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derk drank Mountain Huckleberry by Montana Tea & Spice Trading LLC

1607 tasting notes

Kitchen clean-out. This caffeine-free herbal tea hails from Missoula, MT, a region of the US that I really enjoy. I once wrote a real-life characterization about White2Tea’s Old Bear Fangcha — not too terribly far from Missoula, outside Bozeman, is where my Old Bear taught me how to shoot clay pigeons. Apparently we wandered off US Forest Service land onto a cow ranchers’s property to find a good spot to shoot pigeons. The rancher was so chill about it. Add a group of friends, plenty of whisky, wood chopping, fire-cooked meals and a handful of growlers full of Bozone. Geez.

Yeah, this tea comes from Missoula and it’s called Mountain Huckleberry. As a previous reviewer mentioned, there ain’t no damn huckleberry in this tea. So kinda miffed about that but overall it’s an excellent blend of hibiscus, cinnamon, lemongrass, rosehips, blackberry and raspberry leaf, clove and licorice root and the ever-mysterious ‘extract.’ The brew isn’t magenta, it’s actually rather beautiful in this glass teapot (4 bags to a liter). Taste is a mix of rosehip-light hibiscus, berry and some nice tempering going on with the cinnamon and cloves. No noticeable sweetness from the licorice root. The body is mostly reminiscent of a rosehip tea. Chuggable.

Overall, I’ll be sad when we sip down this lone remaining bag but the tea’s not so great that I’d seek it out again. Unless I find myself in Missoula.

Preparation

Boiling 8 min or more 34 OZ / 1000 ML

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This place, like the rest of the internet, is dead and overrun with bots. Yet I persist.

Eventual tea farmer. If you are a tea grower, want to grow your own plants or are simply curious, please follow me so we can chat.

I most enjoy loose-leaf, unflavored teas and tisanes. Teabags have their place. Some of my favorite teas have a profound effect on mind and body rather than having a specific flavor profile.

Favorite teas generally come from China (all provinces), Taiwan, India (Nilgiri and Manipur). Frequently enjoyed though less sipped are teas from Georgia, Japan, and Nepal. While I’m not actively on the hunt, a goal of mine is to try tea from every country that makes it available to the North American market. This is to gain a vague understanding of how Camellia sinensis performs in different climates. I realize that borders are arbitrary and some countries are huge with many climates and tea-growing regions.

I’m convinced European countries make the best herbal teas.

Personal Rating Scale:

100-90: A tea I can lose myself into. Something about it makes me slow down and appreciate not only the tea but all of life or a moment in time. If it’s a bagged or herbal tea, it’s of standout quality in comparison to similar items.

89-80: Fits my profile well enough to buy again.

79-70: Not a preferred tea. I might buy more or try a different harvest. Would gladly have a cup if offered.

69-60: Not necessarily a bad tea but one that I won’t buy again. Would have a cup if offered.

59-1: Lacking several elements, strangely clunky, possesses off flavor/aroma/texture or something about it makes me not want to finish.

Unrated: Haven’t made up my mind or some other reason. If it’s puerh, I likely think it needs more age.

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