The Republic of Tea

It is nice and pretty chocolatey, all things considered… but where’s the ginger? Ginger is bright and spicey and usually hard to miss, but I can’t seem to find any in my cup (either cup 1 or 2). I think it’d be a nice addition and am considering grating some fresh root in the cup prior to steeping. I’ll update if I get around to purchasing some.

Someone brought this in at my work, and it is delicious! All the joys of a fruit tea, but without being super overpowering. I like the soft edge from the green tea versus the usual stronger bitterness (astringency?) to the edges of flavored black teas. PLUS, I can usually resteep this gem at least once for a second well-tasting (less full-bodied of course, but still good) cup of tea. I’m giving this guy an extra good rating for withstanding the trials of being a work-related tea.

Increasing my rating on this tea…. I am REALLY enjoying this. I will have to place another order this one is disappearing quickly!

I had seen some good recommendations for this tea so I decided to try it. I was unsure of how I would like it as I do not normally drink rooibos teas. I was very pleasantly surprised! I love it! The banana really comes through and taste great! Not artificial like alot of banana teas. I added a small amount of rock sugar and it was a nice sweet cup!

Ok, I admit it, I signed up for the Republic of Tea catalog for the free samples. Guilty.

Anyway, it smelled really tart when I sniffed the bag while waiting for the water to heat up. It also, of course, smelled like dried hibiscus without the bitterness that fresh hibiscus flowers have. The second I poured the water into the mug, it turned magenta, then proceeded to get very dark.

Hmm, as far as the taste goes, it’s a little mediocre. I can detect what I think is lemongrass, plus maybe some kind of berry, but it’s very mild. It’s tangy, and something about it reminds of Tazo’s “Passion”. (But it’s not as good.) I wouldn’t pursue this tea again, but it’s not bad.

Early on, when I was first exploring black tea, this was one of my favorites. I’ve loved several RoT varieties, and this had an earthy quality I really appreciated. Since however I’ve changed my general impression of this tea. While solid, and still one of my go-tos, it’s considerably less so (more of a back-up). The quality of the flavoring pales in comparison to even many of ROT’s other teas, but it’s also become a bit too weak for my taste. While I prefer black not so bitter, this one just doesn’t have half the kick I’m looking for.

Backlogging
this one was just ok. I have one more RoT sampler to try after this one. This is a fruity one. The black tea covers up the potential for tartness and extreme fruit which I prefer. Still not a fan of fruity teas nd RoT ones have this strange aftertaste I can’t describe. Maybe it’s the tea bag itself.

green tea rarely does it for me, and sometimes it makes my belly feel funny. i’m not into this one. i’m a little partial to loose leaf, and think the crushing involved in bagging a tea brings out edges that i don’t love. i’m also a believer that crushing tea leaves releases so much of their goodness prematurely, that it feels more like flavored water than a powerful health beverage, which is my relationship to tea. but, the size of these tea bags makes a perfect eye mask, and I used them on two facial clients yesterday. brew strong, then dip in ice water for the best eye treatment. layer over some borage oil, and you’ve got yourself a great treatment! perfect for puffy, tired eyes…_

I still love the scent of this tea. I let it hover right below my nose as I used the heat to warm my hands and the citrus and lemon balm scents to lift my spirits. So this all makes me happy, but drinking the tea is kind of meh. If anyone would like a few bags, let me know. I have a few to spare.

I love love love the scent of this tea steeped. I sniffed it until it was room temperature. I think it was the happy citrusy lemongrass that did it for me. I don’t care for the taste as much as I enjoyed the smell. It is arlight. Something in it is very herbally in a way I’m not sure I like. I’ll try a few more bags and see if it grows on me a bit. It is nice to have another herbal blend to drink in the evenings. And I now have the perfect 5oz cup for one tea bag. Adagio’s tasting set cups are my new favorite cups. I haven’t experimented with the “tea pot” part of the set yet, but I need to order more so I can get more of these cups! Great size for all the samples I’ve been trying.

