514 Tasting Notes
Thank you for the sample GiggleGoddess
I’m now discovering that white teas can have quite a range of flavor profiles. This one is quite nice, but not my favorite. It is similar to White Symphony from Adagio, having obvious hay and barley notes. I like this one better than White Symphony though as that one took the horse-food flavors a bit too far. This one also has a sweeter aroma (like honey), but it doesn’t come out in the flavor much.
Preparation
Another steal from my mothers RoT stash. I drink mate blends when I happen to have easy access to one, but it’s not a tisane I’ll actively seek out.
The can doesn’t have all the powdery cocoa that it warns about on the outside. I think they may have changed the formula a bit as older reviews on the RoT website describe it as being more powdery in the can.
I used just one bag and didn’t fill my mug all the way, but I probably should have used two bags. I steeped it for 7 minutes and it is a bit watery. The flavor, albeit weak, is alright: like un-sweeteened chocolate and roasted mate. It’s not a replacement for hot cocoa. If you need a serious chocolate fix, look elsewhere.
Preparation
My mother went out of town to take an injured baby bunny to a wildlife vet (my sister’s cat got to it) and she stopped at a natural food store there and bought a few different RoT cans; mostly bagged as that is what they had available (it’s not a really big store).
I took samples of each to try myself, this being one of them. Not sure about the honeysuckle flavor, it’s kind of unusual. I don’t know if it’s the flavor alone or how it blends with the white tea that bothers me. The first few sips were alright, but the more I drink, the more the strange hay-sweet flavor seems to build up and offend my taste buds.
Preparation
The honeysuckle on our road just bloomed yesterday. I love it. The scent reminds me of sweetened jasmine. I love white tea as well. I can’t imagine the combination being anything but fabulous. Then again I have never had a RoT that overly impressed me. Their bags tend to contain about half the tea needed for a cup and what little dust there is can’t overcome the paper bag. I may pick up a tin just to see.
The honeysuckle on my back fence is also blooming, & probably all over the neighborhood, as the air is thick with it’s sweetness, which I don’t mind. Sadly, the air is also thick with tree, grass (especially), & now weed pollens.
@K S: It really wasn’t bad for a tea bag, I don’t think. It’s just the honeysuckle white tea blend that doesn’t work for me personally. My mother was smelling in the tin all last night in pure bliss (don’t know if she’s brewed any yet though), so it might be just fine for you.
Swapped with GiggleGoddess for this one. Huckleberries remind me of Montana, which reminds me of home (Montana will always be home to me), so I had to try this tea.
This tea has a very strong and malty black base. The huckleberry flavor is very slight, just enough to add a touch of sweetness to the tea. This is perfectly alright with me.
My husband on the other hand, does not like this tea. He says he can’t detect the berry flavor and that it tastes like unsweetened Lipton to him. I don’t think he’s tried (m)any other black teas, so Lipton is his only grounds for comparison. I’m also pretty sure that he has impaired taste and smell. His teas need to be loud and flavorful. He used to drink Lipton iced tea with a pound of sugar (according to southern tradition) and since being introduced to other teas through me, he favors strong cinnamon, mint and various overly-flavored varieties. After drinking this tea for a while, he added that it was bitter and acidic. I’m not too surprised by our difference of opinion. I like me an acidic cup of dark roast coffee and he has to ‘pollute’ his with a bunch of creamer. yuck! So it’s no wonder that our taste for tea matches accordingly :)
ETA: I suggested to him that he try adding milk to it, but he says that milk/cream doesn’t work for him in tea the way it does in coffee. Oh well.
Preparation
I must have a high tolerance for bitterness (unless its a green tea) because this isn’t bitter to me at all. I tried it both hot and cold. I think I like hot better (iced tea is just too much a southern concept for me). I brought the chilled portion to my parents house this evening for all to sample. My father described it in an unusual way: “tastes like tea that used to be hot, but now its cold.” Gee, that’s really descriptive and enlightening, thanks Papa! Everyone else thought it tasted like a fruit punch without the extra sweet (though I did add a little rock sugar). I think it tastes like a melted ice pop. My husband, of course, loves it. I could take it or leave it. All these fruity tisanes are plenty drinkable, but I’d probably pass on purchasing more if my husband didn’t like them (except for the Hibiscus, I like that one. . .not a fruit, but still).
ETA: Yikes, I forgot to thank BrewTEAlly Sweet for this sample. So, saying it now, thank you! :)
Preparation
I’m not sure about this tea yet. There’s nothing unpleasant about it, but maybe I don’t like the lemongrass so much. It’s sweet in a natural sort of way (the honeybush I suppose) and it tastes mostly lemony, but not tart (considering that there is hibiscus in it too).
Tisanes apart from rooibos are a fairly new direction for me. I will probably always prefer tea above all else, but as my husband seems to be liking these fruity tisanes quite a bit, I will likely partake in a few more cups of them than I would otherwise. Besides, I shouldn’t be turning down so many healthy possibilities.
Thank you for this one BrewTEAlly Sweet :)
Preparation
I brewed the last on my sample of hibiscus from BrewTEAlly Sweet with a teaspoon of rock sugar and put it in the fridge to chill before dinner. I have never been a fan of iced teas, but cold hibiscus, lightly sweetened, pretty good. I stopped drinking juice with my meals long ago because I hated the concept of drinking calories. I’d rather anything with significant calories spend some decent time in my mouth before it does it’s damage, haha (I do actually drink half a cup of juice before the gym sometimes, when I am in a hurry in the morning and need something to keep the blood sugars in check. . .but I digress). Iced hibiscus could be just the thing I need when I want something besides water with dinner :)
Hibiscus. I’ve heard more scary stories about this stuff than about Lapsang Souchong (and let me tell you, that stuff is nasty). A tea I would have never considered getting for myself, but thank goodness for these mystery swaps that prevent me from getting to comfortable in my safe zone. I originally got some Hibiscus from cheetah_pita, but I somehow managed to lose that one. This one is from BrewTEAlly Sweet and I got around to brewing it before it could be lost.
Here it goes, brewing up this notorious tea:
http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h353/flightysprite/Tea/hibiscusbrewing_zps94e9927d.jpg
Cup of scary hibiscus, even Cassie is wary:
http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h353/flightysprite/Tea/CassieHibiscus_zpsa649bf42.jpg
And what do you know, all that scare for nothing. Tastes like cranberry juice, more or less. Nothing wrong with a little tart fruit once in a while! Even my husband loves it. He says it’s a ‘98’ (he won’t ever give a 100 for some ocd reason). I don’t quite love it that much, but I’ll be keeping some in stock from now on.
Thanks BrewTEAlly Sweet!
Preparation
I have a TON of this if you ever want to swap :)
Your puppy is so darling!
@BrewTEAlly Sweet: yeah, of course. I don’t have much to swap with at the moment (unless you want 2oz of Mango Tango that Im trying to get rid of), but I’ll let you know in a week or two.
@moraiwe: yes, the sweetest face of my 4 dogs and the most trouble! My other three are lazy lap dogs and she is a hyper cutie. She’s all covered in mud today (again) from running like a tornado through all the puddles that the sprinkler left behind. Good thing she has that cute face!! (^o^)
This tea is quite alright. Smells good, tastes good. I like the plum notes. My favorite so far from BrewTEAlly Sweet
ETA: I had another cup of this one this morning and it tasted artificially sweet. I didn’t notice this the first time. Maybe this is because I was sampling two other teas at the same time and my taste was compromised. Oh well. Better this way anyway as I can’t order this one online.
