Spring arrives in the cup before you'd guess it from the leaf: ripe raspberry and blackcurrant first, then a run of honeyed sweetness, and underneath it a cool, herby lift from peppermint. This is a flavoured China black tea, built on a Chinese black base and finished with natural raspberry, blackcurrant and elderberry flavouring alongside peppermint and nettle. The fruit and honey notes sit up front; the peppermint and herbs come in after, so the cup opens sweet and finishes clean rather than sharp.
Tea & Coffee packs it to order at its factory in Kent, so what arrives has usually only just been bagged. It's a black tea people reach for as a seasonal pick, though there's nothing stopping you drinking it through the year — the lemon and berry character reads as easily on a grey morning as a bright one.
For brewing, use freshly drawn water just off the boil, around 95–100°C, and about a teaspoon of leaf per 200ml cup. Steep loose leaf in a pot or infuser for three to five minutes: shorter for something lighter and more delicate, longer if you want the fruit and malt to come through more strongly. Strain into the cup, and a slice of lemon or a spoon of honey both work well against the berry sweetness. Once opened, keep the tea in an airtight container away from light and heat — not the fridge or freezer, where moisture gets in and dulls the flavour over time.
Black tea has long been drunk as a source of antioxidants, and regular drinkers sometimes credit it with supporting heart health, though that's a traditional association rather than a guarantee, and it's worth checking with a doctor before treating any tea as part of a health regimen.