Author: Michelle

True Blueberry by Celestial Seasonings
Fruit Infusion / Flavoured
$3.49USD for 45g (20 tea bags)

First Impressions

I’m working my way through the Fruit Tea Sampler that I’ve been mentioning the last couple of weeks (see 1 and 2). This week’s tisane is True Blueberry. A curious blend because when I first opted the package, I didn’t really smell blueberry. What I did smell, however, reminded me of orange and berries – but nothing that was distinctly blueberry. True Blueberry came in portioned tea bags, which made it easy for me to steep.

True Blueberry consists of: hibiscus, rosehips, orange peel, natural blueberry flavour with other natural flavours, blackberry leaves, wild blueberries, and blueberry leaves. I’m giving this tisane a bit of a side eye because of how low blueberry actually shows up in the ingredients list.

Preparation

Celestial Seasonings recommends steeping in boiling water (100°C/212°F) water for 4-6 minutes. I opted to do an initial steep for 6 minutes.

First Taste

True Blueberry steeps to a bright ruby red. The aroma of this tisane does actually remind me of blueberries, funnily enough. On first sip, I notice that there’s a nice fruitiness that reminds me of blueberries. To go along with the sweet berry notes is a strong tartness, which I attribute to the hibiscus. I don’t really get a lot of the orange peel or rosehips, which is fine by me. It’s okay hot, but I think it’d be much better iced.

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep True Blueberry and found that the flavour was just not there compared to the initial steep.

My Overall Impression

I liked Celestial Seasonings’s True Blueberry. I found the dry aroma of the leaf to be fairly different from the steeped tisane – which isn’t a bad thing because I enjoyed the aroma and flavour of the steeped product. However, it was a bit disappointing that the dry leaf didn’t mimic the flavour better. I found the blueberry notes to be nice in my cup, and think this would be an excellent tisane if had been iced. I think it would also be lovely if mixed with club soda for a bit of bubbly.

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Wild Berry Zinger by Celestial Seasonings
Fruit Infusion / Flavoured
$3.49USD for 47g (20 tea bags)

First Impressions

Remember that time I talked about the Fruit Tea Sampler from Celestial Seasonings and how I was planning to drink through the whole thing? Yeah, week two! Wild Berry Zinger also came in a sealed packet with all of the tea bags inside. I’m quite pleased with the aroma of this one because it has a nice field berry aroma that reminds me of field berry yoghurt that also has a heavy raspberry aroma which is quite nice.

Wild Berry Zinger consists of the following ingredients: hibiscus, rosehips, roasted chicory, orange peel, blackberry leaves, natural flavours of black raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, red raspberries, cranberries, cherries with other natural flavours, and citric acid. I did tear open the tea bag, and noted that most of the ingredients aren’t really discernible.

Preparation

Celestial Seasonings recommends using boiling water (100°C/212°F) water and steep for 4 to 6 minutes. Celestial Seasonings recommends adding sweetener while it is hot, and if you desire to drink Wild Berry Zinger iced, to cool before adding to ice. My initial steep of Wild Berry Zinger was using 100°C water for 5 minutes.

First Taste

Wild Berry Zinger steeps to a dark cloudy red tisane. The aroma is very much ‘berry’, with a light floral note in the background. I noticed that the flavour was a blend of sweet, tart, and fruity. It’s very pleasant, and the tart notes provides a nice mouth pucker effect. It has a nice level of sweetness to it, so I don’t think it really needs sweetener (although I’d recommend a nice local honey if you wanted to sweeten it).

I do think Wild Berry Zinger would be good as an iced tea, with the balance of sweet and tart. It would also probably pair very well with a slice of lemon or a slash of lemonade (and a handful of ice).

A Second Cup?

An attempt at resteeping Wild Berry Zinger reminded me why I don’t usually resteep tisanes. The flavour wasn’t particularly great and I would recommend steeping Wild Berry Zinger just the one time.

My Overall Impression

I liked Celestial Seasonings’s Wild Berry Zinger. I found the flavour to be quite pleasant, and the balance between sweet and tart to be really fun. It makes for a very nice hot tea, and I think it’d be great for an iced tea and would definitely love to have it in the summertime when it’s hotter out (drinking it on a grey afternoon probably really isn’t showcasing it to the fullest potential).

Curious about the cup rating system? Click here to learn more.