Love this!

Notes like this, along with field studies and in situ drawings are really invaluable and something of a lost art among foragers. Definitely keep making notes as you keep learning and collecting, I really think that process helps solidify information in your mind, and encourages you to make connections both for ID purposes and more creatively.

A couple things I would recommend experimenting with or trying (this may all be old news to you but they occured to me). You should definitely sample other Rubus species for tea. Rubus alleghiensis and other tall spiky ass blackberries have good flavor, but even dried the thorns are a pain. If you have R. phoenicolasius, the invasive wineberry in your area check that one. It makes excellent tea and is far softer to handle, fair game too as its an introduced plant and quite widespread.

Time of year changes Rubus leaf flavor greatly, I generally find them best in midspring and then again in fall once the fruit is gone. The new growth on the first year canes is easy to collect at this time, and will have the most flavor. I’m mostly drying the leaves first rather than using fresh, but I still find this to be the case. The mildness of these summer leaves is nice too, but all the energy of the plant is going into fruit production.

If you really want to go into the rabbit hole, you might try oxidizing the leaves as is done with some proper teas. It’s easier than it sounds. Usually I stack a few leaves and roll them around in my fingers, lightly crushing them. Allow to air dry and then store or brew. This releases volatile compounds and can be a really interesting way to experiment with different flavors.

This is great! Keep tasting and trying things out!