Republic of Tea

Very tasty black tea. You can really taste the blueberry and strawberry, but the fruitiness is not overwhelming. Balances nicely with the black tea’s tannic flavor.

Decent fruity black tea. Used two sachets(for roughly 3 g tea) per 14 oz water. Noticeable but not overwhelming fruity taste. Sweet.

I took this to work because tea bags are easier to use there. And that’s also where teas that are just okay go. Brewing is more slapdash because the water at whatever temperature coffee machine makes and I don’t time things. It’s a decent tea. Black with mulling spices.

Backlog. Sipdown.
I enjoyed this tea especially as it had no added milk flavor. Probably replace once I get my cupboard under control.

I really like this tea. Currently my go to oolong. Floral, creamy, nice mouthfeel. I can usually get two or three steeps from this.

Bagged blasphemy! This one is really good. I actually have the same tea but just renamed as Cardamom Caramel Sweet Journey Tea. I knew I would like it, but I didn’t expect to like it nearly as much as I did. The first time I brewed it, it was around two minutes and thirty to forty five seconds and it was perfect. Primarily sweet, and strongly flavored by the caramel and subtly spicy with a playful fruity background from the blackberry leaves. Steep 2 at four minutes, the caramel remains but the cardamom really shines with blackberry leaves. Also tasty cold- you really get the smaller flavors this time.

Yeah, I’m rating another bagged tea in the nineties.Keep in mind that I think about price when I’m rating teas, and this was about $11 bucks for 50 bags. Considering how flavorful this tea can be, and me being a college student on the go, this is what I need. Now; Revolution Tea’s Blackberry Jasmine and Dragon Eye are on my hit list for bagged teas. Teatulia’s bagged oolong is coming to me soon. And now waiting on a few selections of loose leaf…

I received this as a sample with my new catalog from The Republic of Tea. For a long time, I cut caffeine out of my diet and now only drink it in tea so I have to admit that I was a little unsure about whether I should try this highly caffeinated version. In the end, my curiosity at the unique flavor won out so here I am with a cup.

When I first opened the packet, a puff of cinnamon powder literally escaped it and the smell was incredible. It really was just as you would expect from something called Cinnamon Toast. I tried it first unsweetened and it was both bitter and incredibly artificial tasting. It has that awful artificial sweetener aftertaste that I do not appreciate. With added honey, the taste of the artificial sweetener is hidden somewhat. I’m not sure how adding extra sweetener helps, but it usually does. I also added some cream to this which makes it a nice treat.

I can feel the effects of the caffeine about halfway in, but so far it’s not affected me much more than a strong cup of black tea. It’s the kind of woozy, head-spinning feeling I normally get, which isn’t exactly pleasant but it isn’t making me sick either. (I read a note or two that mentioned that the caffeine was too much, enough to make a person sick. Glad that’s not me. At least, not yet.) Caffeine doesn’t seem to affect me the same way it does most people. It doesn’t really wake me up or make me more feel more alert or more active. It just makes me feel sort of blah and unsteady. So while the taste of this one is okay with the added honey and cream, I don’t feel like having that feeling every time I drink it. It’s just not that spectacular. So this is a no-buy for me. I do appreciate the sample though! I love trying new flavors.

Tried a sample, not a huge fan! It would have been alright if not for the gross artificially sweet aftertaste. Maybe it was the stevia?

EDIT 1/17/15:

Having these side by side I can say now that even though the ingredients are exactly the same – they don’t taste the same. Me and my friend Mickey sat down and drank both the Downton Christmas & Comfort and Joy several times back to back and concluded that, yes, they do taste very similar, but there are subtle nuisances to each that make them their own. That’s not to say that you need them both – like I said they do taste very similar and comfort and joy is an easy switch for those who love the Downton Christmas and are afraid you won’t get anymore once it’s gone. My favorite of the two is Comfort & Joy. The Downton Christmas is just a weaker version, but still very good!

EDIT 9/16/15:

I’m not really sure what The Republic of Tea is playing at. As I commented earlier, this tea tastes quite similar to their “Comfort and Joy” tea. On a lark, I read the ingredients on the tin of the Downton Christmas Tea ….

Ingredients
Fine black tea, cinnamon, natural flavors, cloves, licorice root and apple pieces

Then, I went to their website and looked up the ingredients for “Comfort and Joy”…..

Ingredients
Fine black tea, cinnamon, natural flavors, cloves, licorice root and apple pieces

In the exact same order! I don’t have the foggiest WHY the company doesn’t just say that “Downton Christmas” is “Comfort and Joy” repackaged. Hmmm, I think I know.

