Blackberry Bramble Black Tea

Bleh, this one is like 50% rose petals, so I’ve been procrastinating trying it, but it’s the last sample from the advent calendar, so I guess it’s finally time! I definitely taste the sour rose petal flavor, but it sort of works here since blackberries are a little sour. I added some milk, and the main flavor I taste is blackberry, which is decently pleasant. The black tea that’s used as the base is fairly complementary. It sort of reminds me of Harney’s black currant tea. I’m not really a fan, but I don’t hate it as much as I expected.

Not my favorite at all. I don;’t know what made it so unpalatable for me. maybe the floral? At any reate, I did not even finish the cup. I had enough leaf for another cup but I tossed it. Too bad. It sure sounded good!

Plum Deluxe Advent Day 20
Oh my. This smells awful- like black currant and cat pee. Flavor is different than I expected based on the scent, but not any better. Tastes like blackberry medicine. Truthfully, I dumped it after 2 sips. Couldn’t handle any more.

Plum Deluxe Advent Calendar – Day 20

It’s interesting Dustin found this tart because I had it iced and took it with me to a holiday drive thru exhibit and was surprised it tasted like bubble gum at first. Then I started to get blackberry but a candy version of that flavor. It made me think of the gummies that have the crunchy balls on the outside of them. These ones: https://www.ohnuts.com/buy.cfm/bulk-candy/gummies-gummy-candy/jelly-belly-raspberries-blackberries-gum-drops. I also get rose at times and every now and then its astringent.

Advent Day 20

I’m tired and I’m cranky and this tea and it’s not hibiscus but is super tart isn’t helping. It smells like it should be delicious, but the tart kicks in fast after an initial bit of blackberry. The more I sip it, the less prominent the tart is, but there is something else distracting and I’m not sure what it is.
I tried making some blackberry jelly a few months ago and it didn’t gel. I tried reprocessing it last night with more pectin and woke up this morning to the same liquid filled jars. I’m kind of done with blackberries at the moment!

Update: This cup did get better as I got to the bottom and finally decided to add sugar.

Plum Deluxe Advent Calendar – Day 20

Wow, there was a lot of tea in this packet! The rose petals made me nervous, but it seems like they were just there for decoration. Dry scent is extremely powdery and candylike…

This one is just okay. I do get blackberry, but it’s definitely the candy variety, and it almost reminds me of blue raspberry. There’s a chalkiness to it as well, not in texture but in flavor, but I seem to find that often in berry teas. I do get a little tiny hint of rose from the petals, which is an interesting addition. The base is quite woody and earthy with a bit too much astringency for my taste. There’s a musty hay note and a touch of bitterness at the end of the sip.

It’s not my favorite. The blackberry is a bit too artificial and base isn’t great either…

(today’s advent teas: https://www.instagram.com/p/CJBt5wqA7_Q/)

This tea definitely has a pungent, sweet blackberry aroma, and I’m definitely getting blackberries and cream in the aroma of the steeping tea filling my kitchen.

As I wait for the cup to cool enough to drink, I find that the aroma of the steeped tea is a very syrupy sweet-smelling blackberry… like a blackberry pancake syrup. And that is pretty much what I’m getting from the flavor. A very sweet blackberry, void of the tart bite you’d find in the actual berries. I can also taste the rose petals, but it’s a soft, sweet florality that mostly just comes out on my tongue after the sip. There is a cream flavor but it is very subtle to me in the taste compared to the aroma, and I think that is because I’m getting a lot of astringency from this base black tea. It’s malty/bready and also has a touch of a cinnamon note to it as well, but is leaving my mouth very dry after each sip.

A fairly good cup, which would be made better if the base were more smooth. I may try adding some milk or honey to try to curb that astrigency after I’ve sipped down some room in my cup.