The Republic of Tea

Backlogging… I tend to forget about this one because I hear “blueberry” and think HERBAL (and I don’t like herbal teas). I always forget that this blend is a black tea! So I dug it out again the other day and had some, and was pleasantly surprised by how slightly-better-than-okay it is. I don’t love it but it’s not terribly disappointing either, just a fairly good slightly fruity black tea.

I WILL NOT get sick. Will not.Willnotwillnot. In the interest of not allowing myself to come down with the blorgie, I am drinking a lot of tea today. And of the samples I picked up the other day, this is one of only two that I like. The almond comes through really strongly, and I have tried this one with both water and vanilla almond milk (I think I like the water better, oddly.) If I get an espresso machine for Christmas I’ll be trying again with steamed milk, because I do think this’d make a divine latte. Why Starbucks hasn’t started pushing this blend as a tea latte, I don’t know… apart from them not having a partnership with RoT, I mean.
Anyway, a nutty, rich blend. Nothing like coffee… not going to substitute for coffee. Not sure what the latte in the name refers to, other than a good rhyme.

Dear Republic of Tea, the reason why there are no reviews on here is that your tins are over $10 each at my local Whole Foods, and that’s just a bit much for me without knowing I’ll really like a tea in advance. So once again I must praise the joy of being able to weigh this one out and sample it at my local shop. I was worried about cherry in my tea- but again, just about 40 cents worth of curious (my logic feels a bit odd there).

I made sure to brew this at proper green tea temps, and to steep for only 3 minutes. The green tea actually comes through, shockingly. And the cherry is, well, a bit lollypop but not as frightening as I feared. Still, a full tin of this wouldn’t do for me. I actually wonder if I’d like this tea better if I combined it with something vanilla or almond, but as it stands right now I feel like I melted a jolly rancher in my green tea.

Better than I thought though, so if you do like cherry teas, give it a shot.

I love the smell of lavender, but it turns out that does not translate into a love of the taste. I thought the bouquet was overwhelming and I did not enjoy this tea.

This tea is all ginger and no pumpkin. I’ve read the other reviews and just can’t figure out where the pumpkin is that they all mention. Admittedly, I like only a very moderate amount of ginger in my pumpkin pie so I might be biased. All in all, I’ve gotten used to this tea and drink it regularly (although more for the caffeine in the morning than for a pure love of the taste), and I think it’ll be a good based for a homemade pumpkin chai tea.

I’m TRYING to be open minded here…
I HATE BANANAS!!!! I mean I HATE Bananas!
BUT…I have had Plantains in a bake that I bought in the freezer section from Kashi and thought that Plantains were ok.

Also…I like Bananas Bread. WEIRD.

So…here goes…

It smells like bananas but the coconut also helps that. Thankfully. It’s a very light colored liquid NOT as bright, vibrant, dark, or richly colored as most Rooibos or Green Rooibos’s even.

THANKFULLY I can taste the coconut more than the Plantain. YAY! I can’t individually or harshly say I can taste the Rooibos above the other ingredients but it contributes to the over all sweetness and even the smoothness of it. It’s unique.

I think if any company would have done this any different I would have not liked it at all. I really think it HAS to have the coconut and the Rooibos in there to accompany the Plantain. RoT gave this one some real thought. I appreciate that! Usually I would NEVER buy something like this blind but because LiberTEAs sent me some I tried and I was surprised! This is alright! Even for someone who HATES Bananas like me!

The more I drink this the more appreciation I have for it. And the more I sip on this the more plantain flavor I am tasting is quite comparable to that of the plantains I have had in that Kashi Microwavable Meal I mentioned above.

Interesting. Surprising. Creative. Innovative. Different.

Good morning, Steepsterites! It’s my first snow day of the year: I’ve slept in, made peanut butter toast for breakfast, have my knitting at my side, and my first pot of tea is ready.

I’m finishing up this sample from vanilla_bookworm this morning. I’ve brewed it at 5 instead of three minutes. Even at this steep, the flavors are a bit weak. The most prominent one is mint, then the black tea, and then a hint of cocoa. Definitely not getting much “spice” at all. If you’re looking for a minty, spiced Christmasy tea, I recommend Winter Frost (formerly Christmas 2009) by Adagio and blended by the lovely Ms. Rachel instead of this one. There’s similar notes between the two (namely the mint), but the flavors are much stronger in Rachel’s blend.

vanilla_bookworm sent me some of this. It’s the World Market holiday exclusive from last holiday season. They haven’t brought it back for this season, so I am really excited to try it!

Scent is peppermint black tea with a touch of chocolate. Taste is a bit weak with a 3 minute steep, but there’s a definite mint taste, as well as chocolate and black tea. I definitely need to brew this at 5 minutes; the flavors are going to be much more intense with an additional 2 minute steep. I’ll hold off on rating for now.