Downton Christmas – 36 bags $12.00
Comfort and Joy – 50 bags $11.50

OH, and the same thing goes for Mrs. Patmore’s Pudding Tea and Vanilla Caramel Cuppa Tea …. same ingredients, same order.

WTH!?!?! So basically you’re paying more money for the exact same tea except in a collectible tin and less of it.

ORIGINAL POST:

Very good! Although, if I remember correctly, this tastes similar to The Republic of Tea’s “Comfort and Joy” (It’s been a while since I last had some). If you like that, you’ll like this.

Tastes like Christmas in a cup to me, I can’t wait to have this all winter long.

I’m legit on a tea streak. Three cups and it’s just half past noon?! Ahh I love tea tons :)

This is just your usual black tea. Nothing too special.
I think I added too much sugar though, but it’s still pretty yummy!

Thank you tons to TeaNTees for sending this my way!

ALSO sorta pointless since I haven’t been on in forever and I’m sure none of you missed my pointless posts about life, buuuuut it was just publicly announced yesterday, I got the Lead position in my department! For those of you who forgot, I work at Disneyland and it’s tons of fun and I’ve been there for almost a year and a half now. I decided to apply for Lead aaaand they announced everyone yesterday. I’m quite chuffed :)

I got this tea as a sample in my Republic of Tea catalog. I usually don’t try the samples because they rarely appeal to me, but this one seemed like it could be good.

It smelled alright after brewing – maybe not the greatest thing ever, but good enough. The first sip was overwhelmingly sweet. Not something I’d drink again, but I didn’t think it was too bad for the time being. A few more sips into it and all that sweet and funky flavor built up into a cup of nope. And that’s all I have to say about that.

I got this as a free sample with my most recent Republic of Tea catalog. Butiki’s Warm Cinnamon Bread was a surprise favorite earlier this year, so I was eager to try this similar-sounding tea. Unfortunately, I was not impressed. The main flavor I’m getting is artificial apple with just a light sprinkling of cinnamon and absolutely nothing that’s reminding me of bread. That flavor combo could still work, but RoT made the unfortunate decision of pre-sweetening this tea, making it far too sweet for my tastes and leaving me with an unpleasant Stevia aftertaste. Definitely not something I’ll be drinking again!

I absolutely had to have this after seeing it advertised on Instagram. Caramel AND a massive amount of caffeine? Perfect for a girl who has to get up at 7:30 but refuses to go to bed before midnight.

Last night, I went out with my friends and saw Purity Ring. They were fantastic, of course. Just all-around gorgeous show. But this morning was considerably less fantastic. I went about making this iced to keep myself upright at work. The packaging says that each tea bag contains 165mg of caffeine. A little intimidated, I thought I had only used 2 bags for a 24-ounce container. But when I scooped the bags out after steeping, I discovered a third one. Oh no.

But there was no going back! I had run out of time and had to get to work. Now, I’m going to have to try this again before I can get a proper feel for the flavor. However, even with 3 bags, I agree with what others say about the caramel taste. It’s good, but it’s not as strong as I tend to like it. If you’re only in this for the caramel, I suggest trying a different brand. The tea itself is SUPER potent. That is some bitingly bitter black. Of course, that has a lot to do with my preparation, though. I’m sure if I had used 2 bags instead it wouldn’t be so powerful.

Now, about the caffeine! It’s enough to make me queasy, and I’m a lover of espresso shots. I couldn’t even finish it, while I usually destroy my morning tea long before lunch. My hands shook pretty much all day. My handwriting was terrible. It was just too much. 2 bags next time, Tabby, never 3.

All that said, I’m really interested in a few of the other flavors now that I know how strong it’s going to be and can adjust. The coconut and cinnamon toast ones are calling my name!

I found this tea with added stevia to have a little aftertaste from the sweetener. Maybe it is the caramel. I did 6oz. from a copper teakettle boiling over one tea bag. The next time I am going to steep it for less time as I measured the amount of tea in the bag and it was less than the teaspoon I have. I was good but I think I was excited to try this as I love anything cinnamon.

Is there such a thing as an actual “brambleberry”? I should ask the Goog. Anyway, this one threw me for a loop because I normally am not a huge berry tea fan, especially when brewed hot. This one is making me rethink that. Maybe it is just berry herbals that aren’t my favorite? I don’t know but this was darn good both hot and as it cooled off. This is going in my RoT basket! Thanks for sending this my way, Ost!

This came in one of the free catalogues, quite a while ago. I don’t remember which month it was but seeing as the most recent other review is 10 months ago, I thought I should drink it before the coconut goes bad like that tea I had yesterday.

I don’t remember much of this tea because I was in the middle of troubleshooting connectivity issues on this computer for an hour and a half while drinking it but it was toasty and sweet and just nice. Good tea. Can’t comment on the caffeine thing since I’m caffeine insensitive.

