Shady Maple

Devon Bartholomew Advent Day 3

I’m afraid I didn’t get much cherry or vanilla from this one! It seems to be the same mellow, smooth black base tea from yesterday’s blend, but what flavor I noticed actually came across more nutty than fruity. There’s maybe just a hint of cherry in there, but it’s actually reminding me more of marzipan.

Devon Bartholomew Advent Day 2

I’ve only tried a handful of blackberry-flavored teas over the years and was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this one! No hibiscus (hallelujah!) and nothing overly sweet or artificial. Just a smooth, mellow black tea with a strong blackberry aroma and a light blackberry flavor. Personally, I would have loved an even stronger flavor, if that’s possible without it getting overly artificial. But this was nice cozy cuppa today and I’m guessing it would also be a lovely summer iced tea!

A nice blackberry aroma drifts from the tea as it steeps. Brings me back to Missoula, MT. The purplish/blueish mountains spread out forever to the horizon with the rushing river flowing past. This has a nice woody tone to it. Warm and inviting but also somewhat flat due to the flavoring. The blackberry flavoring is decent, not high in metallic notes as you can find with some flavorings but still it’s there. This was a good try just for the aroma and quick mental trip but not one I would buy myself.

Smells like cola. Fascinating. The wet aroma reminds me of those candies called Bottle Caps. The leaf is decent looking but nothing to alluring. Overall, the flavor I find very lacking. A bit of black cherry in the background laced with some vanilla but buried with some bitter walnut bark, though all of this is not all too pleasant. The taste is tepid and uninspiring. Though I do want to retry this at some point bc I have a feeling I needed hotter water…