Scarborough Fair from A Quarter To Tea. . . .

by VariaTEA

Every single time I am on the A Quarter to Tea website, the name “Scarborough Fair” catches my eye. Every. Single. Time. I have no idea why or what I am always expecting but the name always pulls me in. I keep thinking it is like a berry tea or something like that and I want it but then I click on the page and read the description which calls it “fruity” and “herbaceous”. Though fruity I like, herbaceous makes me hesitant and in the end my hesitation wins out and this tea gets left behind. However, I guess fate decided to intervene because a sample of this Scarborough Fair tea arrived in A Quarter to Tea’s monthly subscription box for August.

I steeped the entire sample in a 16 oz mug according to the recommended steeping parameters of 3 minutes in 190F water.

The description “fruity” and “herbaceous” hit the nail right on the head, to be honest. The fruity raspberry flavor hits your tongue first but the sage quickly comes up from underneath. Somehow the two components intertwine seamlessly while still being distinctive in their own rights. The rosemary also blends with the sage and the two flavors linger on your tongue after the sip is done, all the while the sweet raspberry note still floats on top. This tea is unique to say the least and certainly very interesting but I can’t decide if that is good or bad.

I am enjoying this cup well enough but if I am being honest, “herbaceous” is just not what I want from my teas. I’m more of the dessert tea kind of girl and though this has a nice sweetness, the herbs are throwing me off. Nevertheless, I am glad I got to try it and for those who like a more herbal element or even just anyone wanting to try something new, I wholeheartedly suggest giving this a taste.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Black Tea
Where to Buy:  A Quarter To Tea
Description

Raspberry, sage and rosemary come together to create a fruity and herbaceous cup worthy of Scarborough Fair itself.

Sikkim is located just north of Darjeeling in India. The only garden there, Temi, does its teas in a Darjeeling style. The base tea here is comparable to a second flush Darjeeling tea

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

VariaTEA

Hey there! My name is Rachel. I’m a twenty-something from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who loves dogs and has a bit of an obsession with tea. As a child I hated the stuff since all I ever knew was Red Rose (no offense to Red Rose). However, a few years ago that all changed. I was on a diet and desperate for new flavors without adding calories and that’s when I turned to tea. I started off by going to DAVIDsTEA and Teavana for all their dessert-inspired flavors, and since I didn’t know any better, I bought 100 grams each of about twenty-something different teas. This was okay for the teas I liked but for those I didn’t I needed to find some way of getting rid of them. Enter Steepster.com. This is where I met some incredible tea friends, discovered tea swaps, and learned of so many amazing tea companies. My desire to try all the teas grew and since joining three years ago I have tried over a thousand different teas. I have learned what ingredients I love and I have learned what flavors I don’t like. I determined my go-to brewing method is Western-style with no added milk or sweeteners, though I also enjoy cold brewing, iced teas, teapops, lattes, and smoothies. I have yet to brew gong-fu style but I hope to do so just as soon as I get the proper teaware to do it. About a year ago, I actually stopped drinking tea but as my stash of over 200 teas started aging I decided I needed to respark my interest. I chose to take a 365 days of tea challenge on Instagram in which I post a new tea picture every day. So far it has been rather successful as I find myself drinking (and buying) more and more tea each day. Plus it enabled CuppaGeek to find me and invite me here to SororiTea Sisters.

This post was posted in A Quarter To Tea, Black Tea