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It’s probably been at least 5 years since I’ve been up to Bar Harbor. I definitely wasn’t aware there was a tea shop up there at the time. This one was a birthday gift from a friend and she choose well. I love blueberries, especially wild ones. Last weekend the mountains were full of bushes with wild blueberries. They’re great for snacking while on the trail.
I have had this tea iced and hot. Both are good. This morning, I sipped it hot as this week mornings have been starting off at cooler temps. Steeped for about 5 minutes and took my favorite mug out on the deck to watch the hummingbirds. The blueberry is strong. There is a decent black tea base. Noted no bitterness and the sweetness from the blueberries was just enough for me. Perfect tea for an August morning.
I also like that the string on the bag is long enough for my travel mugs and that the bags are compostable. Yay!

2022 Bird & Blend Advent calendar Day #24

Wow did I mix up my alcoholic drinks when I picked this out today. I was totally expecting a mimosa not a mojito. I think I definitely am still sleepy. Now that I’ve woken up a bit more, I can only laugh at my mistake because this definitely reminds me of mojitos. The mint is very prominent in each sip. As the mug, sits I do taste more lime and the green tea is coming through. I enjoyed the last of the cup of tea more than the beginning, when the mint was so strong.

We toured a Lavender field in early July and the gift shop had this and lavender coffees among other interesting items. I’ve tried this cold brew and hot. It has been enjoyable both ways but I think I prefer cold brew. I’m out of iced tea in the fridge so I think I might run it through the iced tea maker. If you enjoy lavender it smells lovely. The lavender is not over powering in the mug. It seems well balanced with the black.

I let smallest child pick out my tea this morning from the sample bin but fortunately they are so busy that they didn’t stick around to hear if I liked it or not. It reminds me of the instant hot cider packets that we get for camping for the kids. There is an astringency to this cup of tea. At the same time, I find it overly sweet with a strong cinnamon flavor. The orange reminds me of cooked oranges over a camp fire. I didn’t bother to finish the mug. This one is on the nope list.

I pulled this one off my tea rack for a morning cup. Since it is labled as a white tea, I used 180F water and steeped for 2 minutes. In appearance, the tea is a pale yellow. There is no discernable fragrance. Rather basic chamomile but with a dusty, chalky feel to it. Something I would expect at local restaurants for their “tea selection” that is steeped too long at high temps.

It’s lavender season here and last weekend we visited a local lavender farm. The blooms are a bit late due to all the rain we’ve had but it was a fantastic experience. I’ve not been feeling great the last few days and saw this one hiding in my cabinet. Where it came from, I’m not sure. I’m not a huge fan of Bigelow teas but this one is a hit. Immediately smelled the lavender when I opened the packet. It steeps up a nice golden color. The chamomile and lavender come through very well. It does feel a bit oily and I wonder if that’s the probiotic addition. I tried googling the additive but my head hurts too much to focus on the science. The tea though is a nice addition to my lavender week.

I wondered what Belgian Mint would be like when I pulled it from my samples stash. I quickly figured out that it’s a chocolate blend. Makes sense now! The mint is the more prominent flavor with chocolate coming in second. It’s tasty as a tea. Still not sure I like chocolate in my tea but it was worth the try.

The benefit of drinking something blindly is you don’t know what you’re supposed to expect. Based on the name of the tea, I figured it would be a rooibos based tea and examining the pyramid, my assumption was confirmed. I guess there are supposed to be berries in this but I don’t see any in the pyramid. I only smell rooibos but the flavor is vanilla. There is a light berry taste as well. I find it to be a good balance and probably one of the better rooibos blends I’ve had. I’m reminded of a creamy hard candy I had in the 90’s, whose name is escaping me. I think they were put out by LifeSavers candies. Might have to Google that later.