Lipton Bavarian Wild Berry Black Tea

 "Sweet and indulgent, Lipton Bavarian Wild Berry Tea tantalizes the senses with its vibrant flavor and tobust aroma. Our long-cut tea is handpicked from only the top two leaves and a bud and packaged in our unique pyramid-shaped bags that allow the tea to flow freely with real pieces of fruit for a truly authentic tea infusion. Savor the flavor of 100 years' tea expertise in every cup.

Lipton Bavarian Wild Berry Tea contains 90mg per serving of naturally protective antioxidants (flavonoid antioxidants). Antioxidants help to neutralize free-radicals." -Lipton

Ingredients: Black Tea, Dried Fruit Pieces (Apple, Blackberry, Black Currant, Blueberry), Rosehips, Roasted Chicory Root, Cinnamon Bark, Licorice Root, Orange and Ginger Peels, and Natural Flavors.

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First off, Lipton nor Black Tea are my teas of choice normally. Lipton tends to taste...cheap and weak. Normally the only thing 'Lipton' that enters this tea lover's cup is overly sweeted Iced Tea (and only because that's how the hubby likes his tea). I also tend to dislike most black tea blends. It's just too strong for me. Not to mention the caffeine. Black Tea does have the most caffeine amount of all the tea leaves.

In some countries, black tea is known as 'red' tea because of the color it turns the water. While not obviously red as rooibos, it is a pretty shade of red. The term 'black tea' is because of the color of the leaves, not the color it turns the water, where as rooibos is red tea because of the color of the leaves and the water. Also, because of how long it is oxidized, it is the most well traveled tea. Some say it still accounts for 90% of all tea drank around the world because it can be stored for several years in brick form without losing it's flavor. Some of the most well known teas are black teas: Earl Grey, English Breakfast, and Irish Breakfast are all black teas.

And even though I tend not to like Lipton, it is the largest producer of black tea in the world. Black tea is probably the only tea I recommend from Lipton.

The only reason I even have this tea being steeped in my cup is because it's surprisingly good and it was one sale at the local grocery store. Also, because it's a pyramid bag. Most companies that take the time to put a tea in a pyramid bag tend to be trying to redeem themselves and since it does cost more to make the pyramid bags, the tea is usually slightly better quality.

The shape of the bag allows better flow for the tea. The old, flat bags keep the tea stuck at the bottom and it's hard to get the water to flow through the leaves. Pyramid bags allow the leaves and pieces to float around and flavor the tea better.

Anyway...this tea is surprisingly good. Not great and I've certainly tasted better berry teas, but not bad for the price and brand. The smell is probably the best thing about it. The cinnamon bark scent is not overpowering at all, nor is the licorice root. It's a very strong scented tea, even after taking the tea bag out it lingers in the cup. The thing I seem to smell the most is the blackberry. It really smells fresh, which is a very good sign. Because of the berries and the orange (which is a citrus fruit) peel, it's not nearly as bitter as most non-blended black tea. I find that adding any kind of citrus to black tea helps to cut that puckery taste.

If you follow the directions on the box, which is add hot water to tea bag and cup, steep for 3 minutes...you'll have a nice cup of tea. It's warm and very nice to smell. A properly brewed cup will have a clear, red-orange color. You should be able to see the bottom of your cup (unless it's a black cup or big mug). It's not shiny or glossy like the rooibos blend that I have.

The taste is...meh. It's not great, but it's not bad. It doesn't have much of a taste when you first drink it, but it leaves a nice after taste on your tongue. Again, all I can really taste is the berries, mainly the blackberry. It's a nice soft tasting tea without much of a bite. I'd use this as more of a pick me up in the mornings because of the caffeine content and light flavor since I can't stand overly bitter black tea in the morning. The very light taste really just leaves me wanting for more while sipping it so close to noon. I'm tempted to dump it and get a glass of soda or brew a more flavorful tea.

Overall, not bad and not great. Kind of a middle ground tea. Probably something I would keep in the cabinet for when you have last minute company who like tea. It's simple, not fancy, and won't overpower any little snacks or treats you leave out for your guests. Not something I would brew everyday or even on a special occasion. More of something I would brew when I have a lack or time to mess with loose leaf and the tea ball. I also think it would taste better iced, so I might revisit it when I get around to iced teas.