I normally love rooibos tea blends from Republic of Tea. I was really excited to try this flavor since it seems so appropriate for fall. The flavors are just uneventful for me. The chocolate and the rooibos seem to clash a bit (more rooibos than chocolate, for me) & I don’t really detect the ginger, but something not very pleasant. It’s not bad… just not as flavorful or tasty as I expected.

I, like Jaime, was really excited to try this tea. The thought of rooibos + the flavor of red velvet was just too marvelous to pass up! This is my second cup of this today.. and I’m trying to get a grasp on the flavor. It does brew to a pretty red color and still has that distinctive wood flavor rooibos always seems to have. The chocolate scent reminds me of a scratch-and-sniff sticker from my childhood. It’s not completely artificial, but is on the border of being so. The flavor is sweet and balanced with the rooibos. I do very much like this tea and think it’s quite yummy.. but I wouldn’t necessarily call it red velvet chocolate. There are moments when I think “yes! That’s definitely it!” but it keeps slipping away. There are layers of chocolate, almost a berry tone and the rooibos. Overall, a very nice cup. Lots of flavors to keep your tongue occupied and your belly happy!

This was an excellent blend. The tangerine did not taste artificial. It was light and sweet and went down smoothly. Good flavored green! Not something I would buy though.

It’s he-re!!

Rushed home to find this on my doorstep, and immediately ripped into it. Brewed for 10 minutes, my standard steep for rooibos teas. It brews up a lovely red color (as well it should, considering the name!).

It tastes like red velvet cake batter. Really, it does. Sweet, with that distinct chocolate taste that’s unique to red velvet cakes. So someone at the Republic did their homework, and I’ll give them an A! There’s even the barest hint of cream cheese frosting. It’s going to be a staple in my cupboard now, and I cannot wait to get some vanilla ice cream and make either a tea float or a teashake with this!! I’ll try it as a latte soon.

You can taste the rooibos, and if you don’t like that, this might not be for you. It’s not overwhelmingly strong, but it is obvious that this tea is built upon that base.

(And, since I know you’ll ask, you can’t taste the beet root bits. Trust me, I’d tell you. I do not like beets.)

Oh em gee, it is the very verge of summer in my basement!
The smell alone makes me want to get up and dance. I want to play in the puddles. I want to buy a popcicle from a truck playing horrible cartoonish music. I want to pick little wildflowers. I want to rake the winter out of my lawn, put down some chairs, take this tea outside and sit and enjoy the light breezes that generally accompany the end of spring.
What a great smell!
(It could be because I bought this tea around this time of year…?)
I don’t know that I necessarily get blueberry out of the smell, but I absolutely get the blackberry.
I’m not a massive fan of the weightlessness of this tea, but the flavour is decent.
Kind of dances along the tongue and then right down your throat. Doesn’t stick around to tell you its story. Sweet, but not terribly so. (I’m drinking this one au natural, because I can’t stand to milk or sweeten green teas.) And, because the tea is OLD (like maybe two years old?), it has a last-second kick to the back of my tongue that I don’t like at all.
But that’s not the fault of the tea by any stretch.
Tasty. Better than the bunk hot chocolate I though I’d wanted.
(Turns out I didn’t. But that didn’t stop me from drinking it or the 30-odd mini marshmallows I threw in it…)

ETA: I’ve changed my mind about the weightlessness. It adds a LOT of the freshness to this tea. Even though I’m drinking it hot, the weigtlessness combines with the slight fruit and bitter-less green tea to give it an almost cooling sensation. Very unique, and makes it feel even more like summer. I’ve added 5 points to my rating because of it.

The plantain is definitely showcased here! The yummy banana coconut flavor brightened my afternoon. :) First time trying raw green bush, either its subtle or the other flavors are masking it, as I didn’t really detect it.

Edited to add: Thank you Jaime for sending this to me!!

This is, perhaps, the most chocolatey tea that I’ve tried. It’s rich, and thick, with just the slightest hint of ginger that isn’t strong on taste, but instead tickles the tongue and back of the throat and warms you up. You can taste the red rooibos, but it’s more of a side note/supporter of the chocolate.

I will be getting another tin before this season is gone…I already know I wouldn’t want to go a whole year without it. If you like the Year of the Tiger tea, you must try this; the chocolate is even stronger. Yum!!