A week or so ago, I ordered an "oolong sampler" from Red Leaf Tea since it had a lot of oolongs and other teas that I wanted to try and was $14.99 for 12 teas. Well, I received the teas and fun fact, the vast majory of them do not have any English on them. Thankfully, Red Leaf Tea has a nice guide on their website as to what everything is, but I still wish I would have gotten something with labels on it or at least a list.
Hawthorn Fruits are little crabapple looking fruits that are used in many cultures except the United States. I've unknowingly had them before as this candy called Haw Flakes, which is a bit like a fruit leather and tastes like a cross between strawberries and prunes. Apparently, traditional Chinese Medicine uses it as a digestive aid.
Outsides: When you open up the packet, it looks like a bunch of cut-open berries (which is exactly what they are). I added the entire packet to 8 ounces of boiling water but I have no idea is that's what I'm supposed to do. The liquid has a slight pink tint to it and smells like prunes.
Insides: Honestly, this just tastes like sour water with very little other flavors or scents going on with it. I tried ripping up the fruit a bit more to see if it does anything, but one thing I will tell you is that the fruit pretty much just tastes like a sour prune. After forgetting about it overnight, I will say that it does taste a bit more fruity but it's mostly just sour water.
Tilt: I don't know how much this is if you find it although I have seen haw candies at our big Asian store and they're pretty cheap. Obviously, I don't care for this but I'm sure the fresh fruit would be nice to use in a preserve or pie for a bit of a sour kick to balance out something sweet like strawberries or maybe some apples. It does taste a bit better cold.
Overall: I'm not a fan.
My Rating: Pass.
Red Leaf Tea sells an obscene amount of flavored Matchas and other teas.
