small stash, but it’s not a tea I’d repurchase.