五味子

The five-flavour thing is real — sweet, sour, salty, bitter all at once, which I didn't expect from a dried berry. I've been steeping a spoonful in hot water most evenings and it's become a nice little ritual.

I've been adding a small handful of these berries to my evening tea for a couple weeks and the tart-sweet taste has grown on me. The dried berries themselves look clean and intact, no dusty powder at the bottom of the bag like I've gotten elsewhere.

The five-flavour thing sounded gimmicky until I actually tasted it — sour, salty, sweet, bitter and pungent all at once, which is weirdly pleasant in tea. Berries arrived plump and dry, not dusty or crumbled, and I've been steeping a few every evening for the past three weeks.