While I have returned to the UK this week I brought back some leaf tea from Germany with me.
Pictured is a delightful tea shop in the Arkaden at Potsdamer Platz. The staff were friendly and happily let me peruse their selection of teas which all have samples in little glass jars for your nose's pleasure.
The tea I chose to purchase smelled amazing - Blueberry Muffin tea :)
Brewing
Despite not being able to read German I have been able to ascertain that this tea should be brewed for between 2 and 4 minutes. I, as usual, preferred to brew it for longer. I decided to try the tea with and without milk as I was unable to determine the suggested course of action because of the language barrier.
Colour
A nice light brown which looks good with or without milk.
Aroma
There is a very strong smell of blueberry muffin which is almost overpowering in the bag. However when brewed the aroma is still present (and still lovely) but weaker. A good compromise I think.
Taste
In a similar vein to the sticky toffee flavoured tea from Whittard's this tea has a normal taste while the aroma provides a pleasant experience :)
I found that adding milk was my preferred choice for drinking this tea.
Cakes!
While I actually enjoyed this tea with a prototype cake (more on that after a tea party I have planned) I did also visit some friends this week (a delightful couple should you ever meet them). Their cake offering was an apricot flan with a good balance of sweetness (not too sweet as is common) and nice shortcrust pastry - lovely :)
Conclusion
German tea is definitely in a more than acceptable state, at least within Berlin.
Web-link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_culture#Germany
- Good elsewhere too it would seem!
See you all next week!
P.S. The Riots
I strongly support the movement to drink tea in protest of the rioting in England currently. Show your support to our police forces, firemen and volunteers!