Black Forest Berry (Honest Tea)

Tuesday is Iced Tea Review day!

Over the past couple months I have really grown to enjoy iced tea. From black tea bases to greens and herbals… most any well blended tea can be brewed for consumption hot or iced. This ready to drink herbal/tisane bottled beverage from Honest Tea comes just short of proving this rule to be true.

From the outset you can tell this blend will be fruity. I’m only speaking visually here… no label counted in. The deep berry red, almost that of a dark sour cherry, screams of fruity deliciousness.

Like most of Honest Teas‘ beverages this Black Forest Berry is made from certified organic and fair trade hibiscus leaves as well as organic fruits, fruit flavors and powders. Remember also that Honest Tea offsets their carbon usage, as a good citizen of the organic community would.

The aroma from this bottle of berry goodness smells very sweet. While I caught clear hibiscus scents… I also found light notes of raspberry to be present. All this added up to a wonderful aroma reminding heavily of pomegranate.

A bit of a mismatch with the aroma, the flavors were quite subdued. I found this beverage to be a bit watered down (diluted) and without much of a tail. Just a twinge of sour and strawberry hint a the real promise this drink shows.

I expected something slightly bolder and with more berry flavor. I feel duped by the aroma this specific beverage gave me being so different than the taste. While this is sometimes nice to have in a more traditional hot tea… in an iced tea I find it a disappointment. That isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy this tea. But I do feel its shortcomings to be remedial.

I would recommend this Black Forest Berry from Honest Tea to anyone who enjoys herbal teas (tisanes), fruit juices, iced teas, flavored teas, caffeine-free beverages and fruit in general.