La Fidelia

Oh Steepster, you fussy old beast! I keep getting error/timed out pages when I try to do anything here, so I’m back to writing my notes elsewhere and pasting them so I don’t lose them when the beast throws a fit and reloads a page, dumping all I wrote.

This tea is described in a way that would make me think it’s trying to be an EG. I assume that with anything that has bergamot. It took me a few sips before I was able to clearly detect the berg. I was getting this mellow hint of smokiness. It was dark and moderately heavy without being too heavy. When I sip on, the berg comes out and brightens the sip and is then followed by light smoke in the finish. I don’t know what Peruvian herbs they added to this, but it has an interesting flavor.

Sipping on this makes me think of the art gallery store where I found this tea in Lima. It wasn’t long ago, but I think I’m ready for another out of country adventure. If only I could live a life of frequent vacations!

Went to Peru recently. Not much in the way of tea culture, being a more coffee focused culture, but I did find a couple of brands in Lima and was able to buy some individual sachets.
This tea has the faint hint of spices. It reminded me of the Peruvian drink Chicha Morada, which is purple corn, pineapple and spices.
When I take a sip I’m greeted with some of those spices with some fruitiness. A touch of hibiscus, but not overpowering. Almost a light mulled wine taste. It quickly shifts into something darker in the finish. Almost ash like. Almost alkaline, but not. Almost smoky, but not quite. It’s strange, but not unpleasant and I can’t figure out how I feel about it. I only got one sachet of each of the blends and I’m hoping to get a second steep out of this cold overnight.

Editing to add that I like it cold steeped. It’s heavy on the clove with a little tartness. The finish is much different… brighter and a little fruity. I wouldn’t mind a pitcher of this iced in the summer!