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I was one of those kids who never voluntarily tried unfamiliar fruits or vegetables, and the bad habit has stuck over the years…so in a blind fruit test, I doubt I could recognize an actual pomegranate by taste or texture. However, since it became a trendy flavor several years ago, I’ve had multiple variations and mutations of pomegranate teas and drinks. This is a pleasant one. Fruity with only a little tartness. Not sure I caught any raspberry, but I still liked it. Reminds me of one you could serve your kiddos.

Speaking of whom, you should have seen mine at work. Volunteer day. We spent a couple hours at our former city library which is in the process of becoming a children’s science center. The building has been vacant since 2017, and my crew swept, vacuumed, Swiffered, hauled boxes, arranged furniture, and organized dozens of boxes of supplies the non-profit staff had moved from their temporary home.

One fifth-grade girl who ducks behind her older cousin rather than make direct eye contact smiled at me while hauling a folding table that weighed about as much as she did and said, “I think this is making me come out of my shell!” One of my fifth grade boys, given a vacuum cleaner, remarked, “Wow. I’ve never done this before!” Priceless.

Oh, and two of the girls found a lizard skeleton. Brought it in a dustpan to the center’s director, who grinned and said, “Hey! I’ve got a glass jar about the right size for that.”
Hope your Sunday afternoon was just as much fun, wherever you were.

Enjoying a nice springy cuppa and a sunbeam in the window, courtesy of our friend Martin. When you prepare to taste a fruit tea for the first time, you either expect heavy sweetness or heavy tartness. This has neither; just a deep fruity undertone beneath the mint. I can see this making a very nice iced tea once we graduate from fake spring to genuinely warm weather.

Today was one of those “looks like spring but doesn’t feel like it” days - trees abloom, lawn threatening to need mowing, Mr. Bluebird crossing my path as I drove through the neighborhood. But the wind was icy and cut like a chain saw. So I need a warm-up more than anything else. This is adequat-ulent for that purpose. Mild green base with a hint of jasmine to accompany all the hints Spring has been dropping of late.

Martin mentioned that he had to go plum hunting with this fruit tea; I agree—I got lost in the woods myself. Not plummy, but it wasn’t unpleasantly tart, either—reminded me a little bit of red Hi-C with less sugar. It was fruity enough to enjoy while surveying the fruits of our labor this afternoon: the backyard glider is sanded, touched up, and refreshed with a much-needed coat of polyurethane.

Fine. I am marking my calendar for February 29, 2028 NOW. This is a marketing gimmick and a half (only available on leap days), but it’s also a really smooth and sophisticated breakfast tea. Assam is my love language, and the addition of cornflower/silver needle lightened it up a little—I kept getting hints of Lucky Charms marshmallows in the cup this morning.

Thanks, ashmanra … I laid your little sample packet out last night because I knew I was going to need something special to get me up and moving on Daylight Savings Sunday!

This one’s nice! I could smell the rich citrus as soon as the water hit the teabag. Reminds me a little bit of orange slice gumdrop candy, minus the overbearing sweetness. No overbearing tartness. Just bearing :)

One of my favorite webcams when I need eye candy is the Las Vegas Bellagio Conservatory. As I write this, they’re in construction mode for their spring display. You’ll appreciate the theme! https://www.earthcam.com/usa/nevada/lasvegas/bellagio/?cam=bellagio (I hope the link gets you there.)

I tried my second sample bag this evening as a nightcap, and confirmed my theory that an overnight cold steep was causing some bitterness. About half-cool, it’s juicy and pleasant. Martin mentioned a little lime flavor in his review. I’m getting that, too. Very pert and springy!

March 3; all our windows are open; we’re in t-shirts and barefoot. Unheard of in this part of the country. (This is not a complaint, just an observation.) Spent a little bit of time walking the backyard to pick up all the sticks the wind has thrown around all winter and sanding the ancient backyard glider. My internal solar batteries are humming happily.

In anticipation of some outdoor time, I steeped a pint jar of this lemonade blend overnight in the fridge. (Iced tea in March…there’s another anomaly!) Basilur treats its fruit flavor with respect and doesn’t hibisc-ify everything, so the lemonade part of this blend is perfectly, pleasantly lemony. The mixed fruit part does remind me of the canned fruit cocktail served in the school cafeteria—I would drink the syrup and leave the fruit, except for the maraschino cherry.

There was just a hint of bitterness that I’m attributing to the overnight steep, but not enough to ruin it. Next one, I’ll steep normally, then chill later to see if that fixes the issue.

Cheery, indeed! I looked this up on the Sonnentor website and the array of ingredients (there’s a little picture of each one) looks like a spring bouquet. We grow apple mint every year and I use it as a tea/juice/water additive constantly while it’s in season, but I’ve never seen it used in a commercial tea before. It’s a very subtle mint that doesn’t overpower the blackberry, raspberry, or strawberry leaves, all of which are also very understated. But together, it’s a really pleasant herbal blend. Martin, you’re the best!