“Found something for you on the way home from work”, said Mrs. Teaist. “Wondered if it might come in handy for Thursday”.

“Thursday” was the upcoming Swedish National Day, and my beloved had come across something that she thought might be suitable for a teahead to celebrate the event with.

She then presented me with a 75 cl bottle containing a beverage named Blå (Blue), a product of the Copenhagen Sparkling Tea Company, who are, as they say in their own words, “…essentially what the name says: We are a Copenhagen-based company and we produce Sparkling Tea.“, which they describe as a “…somewhat new type of beverage…”

More specifically, Blå is “…our non-alcoholic tea and also the most complex to produce. It contains 13 different organic teas, of which three of them are the fine white teas, which gives it a signature softness and elegance. With its high complexity and long taste, it is an excellent choice as an aperitif, or to accompany starters, light main courses and most desserts. The main ingredients are organic green, white, black and herbal teas combined with a base of grape juice and a dash of organic lemon juice.”

The front of bottle label states that the main teas used are Jasmine, white tea, and Darjeeling.

After giving the bottle a couple of days to chill in the fridge, it was time to crack it open and take a sip or three.

The cork came out with a hearty pop!, and after filling up a champagne glass, I stuck my beak in and had a good sniff.

The aroma was a heady blend of all the flowery fragrances the component teas are known for. The overall effect was very nearly intoxicating, like being pushed through the door of a florists at opening time.

The bubbles bopped and boogied around the inside of my mouth as I savoured my first sip. There was a wonderful sweetness here, reminiscent of childhood candy “Love Hearts“, but it was hard to tease apart the source of this, i.e. was its origin the tea blend or the added grape juice?

That sweetness was nicely balanced by a hint of sour, but once again it was hard to place. Was it the natural tartness from the leaves used, or the lemon juice?

Either way, this is, when all is said and done, an extremely well crafted beverage, with all the component parts working together in perfect harmony. It comes then as no surprise when you read that the “…mastermind behind Sparkling Tea,” Jacob Kocemba, is “…an award-winning sommelier.”

If I had one criticism it would be that it might have been nice to have had a little more of the “tea-iness” poking through – a dash of sweet hay from the whites, a pinch of malt from the Darjeeling, a tiny hint of dry astringency.

Summer is home to at least two momentous parties in Sweden – Midsommer (mid-summer) later this month, and the ubiquitous Kräftfest (crayfish party) in August. I think I just might have to have a bountiful cargo of Blå in stock for each of these dos…

One thing this beverage has done is set my mind wondering down the experimental path again. I’ve started thinking about taking a batch of cold-brew and giving it a walk through our Soda Stream. Hmmmmm…

Watch this space, etc.