Jun 17
Review: Cupteavity Berlin Mix
Cupteavity, Herbal Tea, Rooibos Tea, Rose Tea, Vanilla Tea Add commentsGeoff’s Teaview Snapshot
 | "This tasted strikingly similar to a rose-flavored black tea. Not as astringent as that comparison, but there."
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My knowledge of geography - for lack of a better word - sucks. Information about other cultures is a little better, but that depends on the culture. I could tell you what Japan is like in exhaustive detail, mostly from movie references. Ireland, same. Germany, well...I don't know the first thing about Germany. Except what I've garnered from The History Channel, WWII, and Oktoberfest haufbrauhauses. Hardly a referential treasure trove there.So it is of great surprise to me to find a tisane blend that brandishes "Berlin" as a part of its title. I never knew Germany had anything to do with tea. This being a rooibos blend as well, I thought South Africa was colonized by the English and Dutch. Not the "Deutsche". I'm sure there's a good reason for the moniker, but I can barely think of one.
Enough about my lack of scholasticism, on with the tea! Type-thingy.
The Cupteavity site described this as a blend of vanilla, rose and rooibos. A "romantic" blend. Well, on first sniff, romance hardly came to mind. Rather, I instantly envisioned vanilla-rose pudding. However, I love pudding, so I suppose that would count as somewhat of a romance. Right?
I noticed red chunks amidst the rooibos flakes. Some lighter shades were present as well. I gathered those were the bits of vanilla that gave me the urge to eat it.
I brewed 2 teaspoons in 16 oz. of boiling water for five minutes; my usual. The Cupteavity site didn't give specifics, which is okay. I managed.
The infusion was a deep red, par for course for a rooibos. Nothing special. It had a nutty, herbal scent with rose petal layers, only a hint of vanilla towards the end. This tasted strikingly similar to a rose-flavored black tea. Not as astringent as that comparison, but there. Overall, though, I felt it was sort of lacking. Rooibos and rose just aren't a match made in heaven, and the vanilla doesn't show up as much of a sandwich. Still an okay cup, though.
— To purchase Cupteavity Berlin Mix, or for more specific information on ingredients or the story behind this particular blend, click here to go directly to the manufacturer's web site.
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Geoff Teaviews.com Reviewer » Read more about this reviewer on Geoff's profile page. » Find a list of recent posts by Geoff. |
June 17th, 2009 at 5:06 pm
Hey, don’t forget about TeaGschwendner. Where outside of Germany can you pack that many consonants together and have the word roll off your tongue like…um…a bulldozer???? I was just reading that the Germans are THE big time purchasers of the first flush darjeelings when they come out, too.
June 17th, 2009 at 9:13 pm
Yep, you’re right. I completely forgot about them. Here I was just referring to specific blend types. Y’know, like “Earl Grey” permanently associated with Great Britain. At least now I feel a bit more edumacated.
June 18th, 2009 at 8:51 am
True, true, there isn’t really a Herr Glockenspiel or Fraulein First Flush, is there?
February 20th, 2010 at 4:20 pm
a part of germany that is known for drinking tea is east frisia. berlin? it does sound strange.