It’s tea time in Evening Shire. It’s been quite a month. This morning’s tea time was a perfect time to sit still and enjoy a beautiful summer morning and reflect on the potential of a new month.

It had rained all night last night and brought a quiet cool morning to my backyard.

On first opening the pouch, the aroma was earthy and fruity at the same time. Once I looked at the package, I realized it was the smell of prunes that dominated the aroma. The scent was not too fake but natural smelling.

 

My first cup is always a very light brew because as a novice tea drinker I am never sure how long to brew my tea and I don’t really like strong teas. So I tend to under brew the first cup.

 

The aroma of the brewed tea was very delightful. The prune smell was just as dominant. But there was something else. The smell brought back vague memories. I couldn’t place what exactly I was remembering. Perhaps the memory was from a past life? It was a very pleasant feeling and very calming.

 

The surroundings didn’t hurt this feeling either. The birds were singing, the air was cool and damp from the storms overnight. The new neighbor’s rooster was doing his wake up call. and the sound of the water dripping from the trees created a musical symphony of sound and sensation.

 

I decided not to add honey, although my mom had added her usual 3 drops of honey. My first taste was delicate yet full of flavor. Unlike many teas, I have tried over the years, this light brew first cup was not weak or watery. It did not have the sense of drinking hot water. There was a fruity but not too sweet taste to it. Some herbal teas I have tried, tend to smell more fruity than they taste. Not this one. The fragrance was not perfumy at all and the taste was medium-bodied and lingered in my mouth. There was no bitter after taste. I found this tea to be very enjoyable. I did not miss not using honey and my mom also thought that she probably didn’t need the honey she used in the end.

 

My mom saw that candied orange slices were in this tea. However, although her palate is rather receptive to underlying tastes and she did not taste any orange at all. I agree. The orange was not prominent It acted almost like a vehicle for the other flavors and hid among them. For me, the primary taste was one of prunes.

 

I always like to try a second cup that is brewed longer to see what differences there were. The first thing I noticed is the color. It was a dark gorgeous orange/maroon. The smell this time was nuttier than the first cup. Still very pleasant but weirdly those memories that accompanied the first cup were not present on this cup. I had the honey ready just in case this stronger brew needed it. Especially with my inexperienced pallet. But to my surprise, it was very good. Not bitter at all. The flavor remained medium-bodied and layered. The prune was just as pronounced but with a slightly nuttier taste. I was amazed that I enjoyed this second cup as much as I did the first cup.

 

My mom felt that this tea would make an excellent summer ice-tea and I would have to agree. I could see this being very tasty and refreshing over ice.