Berry Wonderful Root Beer Black Tea

Thumper’s dad said, if y’can’t say somethin’ nice, don’t say nuthin’ at all.

Okay but if I don’t I’m going to forget why I don’t like this blend, sorry. All berry, no root beer, which in itself isn’t enough for me to dislike it. But oh gosh, the nose on this one. I’ve had better-smelling cough syrup—so chemically! The taste is oookaaaay, just not for me. [internal score: 35ish]

That said, others seem to have had better luck with this one, so maybe I just took too long to dig this one out of my stash? Certainly possible.

Sipdown!

I like the root beer flavor here, but I think it needs a little something else. I don’t get any berries, unfortunately. Some creaminess and vanilla would be a lovely addition.

I think I may need to order a taster of Root Beer Float to try, along with some other things, once Marshmallow Treat Genmaicha is back in stock…

Another note I had saved from the Freeze. Thanks very much, AJRimmer!  A great concept here that doesn’t fail to remind me of my beloved ‘Berried Treasure’. Both blends are fairly similar — simply replace bergamot with sarsparilla.  but this one isn’t distinctly berry or rootbeer to me, and hardly even has noticeable marshmallow root (though Berried Treasure has a ton more marshmallow root, which I love).  My tastebuds are simply demanding MORE berry and rootbeer.  This blend isn’t very old yet, so it’s a bit disappointing… next time it will be a sipdown.  I always appreciate trying things though!
Steep #1  // 1 1/2 teaspoons for full mug // 18 minutes after boiling  // 2 minute steep
Steep #2  // just boiled //  4 minute steep
2020 Sipdowns: 67 (oldest sample of Tiesta – I Gotta Colada)

Wow, the dry leaf smells exactly like root beer – that’s so fun! The flavor is mostly just black tea with a bit of a tang that’s reminiscent of carbonation. This mix of black teas is a little harsh for me. I think I’d prefer a different base since it was getting in the way of being able to really taste what this tea is going for. Even though I put several berries in, I couldn’t taste them at all. Also, I think this one tasted a bit more accurate to its name before I added sugar, as I guess the sugar smoothed out the carbonation element. I don’t know. This one is okay, but all I needed were a few sips before passing it along to someone else to finish. I love the idea, but the execution isn’t perfect.

I tend to really enjoy “pop” flavours in teas… probably because I like them but rarely drink pop due to a) empty calories and b) fizz, which I don’t really care for. So this tea fit the bill nicely, since I also enjoy berries in tea (and particularly blends from 52teas that feature berries!)

Oddly, though, despite getting plenty of delicious root beer flavour, and seeing plenty of delicious fruity chunks in the infuser – I wasn’t able to pick out much fruitiness. I did have a similar experience with Bird & Blend’s Vicky’s Sponge Cake (brewed at the same time), so I’m wondering if it’s a bit of a tastebud issue, e.g. I had eaten something that dulled them at that particular time.

Either way, I did enjoy the root beer flavour, so at the very least it’s a good root beer tea! Just hoping for some berries next time, and perhaps a bit more vanilla creaminess.