Two from the Tea Spot

A huge and very tidy horse chestnut tree in the old part of Durlach-houses and barns still in use from the 1500s. It is amazing to see such old buildings still going strong when we tear down 50 year old structures as being "too old"

I tried two teas from The Tea Spot today. Both were samples, one I had purchased and the other came with my order. The first was Raspberry Rhapsody, a black tea with flavoring and raspberry pieces. I almost didn't try it because it had such a fake, overly sweet scent. But in the interest of being open-minded [?me?] I plunged ahead with boiling water and a 3 minute steep. The brewing tea began to smell better, more like raspberry candy and I had hopes... However, these were soon dashed as I tasted it. Overly sweet, overly fake. There was a bit of tartness at the end which almost saved it, but not enough for me.

Oh well, on to Blood Orange Smoothie. This is a Rooibos based orange and vanilla concoction with rose petals, hibiscus and several other things. The dry tea is kind of pretty, with all those bits making a colorful mix. I brewed it as they said, 7 minutes with boiling water, a teaspoon for one a cup There was definitely a scent of orange and vanilla, more like Kool-Aid than Orange Julius, but that's just a quibble. Sadly, the taste was not. It was ok, but it was cloying and wouldn't leave my mouth until I brushed my teeth in desperation. It did not taste like the wonder drink of my youth, nor like those orange sherbet and vanilla ice cream bars. But that is me and I am sure there are those who will really like this, [see yesterday's Comment] as well as the Raspberry Rhapsody.

The Tea Spot has many other wonderful teas and these wouldn't have been high on my list anyway. I am more and more convinced that except for a very few, I really don't like flavored teas. I really should just accept that fact and quit trying them. Then I wouldn't be disappointed and you wouldn't have to read about them.

I just came across some tea I haven't seen for ages – Pompadour Peppermint. Pompadour is a German company that specializes in herbal teas[tisanes, really]. I will be reporting on this soon.