The Republic of Tea

Cold brewed this for today with some Belgian Chocolate rooibos
It’s like a roobibos party in my mouth, and everyone’s invited. Or maybe just me.
Either way… TASTY!

I am really loving this tea.
It’s (hopefully) probably not apparent on Steepster, but I need a lot of help in the happy department. Tea is my current sanctuary, and I’m loving every sip of it.

This tea is perfect in that respect! I love love love peach teas (usually green) but with the rooibos it’s deep and luscious. The lemon myrtle is a tasty touch, and I can’t wait to make a huge jug of yummy iced tea.

It’s making me smile with every sip, and this is totally the tea for me.

Right now, this is my absolute favorite tea in the world. As it steeps, an intoxicating fragrance reminiscent of fine chocolate cherry cordials or cherry pipe tobacco fills the room. The flavor is equally impressive. The light cherry and chocolate essence lingers on your tongue for minutes after your final sip. The color of the steeped tea has an elegant light reddish hue. My only complaint about this tea is that it is a limited World Market exclusive offering. It is only available In World Market stores from about January through Valentine’s Day. Next January I intend to buy as many containers of this tea as possible so I can enjoy it throughout the year.

One of the few blacks I’ll drink without any sweetener. Crisp, appropriately fruity, goes great with dessert. Just plain good.

I brewed this a little too thin, but it’s still flavorful. I was worried that it might be too tannic because of the berries and currant, but it’s not at all. The cardamom sets it off very nicely, and gives it a wonderful aroma.

I thought this tea would be good iced, but so far this tea’s only been ok. I don’t like the stevia added; I want to be able to sweeten as I please and stevia isn’t my sweetener of choice.

I’m nomming it. I think I used too many bags though. Syrup-y!

I can’t always eat bananas. I have intermittent allergic reactions. The flavor of fake bananas gives me a headache. This is scrumptious! I’m not sure I can taste the coconut, but I ate a granola bar before I ate it. I’ll rate it again later :) I really really like that I can drink this!

I do not drink very many flavored teas, but from time to time I will indulge, and also for a nice change of pace. I believe my first flavored tea was Earl Grey, and it is a tea I could drink almost daily, but I don’t….probably because it would strain my tea budget. I bought this at the World Market during Christmas 2004. and again Summer of 2005. Earl Grey is probably my favorite flavored tea, as I just love the scent and flavor of natural oil of Bergamot.

Earl Greyer is true to its’ description, very citrusy and fresh tasting. I didn’t taste much of the base tea, but then again, I didn’t expect to. The dry aroma and cup aroma is fantastic! As the extraordinary Bergamot washed over my tongue, I savored the flavor for a few moments before swallowing the tea! As a hot tea, I use one teabag to the specifications below per 8 oz cup, with a rating of 88. I used this mostly for iced tea in Spring/Summer, as it is extremely refreshing! Same specs as hot tea except I use two tea bags; rating 90.

I did not taste bitterness with the extended steep time, but more flavor.

At the time this was my new favorite Earl Grey, but as I neared the end of the tin I realized something. Iced, Earl Greyer may be my favorite; BUT, as a hot tea, I began to miss the taste of the TEA! I missed the balance of a good base tea, and the natural Bergamot flavoring. Even as the tea cooled somewhat, the black tea base was overpowered by the extra Bergamot. I just prefer a cup of hot Earl Grey to be more balanced.

Overall, it was still delicious and a worthy contender among the competition.

“Teabags” you say? Yes, I thought I’d review a tea I had a couple years ago. “How can you remember what a tea was like two years ago?”. Well, I can’t remember every subtlety, but since I have purchased this tea several times (and don’t plan to purchase it anytime soon), I’ll give it my best shot.

The aroma of blackberries—and to a lesser extent sage—fills my sniffer with wonderful sensation. Even in the cup the aroma is very apparent. It is a good, decent cup of hot tea, with the flavors more pronounced as the tea cools. To my palate, the fruitiness of the blackberry is more noticeable, while the sage never lets you forget it is there. It’s kind of like the demure lady I notice at a party… me, trying not to stare, but at times unable to avert my eyes. It is a very compelling, delicious tea. I just wish there was a stronger sense of the base tea in this blend.

For hot tea I use one teabag per 8 oz cup, at 212 degrees for five minutes. Hot tea rating: 70. I use this tea mostly as a delicious iced tea using twice the amount of tea following the preparation below. As an iced tea I give this one a 75.

Busiest work night of my life. At one point, it felt like someone had removed my brain, and replaced it with bees. A lot of bees.

