Marie Antoinette

I’ve been drinking this a few times per month because it makes a nice latte on days when I’m having caffeine. I enjoyed it this morning with some unsweetened soy milk and a touch of sugar. The sugar actually doesn’t come through at all, but the black base is very strong and tannic if you forget your teabag for 45 minutes like I did.

I normally only get rose and rich tannins. Today because of the longer steep, I’m getting some lychee fruity notes. Since lychee is already floral, it blends into the rose really nicely. The bitterness from the tea needs milk and sugar to counter it. On shorter steeps, it feels a bit one-dimensional having just rose and tannin without any under tones or after tastes. It might make a nice summer iced tea if sweetened and served very cold. I might save my remaining tea for that.

If you like rose black tea this blend will be for you. If you like your black tea strong, you will have to brew it extra strong and then add milk/creamer because you don’t get the intricate tea notes until you brew it longer but by then I find it too bitter to have plain.

Just a really nice rose-flavored black tea. I don’t taste anything fruity, but I’m not familiar with the flavor of lychee so perhaps I’m missing it. Either way, this is a comforting cup of flowers.