Sorry Twinings, This One's Lost On Me. (Twinings Blackcurrant, Ginseng and Vanilla)

Member Name: Mask_and_Mirror

Product:	Twinings Blackcurrant, Ginseng and Vanilla
Date:	18/08/09 (44 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: It's nice, it's inexpensive, healthy and natural.

Disadvantages: Not one of Twinings' best, the combination is a little unbalanced

After having been mildly dissapointed by the Cranberry, Raspberry and Elderflower infusion by Twinings last week, I am slightly more tentative about trying this one.

The first thing I noticed was how many more ingredients this blend has than most of Twinings' others, and how far down in the list the three main flavours are. The bag smells interestingly tea-like, but when boiling water is added, the juicy fragrance of blackcurrant comes to the fore. The vanilla is present but mild. I'm not really sure what ginseng should smell like, but there is little else obvious in the scent.

On tasting, the blackcurrant is definitely the most prominent flavour. The blend is less sweet than I expected, and I shall be adding half a teaspoon of honey to my next cup. It's a little bitter actually. The vanilla is even more subtle in flavour than in scent. The box promises a 'subtle spice flavour', and it certainly delivers this; I only wish it were a little less subtle. There is liquorice root in this too, and there is a slight taste of this in the background. The overall taste is also dry and, to be honest, a little flat. This is nice enough, but not a flavour I will be buying again. I prefer the blackcurrant and mint.

Ginseng is supposedly very good for you in various ways, but there really isn't a lot of it here and Twinings don't claim any health benefits on the box. As always it's caffeine free and made with all natural ingredients. And always remember to follow the odd, ubiquitous product warning: "Enjoy Twinings Infusions as part of a balanced, varied diet and a healthy lifestyle".

Or don't. However good their teas may be, they're not the boss of you.

Summary: A nice enough drink, but overshadowed by Twinings' better products.