My Overall Impression (Score of 88.5%)

It’s that tie of year.  I’m processing.  The garden has been almost perfect this year and the production has been overwhelming the last few weeks.  I love that my islands are filled at any time with 100 cherry tomatoes either ripening or ready to eat along with 10-15 lb. of San Marzano tomatoes ready to process.  Did I mention the 6 basil plants or the multiple amounts of hot peppers starting a long fermentation for hot sauce?

While all of this is going on, after a day of work and then making dinner, processing goes late into the night.  As much as I like a glass of something with ethanol in it, I tend to shy away from that as I’m holding boiling hot jars.  What do I choose then?  Iced Tea.  I try to have some always in the fridge available.  Some are old favorites (like Sugar Magnolia), but I use this time to try new brews.  This week’s selection is Blueberry Red from Vital T Leaf that I picked up on a recent travel.

I LOVE THIS BREW!!  There is no other way to say it.  Its just what an iced tea should be.  Just great flavor with a depth that’s every changing.  No astringency and enough natural sugar to satisfy.  Plus this is a great tea to pair foods with.  With its notes of berries, ginger, herbs and even curry powder, the chef in me looks at multiple options (I limited myself to a few).

If you love Iced Tea, I would order some of this to have.  I can’t wait to brew some more, watch my enchilada sauce simmer down before canning and enjoy the fruits from the garden.

What do I think this Tea’s Personality is?

• “Simply put, I want a Rack of Ribs with a fruit BBQ sauce and sip on this to clean the palate, be full and sleepy!”

The Price

The price on 8/22/24 is $15 for 4 oz (w) or 113 grams.

Broken down:

• 100 gm / 3 gm for steeping = 37 brews
• 37 brews from package = 40.5 cents per brew (32 oz) or app.10 cents/cup.

I can not stress how good a cup of Iced tea this produced for this low price. 

Aromas

• Opening the package, you are just assaulted with lovely notes of blueberries, red raspberries, blackberries and strawberries dusted with cinnamon and nutmeg.
• This is followed by toasted malt with a hint of smoke and deep floral notes.
• On the palate, its an amazing balance of grassy notes, raspberry leaves, blueberries and floral. This seems to swirl on the palate and be everchanging.
• It’s a touch muted but as it warmed up, it developed more rich notes.

Flavors

• Off the first sip, it reminded me of an Assam with a deep blueberry essence that was accented by notes of a cinnamon stick.
• As it warms in the glass, you are greeted with growing berry flavors (blueberries, blackberries and raspberries) presenting a lovely richness on the palate.
• is finished with very faint notes of ginger, thyme and curry powder (yes, it’s there).
• Exceptionally refreshing since its off dry with a balanced weight.
• This Incredible ½ and ½ texture on the palate combined with the beautiful acidity levels (no astringency) gave it a wonderful depth.

Scores

• Aromas (4.4/5)
• Flavors (8.7/10)
• Overall impression (4.6/5)
  • Total score = 88.5 percent (17.7/20)

Foods to Pair and Why

• As summer winds down and we move into Fall, I will still grill different cuts of chicken and smoke Boston Butts. I know that creating or using some type of berry glaze would be fantastic addition for pairing.
• This may sound different, but I’m one of those people that opens a package of berries and just starts eating them by the handfuls until I’m satisfied. In this case, I would love to splash some tangerine juice infused with a touch of fresh ginger (just a hint) over the berries to pair.
• I love Shrimp either made into a stir fry or grilled. In either case, I love the options of infusing berries or ginger notes.  BTW, this shrimp cooked this style makes a great appetizer on a skewer.
• I make 4 trips down to Shipshewana every year to pick up different meats and cheeses. However, I also load up on Deep Fried Hand Pies that are filled with different fruit fillings.  The blueberry filled pie would be unbelievable with this.