The Republic of Tea

Sweet and pleasant yet I cannot say that I feel this promised “burst of sunshine”. This one has been in my cupboard for a while and I’m sorry to say that its not one I find myself needing. I have other options that are more appealing.

Dragging my butt this morning getting up so i picked up some tea at the University Cafe. Smells really gingery, and peachy at first, but the black tea kinda takes up all of your taste buds. I think i just don’t like black tea.

I haven’t had this tea for a few years, according to my last tasting note of this tea. Even though I wasn’t terribly impressed with it then… I thought a nice apple cider herbal blend would be great for fall. Plus, it’s a limited edition and any fall/holiday limited edition is special to me. Sometimes I depend on herbal teas just as much as rooibos when I don’t want caffeine. Herbals are a bit more tricky with my tastebuds, though. There’s more room for certain additions that I don’t really like.

This blend smells very tasty and comforting. I definitely smell apples, cinnamon, maybe a hint of sugar — it’s quite similar to an apple pie filling without the crust. Sipping… I’m tasting a really strange sweet note that quickly turns bitter. The sweetness reminds me of that gross character that licorice has, but it isn’t as bad. What’s really strange is the bitter note.. I don’t remember this from before. It’s reminiscent of the bad, tough core of an apple — the part that you don’t really want to eat. I do taste a little bit of apple towards the end of the sip, but it’s so light that I wouldn’t really call this a cider tea. I like that it’s not overwhelmed with spices..but I’m greedy and still want more apple.

I will finish the tin of this tea and will likely rotate it with some of my other fall teas, but won’t go crazy buying more tins to last me another year.

I thought that I would enjoy this tea more… it smells just like hot apple cider, so I was expecting something much more flavorful. The taste is there.. it’s just, quite soft and not as pronounced as I would have liked. I’m also tasting more of the other ingredients and less of the apple. Good, but not great.

I was excited to try this since I love Republic of Tea, but I’m not a fan of this one. The smell was delightful, almost like vanilla ice cream. The taste is not good. There is a definite taste of black tea, but the sweetness is a bit artificial? Gross? Whatever it was.. I dumped this cup.

Finishing off another sample Jaime sent my way today. This is very good hot without any additives. I really enjoy this line of teas. These are becoming a staple for night time drinking.

Another tea sample from Jaime. I brewed this the same as the Tangerine, 3 bags in 16oz water and poured over 8oz ice. I added a packet of Splenda to sweeten this tea, although I don’t think it needs it, I enjoy my hibiscus teas cold and sweet!

The blueberry is quite distinct at the end of the sip, the first taste is the hibiscus, but the blueberry ending is quite welcome. I could drink this tea pitchers at a time. It tastes just like a handful of sweet, ripe berries, there is almost a creamy undertone to it. I will definitely be buying this next trip to World Market. I received a coupon for 10% off next purchase so I may be buying a few tins of teas there.

Yum. Relaxing with this as my last cup of the night. A bit more orange jello flavor than normal, but I’m not letting it get to me:) Relaxing cup.

Had two large cups of this with our late dinner tonight. Iced this tastes like orange jell-o. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing, but it is sweet and refreshing and a great replacement for soda. May have to find some sparkling water to try this with next. I think I like the flavor better hot much more.

Finished my samples and started on my tin of this. Really enjoying the crisp tart tangerine. This tea is so naturally sweet, it cures my morning sweet tooth nicely. Quite the enjoyable fruity cup. I wish they sold this in loose tins, but alas, just bulk.

Thanks to Jaime I get to try another flavor of the Hibiscus Superflower teas. The tangerine is very bright and full of life. I made this iced with 3 bags to 20oz of water, saving one bag to try hot. This is so full of flavor I had to buy a tin myself. I found the world market near me and picked up a tin. I think this would be great with a stick of cinnamon on a cold fall morning. I think I still like the pineapple lychee the most, but this is a close second. I can’t wait to try the other flavors! Thanks for swapping with me Jaime!

Can’t get warm enough today. Love this stuff. This is my last bag here at work; I’ll reload my travel tin with more when I get home.

Dear Hibiscus,

Please give me a mega-dose of vitamin C and clear up my head.

Thanks,
Jaime

These hibiscus teas are just plain good. This one is very sweet, but is more apple-y than Asian pear. It’s probably the sweetest out of all the hibiscus teas I’ve had.

And another tea out of the cupboard!

If I hide from the Monday, the Monday will go away. Right?

My eleventy-eleventh note! Didn’t even realize I’d broken one hundred.

Made two cups in the Breville…yes, I know it’s for loose-leaf, but for two cups, there’s plenty of room in the basket for the bags. And it worked really well.

I’ve been brewing this with water that was too hot. I’ve never temped the water before, just guestimated the temp. This cup is fresh, clean-tasting, light. I can taste more of the guava as well, and the pineapple is even more delicious. Previous cups have been heavier, denser, but this one…it’s crisp and bright.

Put a tea with pineapple in front of me, and I’m a happy camper. This one is no exception to that rule. The pineapple is crisp, and the guava flavor gives it a nice tang. The fruit doesn’t overpower the taste of the white tea, either. A very good tea for summer; it’s also good iced.