I haven’t had this tea for a few years, according to my last tasting note of this tea. Even though I wasn’t terribly impressed with it then… I thought a nice apple cider herbal blend would be great for fall. Plus, it’s a limited edition and any fall/holiday limited edition is special to me. Sometimes I depend on herbal teas just as much as rooibos when I don’t want caffeine. Herbals are a bit more tricky with my tastebuds, though. There’s more room for certain additions that I don’t really like.
This blend smells very tasty and comforting. I definitely smell apples, cinnamon, maybe a hint of sugar — it’s quite similar to an apple pie filling without the crust. Sipping… I’m tasting a really strange sweet note that quickly turns bitter. The sweetness reminds me of that gross character that licorice has, but it isn’t as bad. What’s really strange is the bitter note.. I don’t remember this from before. It’s reminiscent of the bad, tough core of an apple — the part that you don’t really want to eat. I do taste a little bit of apple towards the end of the sip, but it’s so light that I wouldn’t really call this a cider tea. I like that it’s not overwhelmed with spices..but I’m greedy and still want more apple.
I will finish the tin of this tea and will likely rotate it with some of my other fall teas, but won’t go crazy buying more tins to last me another year.
