English Tea Store Bingo Blueberry Tea

First off, I got this tea at Margaret's but they purchase their tea from English Tea Store (I could tell from the artwork and names).  Blueberry herbal tissanes are something I always seem to gravitate towards and I think they tend to work all year round.

Outsides:  Ingredients for this tea are Luxury natural dried currants, blue berries, apples, rasins, hibiscus, cornflower petals, rosehip pieces, and natural flavors.  This is a bit different than the other tissanes I've tried in this variety because most of them use green rooibos as a mixer.  I brewed 3 teaspoons of this in 16 oz of boiling water for...7 minutes (it doesn't matter with these kinds of teas).  It's a lovely dark crimson color and smells like berries.

Insides:  This tea is very tart yet sweet and almost has the mouthfeel of a juice or punch.  It seems a bit thicker than your normal tissane and every sip is full of blueberry and currant flavors.  Compared to the other tissanes of this type, this one has a prominant cherry note which I haven't noticed with other teas of this type and lacks any spice notes (like the cinnamon in the Davidson's bulk).  There is a floral top note but it isn't as noticeable as the others.  

Tilt:  It's $5.99 at Margaret's and $7.30 on Amazon for 4 oz of this so more expensive than the other places but less expensive than Teavana.  However, the subtraction of the green rooibos means that you can mix it to make a similar product to the others so that actually helps lower the price (I actually got a 16 oz bag of green rooibos for $12 so that's how I got reminded).  Like all of the other blueberry tissanes I've reviewed, this one is caffeine-free so it's great for before bed, pregnant women and children and even better for the later since it's fruity and yummy but without the sugar.  I think this kind of tea works well for all seasons and is great iced or hot.

Overall:  I'm going to buy it again since I need something to mix into the green rooibos I bought and I think it's a good tissane to check out.  It also makes a great air-freshener when brewed.

My Rating:  Buy it!

Here's the Amazon link.  I'm sorry that that tea is Add-on only, but it's something for non-Pittsburgh dwelling people.  Margaret's is found in the Squirrel Hill district of Pittsburgh.  I really hate their website, especially since they've Tea-Pittsburgh.  Seriously?  Prestogeorge has a MUCH better selection than you do.  /rant

Harney and Sons Paris Flavored Black Tea

 

So, I go on Reddit's /r/tea fairly often and one of the companies I see mentioned fairly often is Harney and Sons with the Paris blend being the blend I hear about the most.  I've seen some of their teas at Macy's but they are way too expensive and in bags anyway.  However, Amazon has a good selection of the loose-leaf tins and you can even buy by the pound if you like it.  Paris sounded particularly interesting because it's a blend of black currants, vanilla and bergamont.

Outsides:  This particular tea was in a 4 oz black tin, which is actually quite informative.  It tells you the caffeine level, how strong it should taste, what it really is supposed to do (relax or wake you up), so I thought that was really cool.  There's only the tin protecting the leaves.  The initial smell you get is very heavy on the berry and vanilla with an interesting tartness mixed with the sweetness.  I brewed 1.5 teaspoons on 8 oz of 95 degree Celsius water for about 4 minutes.  The brew is a darker black tea color and doesn't have as strong of a scent but is still strong.

Insides:  First off, I've tried drinking this with milk and sugar, but I prefer reducing the amount I add from 2 teaspoons to 1.5 and just drinking it plain.  There isn't a really pronounced bergamont flavor despite it being in the list of the ingredients.  Rather, it's a hint that brings a nice citrusy zest to the berry vanilla flavor that's going on.  I think this tea tastes a bit like a berry mouse or some kind of berry desert.  It's pretty naturally sweet so you can definitely drink without sugar.  The tea seems to be a blend of ceylon and is strong but not overpowering to the blend.

Tilt:  So, the tin it came in is really good quality and the label design is simple yet classy.  The tea is pretty unique and is hard to give a real food analog, but is also pretty drinkable and something that I personally reach for.  This would be nice to drink in the fall since the berry flavor is a bit reminiscent of summer but the vanilla flavor gives it a bit of extra richness that would be a bit more appropriate for this time.  I've heard people describe it as tasting like pipe tobacco, but since I don't know what it tastes like, I would still say some kind of berry desert.

Overall:  It's unique but still something you might grab for.  It's a unique bergamont blend and I'm really excited to try more from Harney and Sons.

My Rating:  Buy it!

Harney and Sons is a British tea company.

TasTEA Time! Dilmah Blackcurrant Ceylon Tea

Right now, I'm gong to review three teas from the same brand.  This isn't something I plan on doing often but I'm almost out of the Blackcurrant and was so excited about the Apple and Peach Lychee that I figured doing a few extra Dilmah reviews won't hurt.

What:  Blackcurrant-flavored Ceylon tea

Where:  Sri Lanka

Why Should I care:  Blackcurrant is honestly pretty exciting.  I mean, I don't get as excited over it as I do with lychee or even mango but it's the quintessential berry in my opinion.  It has this perfect blend of sweet and sour while still being fragrant.  Dilmah also happens to be pretty good with their fruits so here's hoping for the best.

