Orchard Blend

This flavorful berry forward blend taste juicy and amazingly abundant in fruity notes. The berry notes were intertwined with the elderberry and imagine my surprise that although I do not love elderberry, I found this blend to be just lovely. If you are one to shy away from elderberry or hibiscus, I would not count this blend out. While the hibiscus gave it just a hint of tartness, there was also the nuance of grapes that helped round that out with hints of muscatel notes.

This blend brought me to memories of spring and playing outside as a young child and eating blackberries out of my neighbors garden. I use to come home covered in berries and stained my clothes and hands from all the fun we had. My mom would always smile and shake her head at how I managed to get covered head to toe in purple from the berries.

Together these flavor profiles in this blend really elevate it with a nice depth of flavor and well balanced overall. I decided to add some honey to just smooth out that elderberry and hibiscus even more and wow - I really enjoyed this afternoon sip. I added some ice to the second cup and it was just as lovely iced. I decided to cold brew some more for tomorrow.

Orchard Blend
Ingredients: Black Tea, Cherry, Elderberry, Blackberry, Raspberry, Black Currant, Blueberry, Hibiscus Blossoms, Grapes and Natural Flavor.

Tea Review
🍒Hummingbird Tea - Orchard Blend🍒
Gifted for honest review.

Summary:
This vibrant, fruit-forward black tea delivers authentic berry flavor with none of the artificial notes you find in many berry blends. Juicy and slightly sweet with a hint of tartness, it finishes on a crisp, wine-like note that feels more grown-up than your average fruity tea. The hibiscus is beautifully restrained, adding dimension without dominating. Lovely hot or cold, this tea is refreshing like a stroll through a late-summer orchard.

I brewed 2 tsp in 16 oz at 205°F for 4 minutes. Steeping brings out a beautiful auburn liquor and bold aroma of currant, and dark berries. This was a balanced and complex cup, with natural grape and currant front and center. Elderberry and hibiscus add a gentle tartness without overwhelming the blend. Even if you typically avoid hibiscus, this one might surprise you. The finish is slightly dry with a muscatel note, reminiscent of a crisp summer wine. Honey pearls softened the tartness and deepened the berry flavor.
I also made a cold brew with homemade strawberry syrup. It was juicy, smooth, and summery, like berry sangria in a teacup.

Orchard Blend feels like bottling up the best parts of summer. A must-try for fruit tea lovers craving something both juicy and refined.

Opening the package the sweet aroma of berries is forward, almost wine like, with some tart earthy qualities present. I prepared the tea as specified. 1 tsp with10oz hot water (212°) for 4 min. The color was is a lovely deep amber. The first sip was delightful, full of berries and floral notes. After enjoying the whole cup, I best describe it as a well balanced tea. Sweet, tart, floral... All perfectly balanced. A tea that drinks like a glass of wine is always a great thing.

My first time having a Hummingbird blend, and I have to say… wow!!

I couldn’t possibly recommend this tea any more, because with my whole heart (and all my taste buds!), this is one of the best fruity teas I’ve ever had. The one thing I search for in teas, now that my collection is so vast, is the uniqueness factor. Featuring grapes is definitely unique, but what makes it worthy of staying in my collection is that it actually tastes like grapes - grapes! A difficult flavor to capture accurately! And all the other fruits, as well… yes, I taste the cherry, the elderberry, the currants… the raspberry and blueberry are there, definitely… the only thing I don’t taste is the hibiscus - it probably contributes, though, so I don’t mind. I imagine this would also be fabulous iced or cold brewed (I like the latter as it’s a gentler steeping process with less caffeine and less hassle). And I didn’t add anything to it because I thought it was perfect as is!

Though here in the North the images of ripe luscious berries are often synonymous with the late tides of summer, they have always reminded me of Spring.

When the Earth is waking from its slumber and begins to fill its palette with the colors of the first blooms of wildflowers, and the call of the sweet sounds of songbirds fill the air once more.

It’s a time for indulgence and when images of fruit and berry teas fill my mind. There is nothing more that I love than the windows tossed open with a slight breeze dancing so effortlessly with the lace curtains and a pitcher of iced fruit tea gracing my table.

And Orchard Blend from Hummingbird Tea is the perfect accompaniment for those thoughts.

This black tea base is a delectable mix of black tea with cherries, elderberry, blackberry, raspberry black currants and blueberry along with hibiscus blossoms and grapes. It offers a bright and fruity aroma that is not only sweet to the senses but refreshing to the tastebuds.

This is a blend that is perfectly balanced and a treat when prepared both hot or cold.

After preparing mind in 200 degree water and letting it steep for 4 minutes, my first sip was met with the pleasant taste of raspberries mixed with sweeter but slightly acidic notes of cherries along with the deeper extravagance of the black currant.

Its finish is one with a slight dryness to it that dances on the tip of the tongue and offers a clean finish, showcasing its fruity notes. In some ways it reminds me of a crisp white wine with its lovely bouquet.

It pairs ever so beautifully with a piece of dark chocolate or in my case, a piece of clotted cream shortbread. I added some honey crystals which really enhanced the sweetness of the raspberry. Truly delightful.

It is a blend that is a must have for those longer summer days.