76
drank Caribe by Harney & Sons
333 tasting notes

H&S sample cube 3/18

This one smelled like fresh fruity sweetness the moment I opened the package—which made me a little wary, because flavored teas often don’t taste nearly as good as they smell. In fact, I’ve started to think there is an inverse correlation between the two…

Fortunately, this turned out to be much better than expected. I got enough out of the sachet to make one glass of iced tea and a small cup of hot brew. The iced version is very much your standard “tropical iced tea”, but the black tea adds more body to it, so that there isn’t the bitterness or tartness that you often find in a fruity iced green tea. The color of the brew is somewhere between that of a green and black tea as well. The hot brew is much richer, with a strawberries-and-cream effect. When hot it’s more reminiscent of a black tea (think a blended breakfast brew), but tempered out just a little by the presence of the green. Overall I’m pretty impressed!

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

People who liked this

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

Profile

Bio

Science writer and a cat that learned to type.

I grew up in a tea-loving family, and tea has always been a part of daily life. I’m still astounded by the amount of tea and teaware back home every time I visit! While I’m most familiar with straight Chinese teas, I’m growing to explore and appreciate other types of tea, including blended and flavored ones. A good blend can reflect the thought and creativity that was put into making it, instead of being too sweet or busy in a way that gives the “genre” a bad rap.

Likes:
-most black teas (even lapsang)
-most oolongs, especially Fujian teas, baozhong and dancong
-houjicha
-straight white teas
-citrus
-almond/amaretto
-coconut
-vanilla

Variable (some are great, some not so):
-most green teas
-tie guan yin
-flavored white teas
-assam
-rooibos
-melon
-mint
-grape

Ratings:
90-100: definite repurchase if possible, recommended
80-90: enjoyed, possible repurchase
70-80: fair to good
60-70: fair with some shortcomings
50-60: there’s still a chance I’d take this if it were free
under 50: absolutely not

Location

Southern California

Following These People

Moderator Tools

Mark as Spammer