What the heck is this tea? It’s a weirdie tea. Anyway, it was the cheapest tea during the Bird&Blend sale and really, I’m usually going for any teas on sale that I haven’t tried yet (or favorites that aren’t always in stock – like Spiced Pumpkin Pie). I remember a couple years ago when B&B had a 150gram pouch of Christmas Cake and a couple other teas on sale for around $3!! Now THAT is a sale.
On to the tea: Dry leafed, this one is quite the mystery and has a very unique scent to it. A little bit like licorice but with an odd creamy scent. I’d say the resulting flavor was the same: hints of licorice and something oddly creamy with a hint of tartness (from the rosehips, I’d imagine). I think it needed a bit more to the flavor than licorice and cream but it certainly isn’t a tea I already have around. They say this is a blue tea. It certainly is, probably with the help of these big purple flowers in the blend. The first cup had hints of red, but if I held the cup to the light, the color was a purple/blue. I didn’t even have to add lemon, as the description mentions. After reading the description, I can tell there is aniseed here but this is the second tea I’m having today that should taste like black currant and just doesn’t. hmm. I would advise, if the steeps are done right, the second cup almost tastes exactly the same, but even more blue/purple. So this is not a tea to miss with a second steep! (Usually I’m second guessing herbal teas and how much flavor a second steep would have.) I didn’t want to “burn” the flavor on the first steep, but went full hot boil on the second steep to get as much out of it as I could. This isn’t the best blend from B&B but it is intriguing on all levels, so that’s something. This is not a tea I’d say was a cupboard essential, but it’s unique and I sure loved buying it on sale.
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug// 16 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 4 minute steep
Flavors: Anise, Cream, Licorice
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The blue flowers are butterfly pea flower, and if you add lemon juice it’ll make the tea violet/purple by changing the pH level of the tea. I have a bag of butterfly pea flowers and actually had a cup of butterfly pea flower tea the other night, and that’s my favorite way to drink it, with lemon juice and honey.
But that’s what is puzzling me… the tea was entirely blue both steeps without adding any lemon at all.
Right. Butterfly Pea Flower stains tea blue. If you add lemon, it will change color from blue to purple, because it changes the pH levels in the tea from the acid content.
Oh got it. I guess I can’t tell the difference between the blue or purple in this mug, because sometimes it looks blue and sometimes purple.
The blue flowers are butterfly pea flower, and if you add lemon juice it’ll make the tea violet/purple by changing the pH level of the tea. I have a bag of butterfly pea flowers and actually had a cup of butterfly pea flower tea the other night, and that’s my favorite way to drink it, with lemon juice and honey.
But that’s what is puzzling me… the tea was entirely blue both steeps without adding any lemon at all.
Right. Butterfly Pea Flower stains tea blue. If you add lemon, it will change color from blue to purple, because it changes the pH levels in the tea from the acid content.
Oh got it. I guess I can’t tell the difference between the blue or purple in this mug, because sometimes it looks blue and sometimes purple.