Fruity Teas
Someone I know once told me that tea tastes like wet leaves. Touche, essentially tea is the water that wet leaves are soaked in. This does not mean that tea is destined to taste like the leaves from the tree in front of your house are tossed in a cup of hot water. Flavored teas are teas that are usually made with a base of black tea, with some flavor added to them.
Fruity teas are among the most common teas to find. They can be found in hot and iced varieties. Lipton Peach iced tea is one of the most common flavored iced teas on the market. If you are health conscious and a label reader- beware though- many of the flavored teas out there contain additives and artificial sweeteners that are not natural or healthy. Finding a naturally flavored and sweetened iced tea with fruit flavor can be a pretty big challenge.
Simply perusing the tea aisle at the local grocery store will open your eyes to a myriad of choices in flavored teas. There are some teas in which the fruit flavor overpowers the tea flavor. The only way to find one that suits you is to try them. Which can get expensive- buying 10 or more boxes of tea to try a cup of it and decide if it is something you like? Not only expensive- but wasteful also. One alternative is to go to a tea bar and sample the teas kind of like a wine tasting. All flavored teas are different of course, so the tea that is orange flavored at the tea bar is not necessarily reflective of all orange-flavored tea, but at least it offers some guidance.
As a rule, even flavored teas have more flavor and more subtle notes than bagged teas. Of course, they are more labor-intensive and can be more expensive. Personally when I find a tea that I like- I will tend to splurge on it and use it as an incentive or reward for making it through a busy or stressful time.
