Steeping instructions:

Amount of water: 6 oz

Amount of Tea: 1 Flat teaspoon

Water Temperature: Boiling

Steeping Time: 3 - 5 minutes.

The aroma of this tea is gentle and fruity – hints of berries, and even a whisper of floral notes – not overly sweet, just very nicely fragrant, enticing your taste buds with the flavor that will soon be delighting them. And my taste buds were not at all disappointed! This is one delicious black tea: robust and strong, and free of bitterness. The flavor of the black currant is moderately tart, and nicely balanced amid the intense flavors of the black tea. There is a reasonable amount of astringency in the aftertaste, which leaves the palate feeling clean. Since it’s summer and the weather is quite warm, I decided to chill this tea. I added just a small amount of sweetener to it (agave nectar is my favorite) which helped enhance the characteristics of the black currant and softened the astringency just a little. It makes a very refreshing iced tea: very thirst-quenching! I would not recommend adding lemon to this tea, though, as I think that the black currant offers an adequate amount of tartness, and lemon might make it too sour. However, a slice of sweet orange would be lovely! As is very often the case, I found myself enjoying the second infusion even more than the first: the briskness of the tea has mellowed somewhat, allowing the flavor of the black currant to come into focus, which is not as tart as it was in the first infusion, but still just a little sharp with a pleasant berry taste that is similar in flavor to a plump blueberry. Overall, I found this tea to be a very enjoyable, fruit flavored black tea. Not too tart, not too sweet, and just enough fruit flavor with a spotlight on the flavor of the tea. A very nice tea!

The Tea Guru (Stephanie)

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I decided to brew this a little on the safe side and stick to 2 minutes at 195 F and used 16oz of water to 2 teaspoons of tea leaves.

Steeping with these parameters allowed for a vibrant red-orange liquor. I stopped at 2 minutes because of the darkness of the brew. I’m enjoying the aroma of this tea. It has a deep berry scent, possibly blackberries or currants, and I can still smell the black tea in it.

I taste sweet strawberries as I sip this tea. Similar to a strawberry cream scone we have at a nearby bakery; a sweet bakery strawberry rather than a ripe fresh strawberry. There is a hint of darker berry to the undertones of this tea. Something that makes it more complex than just strawberry black tea.

I would serve this tea over brunch with pastries and other sweet treats, or maybe as an afternoon tea. I enjoyed this sample, and am going back for a second mug.

Its All About the Leaf - Meghann M

• Black Tea
• Process of growing and making tea
• Tea History