I’m back to bagging it today. I never look a gift tea in the mouth (or bag). So, when I received this sample in the mail from The Republic of Tea, I ran with it!

Before my eyes were opened by the universe of complex and splendid flavors in loose leaf tea, I confess that I bagged often; daily, as a matter of fact (you are my Steepster friend so I am confident that you will not judge). One of my favorite bagged teas at the time was the products by The Republic of Tea. However, that was almost four years ago so I was curious to see if my taste buds had now become elitist.

When I opened the sample package, the strong berry smell slapped me in the nostrils. It was sweet and like fresh berries, but maybe too strong for folks with sinuses that are less allergy-clogged than mine.

I steeped the Republic of Tea trademark “environmentally friendly, round, unbleached tea bag – free of wasteful strings, staples, and tags” in a cup of boiling water for five minutes. The brewed aroma was berry-like but not as powerful as before. The color was a reddish dark gold.

The taste was definitely full of berry flavor. It was also sweet and surprisingly smooth. In addition, the taste was as potent (without being obnoxious) as the flavor of some loose leaf teas. However, this flavor was a single-dimensional, one-trick pony. No intricacies or mysteries were contained within. The aftertaste was smooth, sweet, and berry pleasant (sorry, couldn’t resist).

To sum up my experience, there was nothing that I disliked about this product. If you evaluate it only by its own merit as a bagged tea, it is a superior offering. I will definitely reach for it again…if they send me another free sample.

I’ve been steeping this for a second time the past few days. During this second steep I’ve been adding a bit of dried cocount to the leaf with some pleasing results. The coconut flavour doesn’t quite shine though but you do get a nice mouth feel from the coconut oil that blooms. I find I am enjoying it.

Not a bad start to the workday. Very comforting. Steeped for what seems to be the perfect time so it is without any bitterness I can detect. Not the most flavourful cuppa. It does have a light, almost slightly sweet flavour to it, backed up by a malty Assam body.
It’ll do. >^..^<

Tasty. Fruity. Possibly one of the better fruity blacks I’ve had in a while. Inoffensive base with a fruity overlayer, though I’m not sure I could pick which better off the lineup that it was by taste. Good though. This came free in my Republic of Tea catalogue a few months ago.

I received a sample of this tea from Republic of Tea and was impressed enough to keep the outer packet to remind me to write a review. I like some of Republic of Teas loose teas, but never have been a fan of bags, even if they are the round, environmentally friendly, unbleached bags used here. And another disclaimer, I have never watched Downton Abbey so don’t understand all the marketing hype. I just know I enjoyed this tea which is essentially a nice blend of black tea with natural fruit flavors and dried bits of various berries. Nothing artificial tasting, just a light fruitiness and bold black tea base. Above average and very pleasant.

Holy Shanghai!
This tea.
SOOOOO much better than I expected!!
Like seriously.
It’s sooo good. Wow.
I wasn’t expecting much…not sure why…maybe was because I don’t like Downton Abbey, and it’s a tea based off of that show. xD
This tea tastes like honey. Nothing super fancy. Just super sweet and honey-y.
It’s delicious! ^^
I would totally buy this.
The only thing is is that…You can only get it at Cost Plus apparently. D:
I still am boycotting them. I’m still really ticked off at them over their terrible CS.
Meh
Maybe I will ask for it for Christmas so technically I wouldn’t be giving them my money…and I can still boycott them!
That might work. If I remember haha
Anwho-thanks to Darby for this sample!! :D :D I will fully enjoy the other tea bag of this you gave me! So happy to have tried it!
Another win from ROT!

This tea is quite pleasant. It is a smooth back tea with a nice berry flavor. The tea is slightly sweet without adding any sweetener. I don’t think I would have ordered it, but I received it as a sample in the catalog and now that I’ve tried it, I might pick it up if I saw it in the store.

I brewed the single tea bag in a cup of water at 195°F for 3 minutes.

Nearly a year later and this is still my go-to tea for when I feel a little off. The caffeine is a good strong zip when I’m not as awake as I’d like, and the mint and ginger are the perfect balance. Too much of one or the other usually puts me off a tea, but I taste both without either being overpowering. I also think the two mints are in great balance—peppermint usually has me running in the other direction, but this one is never too much. Still an excellent one for nausea, too, and sometimes it’s the only thing that works.

I do have to say that I don’t taste much of any green tea in here. There’s maybe a tea-ish aftertaste, but it mostly seems like they dumped a bunch of caffeine into an herbal blend. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially since I’ve never been overly impressed with Republic of Tea’s greens, but if you’re looking for a green with some extra ginger or mint flavor this is not it.