Black Currant

First, a big thank you to BoxerMama for choosing this as day 4’s tea in the 12 Days of Christmas Swap. It’s really perfect for the day!

And it tastes amazing. I don’t think I’ve actually tried Harney’s Black Currant, although I know I’ve tried quite a few other currant teas … this one definitely belongs amongst the top Currant flavored teas. It tastes truly like black currant, tangy, tart and enough sweetness to keep me from feeling the urge to pucker when I sip it. It’s nicely round. A very nice tea, indeed.

I really like this one. I was shocked!!
Hot, it tasted a bit vanilla like so I became a bit wary. Then I added some sugar to make the berriness pop a little and ho! it worked!
There is a drying effect, sort of like what you get with cassis/berry wine. Not that I really know what black currants taste like, just the alcohol derivation.
How fun!! and yes, I am exclamation point happy today!!!
Thanks to Sil for sharing with me. Maybe one day I’ll pick some up.

Thank you JosieJade for this sample! I think it’s been in my box for a while, but I’m hapy to finally give it a proper review!

I love the fresh fruity aroma, with a very smoooooth black base. I wouldn’t want to drink this every day but I could see it quickly becoming a regular.

It reminds me a bit of Tardis! I guess I do like berry teas, especially when they’re subtle.

Well, I had a bone-head move and totally missed the sign-ups for the 12 Days Swap thingie that many of the steepsters did! BUT…I’m lucky enough to have Azzrian for a Sororitea Sister and she was awesome and sent some of this one to me! Thanks so much!

Of course my other Sororitea Sister Liberteas is SUPER AWESOME too! I LOVE my sista’s!

SIDEBAR:

I completed the Iron Chef – STEEPSTER – Chickpeas & Tea Challenge – it’s now on my blog as well as in the forums/threads!

http://blissfulyogajourney.blogspot.com/2012/12/left-overs-spinach-rice-chickpea-dish.html

I just finished my lunch and that is what was for lunch. This tea is my after-lunch tea, today!

It smells a little like Currant and a Spice. It’s pretty nice!

It’s a medium brown in color and the black tea base is a bit mellower but the currant really pops thru on top of it. This is a bit juicy bitter but in a good way and a little peppery underneath. It has a smoother finish and I like that very much!

Day Four of 12 Teas of Christmas exchange

Thanks to a three-day long migraine I am very behind on the Christmas teas exchange (plus I missed my office’s xmas luncheon, boo). I’m sampling this one before tackling Day 5 and Day 6.

I really enjoy the black tea base on this tea because it doesn’t eclipse the black currant taste. I bet this would be amazing iced. Other than that, I can’t say too much about it. It’s decent, but there isn’t much flavor…so I’m not sure if this would be a purchase of mine. I keep feeling like it needs more oomph, like adding mint or strawberry or something…

Thank you BoxerMomma for choosing such an appropriate and interesting tea, it’s really putting me in the mood. It’s odd but if this was called Black Bird Tea, I would be like, yeah I can taste that. I do believe this is first tea from Harney & Sons, shocking I know. I have maybe had black currant tea once, didn’t think much of it so Iwasn’t sure what I would think of this one, I like it. It’s quite present without feeling artificial. Subtle yet solid.

There is a tinge of something to this tea that is bothering me though, something I’ve tasted before, something almost metallic (though you know it could just be my strainer that I almost never brew with) but its in the smell too. Will have to experiment with the second half of the sample. Thankfully its the fruit that lingers on the palate and not this odd note. Will also keep other black currant teas in mind as something I like.

this is very good reinfused with a teaspoon of day three’s French Vanilla! Yum!

Tea #5 from the traveling tea box

The only other black currant tea that I’ve had was from Twinings and I didn’t particularly care for it. I’m not sure that I’ve ever had currants in anything else, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect.

While steeping this tea smells wonderful and once steeped it didn’t let me down. The currant has a slightly sweet, slightly tart flavor that doesn’t drowned out the black base. I could see this making a really yummy iced tea.

Meh! This is ok. Nothing special. Sort of fruity but certainly not as flavorful as 52teas’ blueberry danish or strawberry zaglibione. This is not too tart, not too sweet, maybe best described as “dry”..like “dry” champagne. I am on this quest to eliminate sugar from my diet soo no extra sugar allowed. And this tea w/o sugar is just not that great.

Enjoyed a sample of this one in the Harney and Sons tasting room this afternoon. It smelled very strong of the black current – which I loved! It tasted amazing a nice mix of the black currant flavoring and whatever black tea was used (I wish they would say) and very smooth. I really enjoyed it and wish I had more of a tasting, so I bought a tin to take home!

Wow, so I found a second coffee shop in town that carries Harney & Sons tea!

Unfortunately, only in bags. I wonder if H&S sells the teas to shops as a package because it looked like the exact same list I saw at the other coffee shop. I was hoping to try their Golden Monkey, but I guess they think it’s too expensive for people to buy-or because they sell their teas in one price package to shops and it’s too expensive for Harney to include it. The choices are mostly not interesting, but Black Currant was new, so I tried that.

It’s really hard to give a number rating because they put in just one bag for a 12 ounce cup, which is a little watered down from what I’d have at home (8-10 ounces in a cup). I don’t think that I’ve ever had a black currant tea, so I was mystified as why the black currant taste in the tea was so familiar. Eventually, I figured it out-they must put the black currant flavoring in their Paris tea! I don’t know if that’s well-known or not. When I got home, I opened up my Paris and took a whiff-definitely some blackcurrant in there. Anyhow, this tea is okay. I’d be willing to buy a sample from Harney’s to make at home under controlled conditions, but I won’t buy it again at a shop where their cup sizes are too big and they dilute the bags. Maybe they could just sell me a bag to take home? It was only $1.75. We’ll see. I’m not exactly excited enough about this to run out and do it. Maybe next time I’m out that way.