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This is definitely on the lower end of the rating scale, as I work through the last of the 20 or so tins I bought during the PdT Black Friday sale.

Conceptually, this intrigued me. I like a sweet fruit flavor every now and then, and I enjoy green tea from time to time. Berries and dates sound good… so I was feeling optimistic, despite the fact that this hadn’t bubbled up to the top of varieties I was trying.

From opening the tin, though, it smelled like it had been sweetened and flavored. So that made it all the more surprising when I steeped it and discovered how the green tea is nearly absent. On the nose, the tea smacks of fruit-and-cream vape juice. It’s… odd.

The initial flavor is vaguely “fruit” and there is an almost off-putting creamy element that I just can’t figure out. On the finish, I start to detect the date, and waaaaaay in the back, a touch of orange blossom. But it’s one of those things where I feel like I need to put on my wine tasting hat to try to figure it out. As something you just want to drink without thinking about, the best I can come up with is “inoffensive”. It’s like a vaguely sweet water. Like putting hot water in a cup that hadn’t been washed after containing fruit juice.

In a word: delicate.

The brewed tea has definite floral notes, but the initial sip is a light green tea with heavy apple. On the back, it becomes more of a stone fruit flavor, like nectarine or white peach. and the quince starts to come through.

I think this is probably the most interesting blend I’ve tried from PdT for how un-subtle the transformation of flavors are.

It’s just SO flowery. Which… I get. That’s what’s advertised. But the jasmine is so overpowering that this is one I couldn’t even finish. I went back to the tin to see if I was getting bonked over the head with artificial flavoring, because it was just so present.

This goes on the “give away or trade” shelf.

I’m not one to be stopped in their tracks by flowery or fruity aromas, but there’s something about this blend that I’m really drawn to. It’s entirely possible that there was a drugstore perfume that a cute girl in the ’90s wore, and my subconscious is trying to pull me back in time. Or, maybe I just like the berries and citrus.

Either way, the strong and pleasant steam wafting from my cup is a bit of a betrayal, because the flavor is nowhere near as intense. On a normal steep, the black tea is light, the berry flavor is on the tart side, although it sweetens a bit on the finish. I want to say the flavor is “delicate” but that’s not the right word at all — it’s just light. Weak, even.

I gave it another go on my second cup, letting it steep for nearly ten minutes as an experiment. This time, there was an uncanny alcohol-like nuance, almost like I was drinking grocery store Lipton or Tetley tea that had a shot or two of liqueur.

Experiments aside, this needs a longer than usual steep (maybe upwards of 6 minutes) to really deliver. It’s different, not in a bad way, but not in a way that I can see anyone having this as their daily cup.

UPDATE: I took @ashmanra’s suggestion and backed down the temperature, and let it steep for five minutes, and the results were fabulous. Exactly what this blend needed to tease out the flavor of the black tea, without diminishing the other flavors.

Freshest peach flavor I’ve ever had in anything that wasn’t an actual peach. Accompanied with the orange blossom, this is squarely in the “sweet” category without being sugary-sweet.

The green tea isn’t particularly notable. It’s there holding everything together, but that’s about it.

Another one that I think will wind up better iced than hot, but a very nice break from the norm either way.

So glad that I tried this as one of the first teas out of my PdT Black Friday haul.

The black tea is on point. Sharp. Simple. Strong. And it needs to be to stand up to the in-your-face citrus blend. It isn’t sticky sweet, but boy, is it forward. This, easily, could become a go-to in the morning, but would be just as delightful throughout the day.

I suspect this will also be amazing iced, particularly using something like the Takeya flash chill iced tea maker.

Tried it twice in the same hour, because the first time around, it was so light that I thought I pulled my infuser too quickly.

Another item from my 16 canisters from the PdT Black Friday sale, this one is vaguely like Earl Grey that hasn’t been steeped for long enough… or maybe hot enough. Either way, as someone who truly appreciates Earl Grey, I just couldn’t get into this one.

On the second cup, I cranked up my kettle to max, doubled the leaves, and let it sit for nearly 10 minutes – just as a sanity check. And even then, it was like a weak Earl Grey with very, very subtle notes of vanilla. Closest comparison would be Teavana’s Earl Grey Creme if it had only been infused for a minute or two.

This goes in the “trade or give away” section of my tea rack.

Might be better iced?

Bought a can on the Black Friday sale, and just can’t get into it. I get the lemon and hints of ginger, but not much beyond that.

Enjoyed hot, it makes me think of unsweetened TheraFlu.

There are so many different ingredients here that I think they’re working against each other. When I first opened the tin, I had a vague recollection of the aroma, though I couldn’t quite place it.

After steeping for about 3:30, it hit me – it reminded me of the potpourri trend from the late ’80s.

The black tea barely breaks through everything else happening. The clove and bergamot are both rather strong on this one and overpower the other elements. Effectively: it was what I’d imagine the experience would be like if I had taken a sip from Mom’s potpourri pot.

Completely inoffensive. If someone asked for “tea” and didn’t stipulate any further, they’d probably enjoy this very much.

It doesn’t have the early-morning punch I was sort of expecting, but is well rounded with light fruity notes, and would be good just about any time that caffeine isn’t a concern.