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I was sent this black tea with quince and sea buckthorn by fellow tea enthusiast, Erika (@thattealover) and it had my curiosity piquing all over the place.
I only have a glancing acquaintance with the quince. (I do know that along with mince, it is a staple foodstuff of both Owls and Pussycats.) But before reading the description of this tea, I had been entirely oblivious to the existence of the sea buckthorn. I was originally imagining the sea buckthorn as some kind of spiky marine plant, a cross between kelp and one of those spiny sea anemones, so I was a little disappointed to discover that it is in fact a tree with edible orange fruits. (The “sea” part of its name is because it’s a tough as nails bastard of a fruit tree, which grows in inhospitable coastal regions where other wimpier trees don’t even bother trying.)
My disappointment didn’t last. Because now I was looking forward to trying a black tea containing pieces of two completely unfamiliar fruits. Will the flavour of both quince and sea buckthorn come through equally or will one hog the limelight? Well, I have no way of knowing, quite frankly.
This is an absolutely gorgeous full-bodied dark brew with a rich fruity flavour. It really reminded me of something, although I couldn’t initially put my finger on what it was. Halfway through drinking this cup, it came to me, I shouted “Prunes!” and startled the cat. Because that is exactly what this tea tastes of. Specifically, it tastes like prunes that have been soaked in tea and served with custard.
That made me very happy indeed. (And not just because I was pleased with myself for figuring it out.) This is a happy tea. It’s cosy and warming and full of dark plump, soft, fruity flavours. I still couldn’t pick a quince or a sea buckthorn berry out of a fruit-based police line-up. But after drinking this tea, I feel like I would like to get to know both of them better. I reckon we could be friends.
Today’s featured book is Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand about a horse who wasn’t a spiky marine plant either.
