A Big Yes to Blueberry lavender Bliss Iced Tea

Tea :      Blueberry Lavender Bliss

Producer:  Ku Cha

Website: Blueberry Lavender Bliss

Website description:  A black tea blend of sweet blueberry, floral lavender, rich cocoa, and ginger spiciness. This tea is a comforting and delightful blend for easy drinking. Power of lavender: soothing and relaxing, it helps relieve stress, headaches, fatigue, and insomnia.

Brewing Specs

  • Water: 32 oz
  • Temperature: 80 F outside in direct sunlight (Sun Tea technique)
  • Steep Time: 4 hours for 3 gm

My Review System: https://artofthepair.com/tea-overview/

Iced Tea Technique

  1. All iced teas are brewed using direct sunlight for a minimum of 4 hours.
  2. Only 3 gm of tea is used per 32 oz / 1 Quart of water .
  3. Once tea is brewed, it’s strained and placed into refrigerator to cool to under 40F (typically overnight).
  4. Samples are evaluated without ice, fruit additions (such as lemon) or additional sweetener.
  5. Iced tea is consumed within 24 hours of brewing.

My Overall Impression (Score of 85.5%)

Earlier this week was National Iced Tea Day.  We are almost mid-June, and the weather is getting warmer each day (yes for Texas, this is nothing).  During these months, I love brewing iced tea in the sun and wanted something different.  I find that some of the deeper, non-fruity black teas are ok, but ones that have fruit taste better to me.

I was looking though my tea stash and found this one.  The company is Ku Cha out of Colorado and when I traveled there earlier this year, I was able to visit their shop.  I found their Blueberry Lavender Bliss option and picked up some for brewing in the summer.  This was a fantastic idea.

The aromas from the bag are so inviting that I could not wait to try this brew.  After waiting for the brewing time and cooling in the fridge, I was happily awarded with a great brew.  I normally avoid chocolate in my teas but this one’s very subtle notes were a joy.  Plus, the smoothness and lower acids will make this a fun tea to pair.  This is one I like to place in my insulated cup and sit on the patio to enjoy sunset.

The price on 6/10/24 is $18.95 for 4 oz (w) or 113 grams.

Broken down:

  • 113 gm / 3 gm for steeping = 37 brews
  • 37 brews from package = 50.6 cents per brew (4 – 8 oz servings)

After dividing out for 4 servings at 8 oz, the cost per cup is app. 13 cents per 8 oz serving.  This is a fantastic value for this flavor profile.

What do I think this Tea’s Personality is?

“I need to drive to Shipshewana, IN Amish Country to get myself a Blueberry Fried Pie and sit in the car enjoying this with a cup of this brew for full bliss, relaxation and enjoyment.”

Aromas

  • Opening the package, intense aromas of floral, blueberries, lavender, corn flowers and toasted malt greet you. There are notes of cocoa as well.
  • This is followed by hints of ginger, star anise, dried raspberries, eucalyptus, mint, rosemary oil and an overall musty tone.
  • Once brewed, it shows similar characteristics but highly muted (iced tea), but you can easily detect the blueberries and raspberries. The cocoa is more pronounced now.
  • There are also hints of cornflowers, ginger, white pepper, and a dusty tone (hard to describe).

Flavors

  • My first words were WOW. It’s a wonderful blend of berries, lavender, and cocoa.
  • It reminded me of a blueberry pie crust (just the hint of blueberries on the crust itself).
  • This is an off dry brew with the sweetness coming from the blueberries and lower acid levels.
  • It’s exceptionally clean and easy to sip due to the lower acid levels, showing a bit of texture (dust) on the palate .
  • Great medium body and acidity.

Scores

  • Aromas (4.4/5)
  • Flavors (8.3/10)
  • Overall impression (4.3/5)
    • Total score = 85.5 percent (17.1/20)

Foods to Pair and Why

  • This brew screams fresh blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. During this time of year, I tend to grab handfuls at a time to enjoy and this would be a great match.  For an interesting twist, you can drizzle some dark chocolate over the berries.
  • Blueberry fried pies or a blueberry pie with a shortbread crust. Do not forget the dollop of cream.
  • A lovely summer salad with butter lettuce, fresh vegetables (no tomatoes) and some dried berries would be a wonderful complement to this brew.
  • I love summer when I grill salmon over cedar planks for that extra flavor kick. Why not glaze the salmon with a blueberry jam or blackberry BBQ sauce to work with the tea.
  • This one will seem weird, but I know it will work. The brew (maybe the cornflowers) reminds me of fresh peaches.  I would love to infuse a batch of this tea in a simple syrup to sprinkle a bit of the this over the fresh sliced peaches.
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