What is Tea?

Most people don't know the difference between white, green, black, and oolong tea. Rooibos is even stranger on it's own! Other than taste and color, most people probably couldn't tell you very much about these teas. Strangely enough, all these teas (except rooibos) are harvested from the same plant. The Camellia sinensis. The difference between these teas have to do with how much oxidation the leaf in question goes through. Not to go into too much detail about oxidation, but the simplest terms are: Oxidation is the loss of electrons or an increase in oxidation state by a molecule, atom, or ion.

On a small side note, we also have 'Kukicha' which is twig tea and made from the stems and twigs of the camellia rather than the leaves.

For those that have never seen a 'tea plant', here is a nice picture:



It's a beautiful plant and if you ever get the chance to actually handle one, I highly recommend it. To get an idea of how big one plant is...the flower is usually about 2-4 centimeters with about 7-8 petals. The leaves are about 4-5 centimeters long and about 2-5 centimeters wide, and contain about 4% caffeine. As for height, they can grow higher than six feet and are considered a tree or a shrub.

White tea is taken from the buds and younger leaves. It's allowed to wither naturally in the sun light before placed through production to prevent further oxidation. White tea also tends to contain more of the natural 'goodness' that is in tea. White tea also contains less caffeine than other teas (with the exception of rooibos).

Green tea leaves are just barely more developed than white tea and put through the bare minimum of oxidation. This gives it that 'bitter' taste people associate it with. Unless specifically stated on the packaging, green tea contains caffeine.The amount varies per cup and how many leaves you use and such, but a good way to judge is the average serving of brewed coffee contains 145 mg of caffeine, the same serving size of green tea provides 25 mg. That isn't perfectly right, but it's about as close as you can get. The average serving would be an 8oz cup.

Black tea is a very highly oxidized tea. More so than white, green, and oolong. It also contains the most caffeine. Despite it being called a 'black' tea, the color is actually a rich reddish color. Strange since rooibos is the 'red tea'. Where green tea tends to lose it's flavor after sitting on the shelf for a year or so, black tea travels and sits much better. It can hold it's flavor for several years of shelf life. This makes it one of the most widely traveled teas (in the past and before better shipping methods emerged). Some of the most well known tea blends are made from black tea. Such as Earl Grey, English Breakfast, and Irish Breakfast. If green tea provides about 25 mg of caffeine per average serving, black tea provides about 45-60 mg; so this is not the tea for people trying to avoid caffeine.

Oolong tea is withered under a strong sun and then highly oxidized to get it's flavor and 'curled' look. It is one of the only teas that you can use the same leaves more than once. Most teas lose much of their flavor after the first brew, but oolong can be used 2-4 times and still maintain much of the flavor. While it's hard to pin point how much caffeine is in oolong, it is less than black and green tea.

Another, strange, tea is Pu-erh tea. I've never tasted this tea before, but I've seen it and plan on tasting it sometime in the future. The strange thing about this tea is that it's compacted very tightly into a ball. It's sometimes called 'dark tea'. While with other teas you just want to heat the water, not boil it, with Pu-erh you have to boil the water. Since many forms of Pu-erh are sold in brick or large ball form, you'll need a knife/letter opener/pu'er knife to pry chunks off.  Or you can steam it and flake pieces off for brewing.

Rooibos is one of the only teas not made from the Camellia plant. It is grown in South Africa and considered the 'red bush' or 'red tea'. It is also considered an herbal tea. Rooibos comes in two specific types. Red and Green. Red is more easily produced and oxidized, while the Green is unoxidized and much harder to produce (it's produced much like green tea is and is more expensive than the 'red'). It is commonly drank with a slice of lemon  and sugar or honey to sweeten. Though many do drink it naturally because it is said to have a sweet, nutty flavor on it's own. The color of natural rooibos tea is a beautiful, deep amber color. This is also one of the only teas I've had to fight with. The fine, needle like leaves slip through even my mesh tea ball. I had to wrap it in cheese cloth and stuff it into my tea ball. Rooibos is also naturally caffeine free!

Rooibos Plant:



Well...I've rambled on long enough. I hope some people found this informative.

~Teacup Fairy