Packaging:  Unfortunately, it's just a cardboard box with a foil pack containing all the tea bags.  If it's good (SPOILER:  it is), then that isn't a problem because you'll just drink all of them but if you're not always in the mood for blackcurrant then you should probably look for a separate container.

Non-Taste Senses:  It has a light brown color with a slight tint of red.  It also smells really strongly of berries.

Taste:  I really freaking love this tea, more than the mango even.  It's just, the berry scent and flavor is so strong and rich and yet you still have that slight tea taste.  It's sweet and tangy and even the slight bitterness complements it.  The tea tastes great with or without sugar, hot or cold and really nice with cookies.

Overall:  Just buy it.  

My Rating:  Buy it!  I don't think you need it at this point but here's the website.

Soda Pop! Cascal Berry Casis

What:  Fermented Soda with blackcurrant, tangerine and lemon.

Where:  California

Why Should I care:  For some reason, this seems a lot more mainstream than their other sodas (which tend to have some kind of flower in their flavor profiles).  Blackcurrant is a little questionable but everyone knows what tangerine and lemon are.  I also thought it was called "Berry Crisis".

Packaging:   It's just a boring aluminum can.

Non-Taste Senses:  It's pinkish and smells slightly berry-ish.

Taste:  This has stevia in it.  It's something I noticed in the mango one but was willing to put asside, but that Stevia extract is the lone factor that turns this from a good drink to something that I can't completely recommend.  Here's the thing.  I have the bottles still.  They have 70 calories per bottle for a drink that is a less sweet version of a soda.  Yeah, you only have 60 calories in these cans but it doesn't have that "clear" taste.  Stevia leaves this sweet aftertaste in my mouth which makes me want to eat something or more likely, drink something else.  If I ignore that, which is difficult, it really is great.  The citrus cuts the sweetness of the berry to give it this perfect balance.  It's not overly sweet, it would go great with meat but nooooooo, we need to make it sweeter.

Overall:  I guess I'm disappointed but I honestly can't give it a pass.  It's worth a try and if you can get it cheap, I'd recommend trying all the flavors.

My Rating:  Try it!  Here's the site.

TasTEA Time! Twinnings Herbal Revive Blackcurrant Vanilla

What:  Something that sounds really delicious

Where:  Britain/England

Why Should I Care:  I'm not gonna lie, I was pretty excited when I saw this tea.  Even though Berry Vanilla type things are fairly common, it's hard finding tea with that flavor combination and Blackcurrant is pretty much the perfect match with Vanilla.  Plus Twinnings is generally pretty good at combining flavors so my hopes are high.  Oh, and it has Ginseng too meaning it's a nice alternative to coffee in the morning.

Packaging:  IFWS

Non-Taste Senses:  The tea is this reddish pink color that most hibiscus teas are.  It smells nice, like berries and herbs.

Taste:  I think this would work a lot better as a black or oolong tea, the herbal tea is almost a little bit too busy. It's not bad, you get a hit of berry and the orange peel gives a little bit of spice.  The thing is, the blackcurrant and vanilla isn't in the forefront.  That being said, it's nice with sugar.  This probably wouldn't make a good iced tea.

Overall:  It's not a bad herbal tea and it's definatly worth getting if it's cheap, but be warned that the blackcurrant and vanilla aren't the only flavors in there.  This is on the lower end of try for me.

My Rating:  Try it!  Here's the site.

TasTEA Time! Stash Black Currant Herbal Tea

What:  Herbal Tea with Blackcurrant

Where:  Oregon, USA

Why Should I Care:  First off, this tea is probably at least 3 years old because my mom buys tea then never drinks it.  Anyways, Black Currant is pretty much just a souped-up blueberry.  It's stronger in flavor, has more vitamin C and can withstand stronger teas.  I can't say much about this company except they seem to have a wide variety of unique flavors.

Packaging:  Thankfully, they know how to package their teas so this may have a chance.  The outside is paper while the inside is foil.

Non-Taste Senses:  The tea is this reddish-brown color and smells like berries and licorice.

Taste:  The taste itself is kinda weird, but not quite bad.  There's a strong berry taste but it's also mixed with the taste of licorice which gives the impression that it's thicker than it actually is.  Unlike the Yogi Egyption Licorice Mint, there isn't any weird sweet aftertaste and ultimately, if you like licorice, this one is the better bet.  I don't recommend drinking this cold but you can add sugar since the tea takes it well.

Overall:  I never realized that I'd be reviewing two licorice teas on the same weekend.  The good news is that this particular type doesn't quite taste like death and if you do want licorice in your tea, this one's the way to go.  Do I say that you should go out and buy it?  No, but it's not terrible and that's all that matters.

My Rating:  Try it!  Here's the site and that tea has Yumberry in it!