The Republic of Tea

We haven’t had water for the past day and a half so I’ve been going through tea withdrawls. So since it is back on and working now, I just wanted to make something really quick since the hockey game is on and I don’t want to miss anything (GO BLUES!). I’ve gotta admit, that was probably THE longest fight that I’ve ever seen, close to 3 minutes. But anyway… this tea…

I got my sample from the monthly ROT catalogue, and I opened the package and it smelled quite nice. I couldn’t really tell what the smell was from the package but it sure did smell sweet. Once I brewed this, I could definitely smell a honey scent, it was very sweet smelling.

Just like the smell, this tea tastes very sweet. Definitely can taste the honey in this one. I don’t get too much of a vegetal/earthy/grassy flavor of typical green teas. But this tea sure isn’t bad for a quick brew. I definitely think I could see myself buying a can of this for a quick fix of tea.

This tea would definitely go great with a tablespoon of honey or agave nectar… Definitely a great tea for someone with a sweet tooth.

I got this yesterday as a free sample inside my ROT catalog. I figured a green would be a little gentler on my stomach (which still bothers me every day, which is why I haven’t been having much tea lately. I’ve made an appointment to find out if I have another stomach ulcer). Plus when I first started drinking tea, I didn’t like greens because of the grassiness. But I’ve seen my palate develop over these past few months, so I’m giving it another go. I really do want to like green tea. You see, I feel like I’m missing out on a whole huge part of the tea world. It’s something I want to experience, so hopefully things will be different this time.

It smells of honey and flowers. I don’t smell any grassiness. This seems like it will a gentle, soothing tea.

Hooray! It tastes like I wanted it to; floral with a touch of honey. I don’t taste grassiness, accept for a teensy bit in the aftertaste, which doesn’t bother me. Maybe my palate isn’t bothered by it anymore, or maybe this just isn’t a very grassy green. I’m going to happily finish this cup. This was my first experience with ROT, and I have been left a very happy customer!

Delicious. This tastes EXACTLY like the Republic RED Chai, which is one of my favorites. Very strong and peppery. I always consume this in loose leaf (maybe those who commented about weakness are using bags). I always add milk and sweetener to round it out. I’ll probably stick with the red version, because I love having a non caffeinated chai. However, its good to know I could slip a little caffeine buzz in there without any substantial flavor change. One nice thing about the black tea version is that this does not have the long pokey rooibos strands that seem to slip through the filter. Getting those suckers caught in your throat ruins the experience.

I got a free sample of this tea with a Republic of Tea catalog (Yay!). It smells nice in the package, stinks to heck while steeping, but tastes lovely when you add milk and sweetener. I like it.

I decided to get a sandwich and a lemon tart today, and since they still don’t have the full leaf version of the earl grey, I tried this one again. I probably understeeped it again, but that’s okay. I can tell the black tea is much better quality than the “regular or decaf” stuff they serve at most restaurants. Perhaps I should get bergamot oil to put in black tea when the earl greys available aren’t what I like.

Not sure if I mentioned this, but I had an unknown green tea Sunday at Ichiban. How can one get sushi and hibachi without green tea? I keep forgetting that they bring out a whole pot, but I drank almost all of it :)

(Full leaf version)
I decided I’d give this another shot. I once thought it too dark, though this time I steeped it for just a bit, enough to get the flavor without being overpowering, and I kind of like it. The way I made it would probably be too weak for most people, but I’m used to sweet savory things. I still prefer Earl Grey, though.

Tea… goodnight…

It’s their sample tea this month – made a pot by oversteeping a bag. (Let the cries of “heathen” commence…)

This is a solid green tea with a honey taste that’s pleasant but fresh honey is preferred.

I got this with my republic of tea catalogue an I have a cold so I thought this would be a perfect thing to help me feel better.

I am usually not the biggest fan of honey so I was a little skeptical but this tea was very delicious. It was very smooth and balanced. No one flavor over powered the tea. I really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it.

Steep Information:
Amount: 1 teabag
Additives: none
Water: 6 ounces filtered boiling water
Steep Time: a little over 7 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: citrus
Steeped Tea Smell: citrus, floral, woody
Flavor: lemon, hibiscus, floral, roobois
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: lemon, sweet
Liquor: red-brown translucent

I am not sure where I was getting the citrus from. The hibiscus flavor gets stronger as it cools. I was not getting the peppermint or blueberry.

It was a nice flavorful tea, I think I need to have a few more glasses to decide of I like it or really like it.

