Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Kally Tea
Tea Description:
“Arrrgh, Hoist the main sails matey.” We are off on a sailing ship in the Caribbean. Pirates abound, treasure hunting, we land on a secluded shore, and notice the varied fruits and flowers on the islands. A thought hits us… let’s combine these tropical fruits with some tea in the hold! As the rum is ignored for the much more exciting and healthy tea blend of freeze dried pear, blackberry, lime leaves, sour sap fruit flavorings, the pirates are calmed and life is good. Let’s sneak off with the new found “treasure”… Arrrgh!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The name of this tea is slightly misleading … at least for me it is! But I don’t mean that in a bad way, I actually quite happy that this tea is different than I expected it to be. Let me explain: with a name like “Tropical Island,” I expected something tasting of pineapple or papaya or mango or a combination of these “usual suspects” when it comes to tropical flavors. I did not expect to taste the flavors of lime and blackberry!
Now, don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the “usual” tropical flavors in tea just as much as I’m enjoying the unique combination of lime and blackberry, but sometimes, it’s nice to get a surprise … something a little different than what I expected from a tropical tea … something that allows me to see things and taste things a little differently. And that’s what I’m appreciating about this tea.
The lime is very bright and vibrant, especially in the first sips … this is where I notice mostly only lime flavor and very little else. After the tea has cooled slightly and I’ve tasted a little more, the flavor of blackberry begins to emerge and I start to notice the flavors of the black tea that have been there all along, but the lime wanted to steal the spotlight and let itself be tasted right up front.
After a few more sips, I begin to notice other notes of this tea – it’s very “sweet and sour” like with an emphasis on the sour. This must be the sour sap? I’m not too familiar with this fruit … and I have a feeling that if I were to see this tropical fruit in the produce section, I’d probably avoid it because I tend to shy from the sour flavors … but what I like is that the sour is not so much that I feel the need to curb it with the addition of sugar. There is just enough sweetness to this cup to keep it enjoyable when served straight (although a wee bit of sugar won’t hurt it either).
There is also a subtle … ever so subtle … note of pear that I notice by the time I reach mid-cup. Another nice surprise! This tea is full of them! A very enjoyable tea that’s full of discovery. I think that is what i like best about this tea. It challenges my palate, and takes it on a journey of delightful flavors!