So after all of that silly awful business, I went to Whole Foods to grab a new tea. I love the melon candies I get at the Asian supermarkets, so I figured this would be rad. Was I right? Totally! This is yumziez.

First cup was pure. No sugar/cream. So clean tasting! I then went to brew a whole pot with a tiny bit of sugar. Beautiful flavor. It tastes really fresh. The taste lingers too, which is nice!

Thank you to the Republic of Tea for sending me this Pomegranate Green Tea sampler. I decided to give it a try today.

This tea is rich with the flavor of Pomegranate, making for a very sweet cup, liquor like brew. I am grateful for having this cup; I sip it slowly; as opposed to slurping.

Lightly sipping this tea while taking in the sweetness in the flavor of the pome. Looking forward to the day, is my mantra. I pray it last.

Just enough blueberry to be interesting, but more of a scent than a taste. Still, it’s compelling enough that I keep coming back to it, and I’m growing pretty fond of it.

Some describe this style of tea akin to drinking a campfire. And with some poorer versions of the tea, it pretty much is. A good lapsang souchong has a smoky aroma, but a mellow, almost sweet taste and heavy mouthfeel that counters the strong aroma. Sadly, this is not a good lapsang souchong, but it’s adequate. The flavor is a bit bland, so really all you notice is the smoke.

Dear The Republic of Tea,

We’re over. This tea is horrid. I can’t even put my finger on what element makes it so bad, but nondescript horridness is enough for me to bid you farewell. Remember Bing Cherry Vanilla? That one was terrible too, and don’t even get me started on that Meyer Lemon iced tea… that was just mean!

We will always have Mango Ceylon, Plantain Coconut, and oh so lovely Coconut Cocoa. Those three teas aside, I have been underwhelmed or dissatisfied with your tea more often than not. I vow to no longer be tempted by you at Cost Plus World Market where, let’s face it, I buy all manner of nonsense. The End.

I blend this with lavender for a late evening tea. Best with honey and milk.

This is my go-to cold weather tea. Actually, just about any Earl Grey is regardless of brand (just don’t insult me with a tea bag, please). I drink mine by the pot with honey and almond milk.

Certainly not a favorite. I love raspberry, but this is just a little too strong for me. I might try blending it with another black tea to tone it down. Also, it might be good iced, but I didn’t like it enough to try. Perhaps I’ll give it a go, otherwise it will languish in the cupboard.

Delicious with honey in the colder months and wonderful iced in the summer. One of the only black teas I can drink without milk or cream. Don’t steep it too long or it will become bitter.

I recently had the pleasure of trying The Republic of Tea’s Earl Greyer black tea, which lists its ingredients as simply “fine black tea and natural bergamot oil”. The bergamot oil was very noticeable and very tasty, as it always is. This brand of Earl Grey contains more bergamot oil than other varieties, according to The Republic of Tea. I’m a big, big fan of Earl Grey tea – Earl Grey is actually the first hot tea I can remember drinking – so any variation of this tea is always a treat for me. The Earl Greyer has a very strong taste, though not as spicy or peppery as some brands; it also has a delicious aroma.

I’m going to be completely honest and say that my favorite Earl Grey variety is still the Twinings brand, but I enjoyed the Republic’s Earl Grey tea a lot and I’m sure I’ll be ordering it again. :)

SURPRISINGLY!!!, I really enjoyed this tea. I am not a big fan of this brand now that I have tried many others, but this tea I did like.

Aroma: The typical green tea characteristics. A little floral, a little sweet [not cloyingly, but the kind you would expect from a sweet flower rather than cane sugar] and surprisingly, not very astringent or pungent. A light green fragrance/aroma.

Taste: Same as aroma. For a green, this tea is a little floral, a little sweet with the tiniest bit of brightness [NOT astringency, but brightness]…a nicety on the palate. Enjoyable.

Aftertaste: Not much to speak of. It dances across the taste buds with a floral sweetness, a brightness [no astringency] and a slight vegetal accent. Nice and pleasant.

I would recommend this tea for green tea lovers. I am not a big fan of Chinese green teas [except for Jasmine green teas], I am more of a Japanese green tea lover but I do really enjoy this tea a lot!

My second round of samples from TeaVivre seem to be held up in Shanghai, so while I wait for those to arrive, I’m sticking to old favorites rather than ordering anything new. Actually, we’re stone broke and I can’t justify buying tea, but I’m telling myself that I like turning to favorites right now.

The more tea I drink, the more I realize that the only teas I don’t need to be in a “mood” to want to drink are Yunnan golds, Wuyi Oolongs and pu-erhs. Everything else, as much as I like them, I need to be “in the mood” to drink.

I just wish I had a better Yunnan than this RoTea, right now.