Well…. this one isn’t my favorite. It’s tart, but I just have a feeling it’d be better iced than it is hot. It’s doing that ‘hot jello-mix’ thing, but with some lime tartness. I kinda knew what to expect from a hibiscus tea, as I haven’t liked a single one I’ve tried, but because of the lime I was willing to give this once little shot (I weighed out 40cent sample of this stuff at the grocery store.) I’m not totally out of luck, as it’s still getting warm in TX as of mid-December, so….I can see making this iced in my near future. Yee-haw.

This continues to be a highly tolerable simple decaf in the evening.

We’ve been getting this tea from the bulk dry goods section of the [HEB] Central Market as kind of our go-to decaf for the evenings.

It is a bit too bitter and very prone to over steeping, but it is a perfectly drinkable too-late-to-drink-good-tea-without-losing-sleep beverage. Lime or lemon helps a lot.

And this is another with 2 entries!! Funny how I keep finding those. vanilla_bookworm sent me a few bags of this. I had it last holiday season and couldn’t remember if I wanted to get more or not…thanks for letting me have a few bags to decide!!

It steeped for way over 10 minutes. Probably close to 20. I had an applicant come in to explain to me why she was the best candidate for my open position…which we’re interviewing for tomorrow, and she didn’t get an interview (she only found that out today). Oy vey. Time for tea!

So I remember this now. It’s bland. Weak. It’s like a boring blind date one of my guy friends tried to set me up on: with someone who was described as “punctual and available most nights and weekends.” Translation: not much to look at, has no personality, and can pretty much just stare at you. This tea is that guy. No deep flavor, no personality…just kinda warm and there. I mean, if it were paying for dinner, sure, I’d like it a lot more. And after the meeting with that lady, it really ought to be much more comforting than it is.

I think I’ll pass on another tin. Want Apple Cider tea? Go get Bigelow’s.

Not bad at all! Quite nice, actually! I’m always wary about teas with vanilla in them, because they always smell a bit off to me while brewing. But the flavor is nice, not too strong. Just a nice, mild sweetness. I may have to invest in some of this at some point (Huzzah for free samples accompanying the catalog!), but I’m not sure I want a whole 30 tea bags. It is very seasonal, and I’m afraid it would loose it’s quality if I only have a few cups a year.

It’s not a strong flavored tea either in blackberry or sage, but I like it.

I’m kind of a sucker for detox stuff. Especially after holidays/weekends/late-night dinners. I keep this at work in case I feel gross in the morning after any/all of those instances.

It kind of grows on you. I couldn’t place the smell for the longest time (rooibos, apparently, but somewhat familiar…), until I went back to my alma mater for homecoming. Apparently, my campus has a slight smell of rooibos. Figure that one out. I actually stepped outside and said, “It smells like that tea!”

It’s a bit potent, but I like the taste of it. Not crazy dark, but not subtle, either. Apparently I enjoy rooibos. Who knew. As for a detox, it’s all right. Not a serious detox, certainly, but it makes me feel a little less gross come lunch time.

BACKLOG: Smells lovely like apple cider and a hint of (generic) black tea. The taste is lacking though. I feel that if you are going to call it tea you should let it stand on it’s own.

A coworker of mine absolutely hated this tea and seemed delighted to pawn it off on the rest of us. By rest of us, I pretty much mean me as I tore through it in the span of a couple weeks. It’s not as sweet as a lot of the other blueberry teas, but has a wonderful aroma. Sweetened almond milk compliments it well. This is one of my favorite RoT’s, though it’s among my first so I’m sure at least some of it is sentimental.

Thank you to Meghann for sending me some of this to try.
This was my first ever experience with Black Currants so I wasn’t sure what to expect. It was sweet with a little spice to it from the cardamom. I enjoyed the cup and am glad I got to try this one. I am not sure I would order a whole tin for myself but again glad I could try it!

I thought this would go perfectly with some leftover spiced apples and sweet potato casserole.

However, after two sips (one naked, one with half&half), I dumped it out. Something about this blend just doesn’t work. It tastes watery, papery and stale to me (ad I steeped it 5 min not the 2-4 suggested!). I’m a licorice hater, so maybe a licorice lover would find some redeeming value. However, I think this blends problems go beyond licorice preference.

Really enjoying this tea. Thank you Kristin for sending me several bags of this to enjoy. I love the cake notes and chocolate tastes. So much better on the hips than real red velvet cake, I can almost forgive it for not having the cheesecake frosting flavor inside. So tasty with a splash of cream (or today, a tablespoon of skim milk). This has been my go to dessert cup at night. I better stock up soon!

Wow, quite impressed by the vibrant beet color this tisane steeped up. The aroma smells of chocolate and cake, but not a plain old chocolate cake, this smells like the cake in red velvet cake. I’m very impressed with how well the cake flavor translates into liquid tea form. The chocolate is light, but I think I prefer it this way. The only thing missing is the cream cheese frosting. Maybe there is a cheesecake flavored coffee creamer I could add to get this in the tea? I love this with a few ounces of skim milk. Very bakey and delicious. I definitely have to order a tin of this! Thank you Kristen for sending me some of this to try!