I don’t know what a naranquilla is… is it a fruit? From what I’ve been able to gather, it has a fruity flavor, kind of like a peach. And that is in line with what I’m tasting with this tea.
Despite my uncertainty about the naranquilla – this is a really delicious tea! The black tea base is non-aggressive but does not hide itself completely from the palate. It is smooth and mellow tasting and allows the sweeter flavors of this blend to reveal themselves in a most delightful way.
The vanilla in this blend is sweet and probably the most dominate of flavors. It has a creamy note to it that is very delectable. The chocolate is not as strong as I would usually like a chocolate flavor to be in a tea (more chocolate is almost always a better thing!) but, in this blend, the light hint of chocolate works to this tea’s advantage.
As I have also mentioned, there is a fruity flavor to this tea. The maraschino gives it a sort of preserved, candied fruit flavor. Kind of like a candied peach-and-almond flavor and it’s quite yummy – reminds me of one of those special cakey candies you might get in your Easter basket.
Dammann Frères describes this tea as
A delicious blend of China and Ceylon teas, flavoured with vanilla, maraschino, chocolate and naranquilla, embellished with petals of red roses and bluebonnets.
This tea is absolutely spectacular – as are most of the collection from the brothers Dammann. I have not been disappointed yet!
Editorial Note: Dammann Frères has used the German (and most likely, French) spelling of the Naranjilla plant, which is "Naranquilla". However, in the English language, it is Naranjilla, a South American fruit which has a citrus flavor sometimes described as a cross between rhubarb and lime. ~ TRB Editor
Comment by August 19, 2010 @ 7:42 pm
liber-teas said:
Steph: Thank you for your information about the naranquilla. I didn’t find the flavor to be very tart at all – which is what I would have expected from the combination of lime and rhubarb. Perhaps the maraschino sweetened it up a bit and made it much more peach-like. It reminded me a bit of candied apricots or peaches.
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