Bard's Blend

So, I just couldn’t resist adding a bunch of Friday Tea’s Dungeons & Dragons/Critical Role inspired teas to my last order. I even tossed this one in, even though ginger forward blends aren’t usually my forte. I just thought the idea of a ginger tea (good for sore throats/upset stomachs) for a Bard was too fun and clever!

I find myself sort of just ‘whelmed’ by the blend though – neither over or under. The black tea base is medium to full bodied and malty, but honestly just a bit flat. I wouldn’t mind a more neutral base as a canvas though, were the rest of the flavours a bit more lively and strong. I do taste ginger, but it’s more of a subtle earthy ginger and there’s not the intensity or heat that I was expecting to get – especially considering there’s actually quite a lot of larger cut ginger pieces in the tea. I also don’t taste the vanilla flavouring at all, not that I necessarily feel like it should have been super strong.

It really does feel like ginger was supposed to be the star here, but there’s some “razzle dazzle” missing overall. I would be interesting in seeing if additions like honey might perk up some of those flavours, or if longer steep times could coax out more spice without also producing a bitter cup…

Another tea from my recent Friday Afternoon Black Friday order.

I wanted a tea to go with my PB & J for lunch and this one sounded like it would work. Black tea, ginger, sugar, natural vanilla flavoring. Sadly, I think this blend is just too sweet for me. I really dig the pops of ginger and vanilla I’m getting but this has almost a southern sweet tea vibe going on. I have a feeling this might be one to keep until spring and enjoy as a cold brew.