Post-Steep Additives: none

images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/03/republic-of-tea-teabag-rooibos-tea-get.html

Had a nice cup of this with some honey !

Picked this up today ! Had to try a cuppa as soon as I got home . Lovely berry flavor . The sage is subtle in a good way . Glad I bought it !

I was on the RoT website and saw their new line of hibiscus tea so I decided I’d give it a try. I’ve never had hibiscus tea before, so I really have nothing to compare this with. The color of the tea comes out as a nice crimson and the smell is tangy with acidic undertones from the lime. I really enjoyed this one, and I think it would make a great iced tea, although I haven’t tried it yet. The taste is like a lime cider and it is very refreshing. One of my friends tried this as well and enjoyed it as well.

Another sample from AmazonV. Thanks for all the wonderful tastings to come and that I’ve had! I like trying these teas.

I was a bit skeptical about this tea, as most Rooibos teas I’ve had taste the same (berry and woodsy). This one quite surprised me, it has almost a tropical taste to it along with a sweeter undertone and something citrusy/lemony. This tea really makes me happy, I think it may be green rooibos (just due to the steep being more similar to a green tea than red rooibos I’ve had previously).

I didn’t brew this as strong as recommended. I did one bag to 12 oz boiling water and steeped for 7 minutes. I’m really enjoying this brew. I don’t know that it is making me more passionate, but this may be a reorder down the road for evening tea.

Got this with a bunch of samples from AmazonV. Brewed up 2 bags to 6oz with boiling water for 6 minutes per AmazonV’s instructions. I really wanted to like this tea, it smells delicious, like creamy dark chocolate bliss. Brewed a nice cloudy brown cuppa tea. First sip was pretty boring, watery chocolate so I added 1 tbsp of half and half and it was meh. I took a few sips and ended up dumping it out. I think chocolate and tea just aren’t my thing. I can do a little chili chocolate Azteca Fire from teavana once in a while, but probably steering clear of chocolate teas in the future. Ugg.

This is, surprisingly, a weak tea. Next time I think I’ll put two bags in my mug. It smells delicious and the taste almost lives up to that scent, but not quite. I do like it, though I wish there was a stronger Cardamom bent to it. It’s quite sweet and cinnamon-y and I’ll be eager to try it iced!
Update: I adore this tea and have almost finished the canister. Occasionally I’ll use two bags, but I’m giving it a longer steep time and the flavours are much better. It’s only so-so iced, so I prefer it hot. I’m upping my rating to 92ish _

Steep Information:
Amount: 1 bag, 1.7g
Additives: none
Water:8 ounces filtered boiling
Steep Time: a little over 3 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell:
AmazonV: fruity, mango
MilitiaJim: vaguely tropical, hint of mango
Steeped Tea Smell:
AmazonV: Mango, black tea
MilitiaJim: Does AmazonV know what a mango smells /tastes like?
AmazonV: I peel your mangoes!
MilitiaJim: generic fruit
AmazonV: Mango snob
Flavor:
AmazonV: Mango, black tea
MilitiaJim: slight fruit and black tea
Body: Medium
Aftertaste:
AmazonV: bitter
MilitiaJim: none
Liquor: deep dark brown

Republic of tea sample (included in catalog they send)

Neither of us got the sunflower flavor.

Post-Steep Additives: 1/2 tsp white sugar, got rid of the bitter for me, he didn’t notice anything

images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/03/republic-of-tea-teabag-black-tea-mango.html

This is so far my preferred jasmine tea variety. I do make sure to steep it quick or I find the bitterness goes up sharply. It has just the right mix of tea to the floral of the jasmine for me to enjoy both.

This is one of my favorite daily drinkers, as I like to call them. The most predominate flavor is pineapple, and I honestly don’t get much ginger out of this at all. (Then again, I might have burnt off all the taste buds I have with all the crystallized ginger I eat on a regular basis.) It’s a perfect tea for a morning pick-me-up and that is why I drink it so frequently.

I found this to be mild, which sometimes is nice. It is especially pleasant in that it isn’t bitter at all and the blueberry flavor was really all I got out of it. However, if you are expecting a fruity kick as you would get out of the other Superfruit teas from The Republic of Tea, you will be underwhelmed.

This tea tastes as though it is just some mulling spices in a bag, and not in great quantity at that. There is no discernible apple flavor at all, and we suspected that this “tea” would be better if it were in fact brewed in boiling apple cider. But we never got to try that theory, and we all found this to be incredibly disappointing.