Raspberry Jam

Strange VariaTEA TTB – Tea #9

Okay, last one for the night. Another tisane with chamomile!

I actually like this one. The front of the sip is mostly tart raspberry and hibiscus, and then the end is mostly the chamomile. The chamomile isn’t the best, it’s a little musty, but it’s still pleasant. The raspberry tastes like fresh raspberries because of the tart quality it has.

However… I’m slightly concerned that all of the other notes for this are from six years ago. The package was unopened, but I’m wary of drinking a tisane with so much fruit that’s that old… I can’t imagine adding a six-year-old tea to a TTB, but that doesn’t mean someone else wouldn’t do it.

Result: Tried

(DavidsTea 2022: 95)
2022 Sipdown 101/365!

I was cautiously hopeful that this would be a tasty evening blend… but it really tastes mostly like chamomile, with a side of red fruits. Not raspberry jam-like at all! And, it seems I prefer my chamomile with a hefty does of vanilla and/or caramel and/or coconut, none of which seem to be present here. Drinkable, okay, but not great. But, now it’s gone.

Kay I’m really finding myself loving this tea. In fact I like it better than LPC (Lemon Pound Cake) which came out at the same time. At first I wasn’t sure but now I really love it. It’s light, but sweet, and I think the chamomile blends well with the other ingredients, because normally I’m not a fan of chamomile… So this is a win for me! I also like the lemongrass in it as well. Lovely blend!! One of my top 5!

Time for a bedtime tea. Not getting much raspberry from this, a lot of hibiscus and some chamomile though. It’s a bit of an odd combination. Tart and fuzzy at the same time. Not a pleasant kind of odd – really just odd.

Meh. So much chamomile and while I enjoy it in other blends, I don’t understand why it’s in a raspberry jam blend.

Tastes like it’s namesake. Pretty good, but not a favorite.

This is another that I bought to cold brew as an iced tea. Drinking it hot today. It is really sweet. So sweet I am regretting adding sugar to it. Had I tasted it before adding sugar I probably wouldn’t have. It’s hard to say what notes I am tasting. The raspberry for sure, and I think the chamomile too. This is too sweet for my tastes. I never thought I would say that about a tea but I guess there is a first for everything.

I brewed 3 tsp leaf in a 16oz Teavana Glass Perfect Tea Maker/Gravity Steeper with 200 degree water for 5 minutes.

It isn’t as sweet as I anticipated, but I enjoyed the chamomile and dried herbs/berries mixed together. There are notes of dried fruit, dried grass, dried herbs like lemongrass, and chamomile flowers. There is also hibiscus but not in a tart/sour way.

Surprisingly, this is very nice hot. I feared it would be too acidic (note the hibiscus) but I was wrong. This is best hot on a cold rainy day, but it might also b nice iced if sweetened slightly or mixed with another tea.

Sipdown

Finished this off as a teapop. It was nice because the carbonated water helped cover up some of the weird sweetener flavor. Nonetheless, I am still not loving this and I am happy to see it go.

A more subtle and natural flavor than the Raspberry teas that some can find in a big box store. Or in those Iced tea bottles (that have too much sugar). It was a delicious choice for the Mother’s Day collection. I bought some for my mom for her birthday (which fell on the same weekend) and for myself and we both loved the lightness. It blends perfectly with the Lemon Pound Cake tea. It tastes great hot and cold due to its lighter flavor nuances. It is also very calming thanks to the Chamomile. I love it.