Canadian Berries

Homemade Advent Calendar from Arby: Day 3

I pulled a caffeine-free fruity tisane from the box this morning and drank it this evening while taking a relaxing bath. :D I should note that the tea Arby sent is from Banff Tea, but the blend is pretty identical to this listing, so… I’m using it. This blend also has Saskatoon berries, but they’re not an ingredient on Steepster.

So this could’ve been fun and interesting if not for the hibiscus. It’s just so strong and tart! And it’s a shame, because I can tell there are some neat flavors here — the herbal blend reminded me of like, aromatic bitters or some kind of herbal digestif. Which is, generally, a flavor family I really enjoy… when I can actually taste the different elements.

I think I’ll try cold brewing, because I bet that will temper the hibiscus and let some of those other flavors shine.

New tea! Cold brewed for a couple of days because I forgot about it in the back of the fridge.

It’s yummy. I get a lot of strawberry from it, which is nice.

Also, hi! I’m not around much at all due to busy, but hi!

More fruity cold brews FTW. Tons of berries packed in this one, but the first couple sips made me question what I was getting myself into. Very sweet. The kind of sweet that hits you at the back of the mouth and lingers for what seems an eternity. But the more I drink it, the (slightly) better it gets. I taste mostly strawberry, apple, and raspberry in that order. No cranberry, which would have ruled. The hibiscus is behaving itself.

Maybe I’ll steep it for a shorter amount of time to cut the sweetness? Or not add as much leaf. It’s definitely drinkable but I wouldn’t restock after finishing what I have.