This smells lovely and a bit sweet. You can really smell the black currant and honey with a hint of the juniper. However, I feel like the smell doesn't reflect the taste very well. I struggled a bit with finding the right brew time/amount/etc. to fully enjoy this. At first, I did my standard 5 min for black tea and 1.5 spoons of the tea with a splash of almond milk. This felt a little bitter, and the almond milk seemed to overpower the other flavors. So, then I tried it straight and 5 min of brew time. Sadly, it was still a little a bitter, but the flavors came through more. However, I really wanted that milk to soften the herbs. So, I tried 4 min and a tiny splash of almond milk. In the end, I haven't found the right combination for me. I will say, it certainly does evoke a forest feeling. The heavy herb taste makes it feel like a cool morning in November. I don't typically put sweetener in my tea, but with this I wonder if a little extra honey might help bring out the other flavors.
Overall, I'm really torn about this one! On paper, this tea is full of flavors I enjoy. But the overwhelmingly herby taste was not really for me. I am a huge herb and spice lover. However, it's easy to for those flavors to overpower everything for me. I think if this tea is ever re-released with a bit less thyme and rosemary, maybe a bit more honey, this could easily be a favorite. I think if I was to pin down an expectation vs. reality comment: by the description I was expecting this to taste…
