Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Georgia Tea Company
Tea Description:
When you open the package, you smell the fruitiness from the currants – perhaps a dark raspberry fragrance. As you take your first sip, you sense a slight tartness which is the contribution of the fruit, but it doesn’t overpower the strength of the black tea. Perhaps add some rock sugar to soften things a bit. By the way, currants are not grapes or raisins. Grapes grow on vines and are sweet. Currants grow on bushes and are tart. Research has discussed the high antioxidant level of currants and several studies indicate currants may delay onset of Alzheimer’s.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Nice! Georgia Tea Company has nailed the currant flavor in their Black Currant Flavored Black Tea, and they managed to do it without sacrificing the flavor of the black tea base.
The black tea here is rich and smooth. There is some astringency to this cup – a moderate astringency – and the dry, tangy sensation from the astringency plays to the currant notes. The tea doesn’t taste bitter, and there is an undertone of sweetness … almost a raisin-y sort of sweetness. Again, I think that this plays to the currant note in a favorable way.
The currant is a strong flavor, but, it doesn’t taste artificial. It’s rather tart, and I’m not always a big fan of tartness. However, I think that there is enough sweetness from the tea that the tartness doesn’t overwhelm my palate. This tea is definitely more tart than sweet, but, I like the contrast between the sweet notes of the tea and the tart notes of the currant.
The overall taste is reminiscent of wine. And as it cools, this tea becomes even tastier – it makes an excellent iced tea! However you choose to serve it, it makes a really nice cup of tea – one of the better currant teas that I’ve tasted over the years.
