Bolla Tea "Frappe"

While shopping recently at Fair Oaks Mall, I decided that I was in need of some nice cold refreshment. I passed up a cup of shaken iced tea lemonade at Starbucks, as well as the many varieties of iced tea at Teavana for something new. I had never been inside Bolla Tea & Co. before, but had admired the teapots in their window before.

The store sells a variety of teapots and tinned teas, and some unusual imported tisanes as well. They have a small pastry display which had some tempting options but I resisted temptation in food form for that in beverage form. As much as I love a nice plain cup of black iced tea, I decided to try a "black tea frappe." They also had lattes and dairy-free blended iced teas, which I decided to save for another day. With some anticipation, I took the first sip. The first sip was absolutely heavenly, although more like dessert than tea. It was similar in texture to a Starbucks Frappuccino, but with a nice strong taste of black Indian tea. It reminded me of a cup of Irish Breakfast heavily sweetened and with milk. Excited, I took another sip. The first few sips remained delicious, but the heavy amount of sugar quickly dulled the taste of the tea and it was too rich to finish, the milk and sugar overpowering the more delicate taste of tea.

Coffee with its bold flavor does very well in a sugary icy concoction. Tea, even the strongest of teas, becomes overwhelmed by too much creaminess. As I drank, I turned the cup around and read Bolla's slogan: "Making tea more enjoyable." I was under the impression that tea was already quite enjoyable, and found that this lessened my enjoyment.

Having said all that, this is not a beverage that I would recommend to a tea connoisseur. However, just as Frappuccinos have pleased millions of non-coffee drinkers, I would recommend this drink to someone who loves rich blended beverages. It was not as cloyingly sweet as Starbucks green tea Frappuccino, but not as enjoyable as the spicier Chai Frappuccino.

Bolla's lattes will have to wait for another day...