Review: Mango & Strawberry - Dilmah

Tea Info
Type: Flavored Black
Producer: Dilmah Australia
Origin/Base: Ceylon
Brewing Parameters: 1 tea bag, 100°C,  3-5 minutes, 220 ml H2O
Appearance: Standard white/bleached paper tea bag with black tea fannings.
Rating: C | 74/100
# of Brews: 1

Tasting Notes and Thoughts
Wow! Long time since my last review. I'm reviewing a bagged tea today because I've actually reviewed everything else, and I'm saving money for now (even though I made $700 off the science fair, I just bought a ticket to prom and a set of fencing gear for sabre fencing). This tea is from my mom, who got it in Philippines.

Both dried and brewed, this tea smells a lot like fruit rollups– you know, that sweet, artificial strawberry flavor. I can't really notice the mango at all. As for the color, the tea brewed up very dark, reddish brown in only three minutes. I followed the brewing parameters, and to be honest, it's kind of shit. It's pretty bitter, with the fruity, medicinal taste following. Again, I couldn't taste the mango at all. In the back of the tongue, there's a sort of biting tart flavor that lingers. Unlike most black teas from Ceylon, this isn't earthy or chocolatey or anything at all; it's just bitter and a bit astringent. Maybe adding some milk and honey will work?

Well, milk and honey improved it only a slight bit. Milk does a pretty good job at masking the bitter taste, and complements the artificial fruit pretty well. Overall, it's passable with milk and a decent amount of honey. I'd recommend it as a daily drink or a tea to drink with people who usually don't drink tea.

Other Notes
Welp, yesterday I broke that small tea pot I recently got– I was cleaning it, and the lid tapped the handle, and the handle just snapped off. Also, I got rejected from both SIMR and the Arthritis Foundation internships. Oh well, shit happens.

Other reviews I have coming up the pipeline are Trader Joe's English Breakfast, Irish Breakfast, and Earl Grey, Touch Organic Green Tea, Red Sun Japan Green Tea, Twinings Lemon & Ginger Tea, and a few more. All of these are bagged teas.