Sample from Butiki! I’m trying to drink all my samples/almost finished teas in order to make room for a flood of tea orders I have coming next week. This afternoon seemed like the perfect time to try this one out! I’m going to preface this whole review by saying that I am usually not a fan of grape flavored things (candies, juices, popsicles…), but I wanted to give this a shot. It was too interesting sounding to pass up. A grape tea!? I was there.
The dry leaf of this tea smells more floral than grape-like, but I am definitely smelling grape (almost like grape bubble-gum. Oh no!). Once brewed, the tea, while still floral smelling (orchid? lilac?), takes on a stronger grape-like character (again – grape bubble gum).
Taste: Luckily, the grape bubble-gum smell has not translated into the taste. It’s shinning through quite nicely. It’s not that overpowering, overly sweet, cloying grape that I find so unappealing in most grape flavored things. It’s lighter, possibly balanced out by the floral aspects. It also tastes closer to what a red (purple?) grape would taste like in real life than most grape flavored things. I’m surprised to find the floral flavor and the grape flavor working together so well in this! It’s almost as if they are the same flavor! The floral highlights, and for me enhances, the grape flavor. It should also be noted that the oolong is not obscured or completely covered up. There are notes of light earthiness in here. This tea is very nice. Smooth and subtly sweet.
Conclusion: Grape flavored tea? A must try! So happy that I decided to sample this one. Finally! A grape flavored drink that I enjoy! I’ll have to pick some more up and share it with my younger sister (she loves everything grape).
NOTE: I did not add any sugar, as I liked the way it tasted right off the bat. I think it’s grape-y enough without it.
