Tea Review: Raspberry Mint Hard Tea by Jiant

 A week or so ago, I was in the Trader Joe's beer and wine section when I saw a variety pack of what is being marketed as "hard tea".  I was, needless to say, intrigued.

So I bought myself a few packs with different flavors, and this is the first of them.  Raspberry Mint.  Honestly, I was afraid when I popped this open that it was going to smell like kombucha.  I have yet to smell a kombucha that doesn't remind me of dirty socks - and I can't stand the taste of any of them either.

So, it was with great delight that when I sniffed this as I poured it into a glass, that it smelled nothing of kombucha!  If anything, it smells slightly like beer or maybe cider would be a better correlation on the aroma profile.  What I didn't smell was the mint - which was a surprise.

Also a surprise was the color.  I just wasn't expecting such a pinkish berry color!  Keemun is a pretty dark black tea the way that I brew it, so I was honestly expecting this to have a darker tea color. 

Expectations aside, this was a darn tasty beverage!  It reminded me a lot of a framboise lambic, which isn't at all surprising when you think about it - but it was like a framboise lambic without the hoppy flavour that I so dislike - again, this makes sense when you think about it.  Still, I didn't really get the mint except on the finish and the way that the mint killed the aftertaste that comes with all fermented drinks - and I have to admit, that was nice.

Bottom line:  I would get this again.  It's a pleasant alternative to beer.