Too bad Citrus Berry is advertised as "LIMITED TIME" on its Trader Joe's web page, because this is a keeper. This tea is powerful and unpretentious, and that's how I like 'em. I might have to grab a few more boxes next time I go. It's hard to beat the value too, at only a little over a dime a bag.

TJ's teas span the spectrum from great to terrible, and this one scores a home run—indeed, tied for the highest rating I've given one of their teas. [It's also refreshing to finally come across a tea deserving a premium rating after quite the dry spell of mostly mediocre to decent ones.] The first clue was when I smelled the tea outside the box, thinking one of the wrappings might be partly opened...and none were. The next was opening the box (of individually wrapped, string-and-tag teabags in clear plastic) and the smell got stronger than many unwrapped bags of any tea. Then upon ripping the wrapper off, it smelled like a fruit-punch version of Pez candy, but with some herbs tossed in.

Basically this is a hibiscus-anchored "Zinger" style fruit/herbal tea, but at least twice as strong in aroma and in-cup flavor, and without the sometimes offputting tartness that accompanies Celestial's line of that name. Each first sip, or first sip in a couple minutes, is an explosion of fruitiness, quite true to the "jammy" nature advertised onsite. The palpable presence of a lot of authentic fruity stuff (orange peel, lemongrass, actual dried strawberries and apples, licorice root, and blackberry leaves) seems to impart enough sweetness to negate a lot of the hibiscus' sour tendencies, which makes this work and work well. It reminds me of the more glorious descriptions I've seen of the old Teavana fruit/herbal blends, but in a more potent, concentrated form, and much better priced.

The only deduction at all is due to some noticeable loss of flavor if sipping too soon after the previous sip. However, it still comes back in the aftertaste, and slowly drinking this tea maximizes the experience. Even the wet-bag aroma is cheery and joyful—a mild fruit potpourri.

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