Bristol Breeze

First of all, this blend looks so pretty – green tea mixed with dried apple cubes and blackberry pieces.
Out of the zip bag it smells herbal and fruity. Nice but not overly spectacular.
Brews into a pale color, obviously.
After brewing it smells mainly with apples, but more in the baked apple than cider way., plus some herbal and leafy notes.
The taste fits perfectly to the current first days of autumn: dried apples, a bit of base green tea in the background. I could use some more tea character, but it’s not bad.

Another I get to try from Cameron B! Thank you kindly. Another B&B shop blend – awesome. This one is a sencha base with apple and blackberry. The little cubes of actual apples are something I don’t think I’ve seen in a previous B&B blend. The color of the brew is actually quite darker for a green tea, which worried me… I didn’t want it bitter. But crisis averted… the flavor is fine. Such a full apple flavor to the first cup! Somehow fading on the second cup. I didn’t notice too much to the blackberry, but I’m also very glad that any blackberry leaves didn’t ruin the flavor. B&B says this blend is inspired by cider, but in my opinion, any cider tea would most definitely need spices… and less blackberry? But if I’m taking the tea for what it is, and not thinking of ‘cider’, it’s a straight-forward, tasty blend.
Steep #1 // 1 teaspoon for my smaller mug // 30 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 30 minutes after boiling // 2 1/2 minute steep

Home – 9:30 PM

Another from my (massive) Bird & Blend order. This is one of the seven store-inspired blends, which I got the sampler pack of.

I dig it. The base tea is grassy and autumn leaf-y. It almost tastes slightly roasty, like hojicha, but I don’t think it’s roasted at all. The apple here is definitely a Granny Smith – it’s sharp and flavorful and lovely. There’s a bit of sweetness from the blackberry leaf, but it’s not overpowering. I think perhaps I can taste just a hint of blackberry? Although I would call it a more generic “dark berry” flavor. The apple flavor lingers on the tongue long after the sip, and it has just a touch of dryness that reminds me of apple skins.

This is quite a mild tea, but I think there’s a nice balance struck between the flavors and the base tea. It’s very autumnal, and I’m really enjoying it right now while the weather is unusually cold here in Texas!

311/365

Another of the Store Blends collection, this one (obviously!) for Bristol. It’s a green tea with apple and blackberry flavouring, and is pitched as an homage to cider. I can definitely taste apple – green, a little sharp, but also with an undertone of sweetness. I’m reminded of cider apples, so I guess that’s a positive! There’s not much in the way of blackberry, which is a little sad. It’s almost there in the background sweetness, but it doesn’t really manifest particularly well, or come across as clearly as I’d like it to. It’s an almost-but-not-quite kind of flavour, and that bugs me a bit.

The green base is smooth, maybe a little grassy but that works well with the apple. I feel like there’s some very light spicing going on; just a hint of cinnamon, perhaps? It all feels a bit ephemeral, if I’m honest – there are ghosts of flavours, but after the initial hit of apple (which is strong and clear) nothing really makes much of an impression.

You might get the impression from my comments so far that I don’t like this one, but I actually really do. I’d say it could be a potential favourite among those I’ve tried so far, but it’s hard to pinpoint why. There are things about it that irritate me, and I do wish that the blackberry was more prominent, but I love the apple, and the overall cider-esque flavour. It appeals to me as a fresh, crisp, autumnal blend and that’s pretty perfect for this time of year, fruitiness aside.