The Republic of Tea

This is the first matcha I’ve tried that I can identify. I’ve had matcha lattes and desserts before but this is the first one I’ve actually bought. I can’t compare it to other matchas but it’s not bad. I may try using this in other ways than straight up.

It’s interesting to drink. First it’s strongly bitter and green, almost grassy, then nothing at all for a moment or two, and then a very nice sweet aftertaste. Luckily I have some other matcha samples coming, because I’m definitely intrigued.

This is the tea I keep in my office. It’s not terribly strong, but it has a pleasant scent and taste that is difficult to over-steep or make bitter (which is excellent for if you’re pre-occupied with other things, as I often am). It’s become my go-to drink for setting on my desk, but it’s not necessarily the first cup I would have in the morning when trying to wake up and greet the day. I enjoy it, and I would recommend it for people who like lighter, gentler fruit flavors.

You probably would have laughed if you saw my face when I took my first sip of this tea. It was one of those, WHOA it actually tastes like chocolate and banana, faces. Though I don’t taste artificial banana like everyone else seems to. When I think of artificial banana I think of Runts bananas. Which is surprisingly close to banana flavor for a candy but this and that are still a bit different to my tongue. Now I just have to find out whether or not it’s dairy free so that my husband can have a cup too.

I figured I have more than enough tea, and some incoming (eep), so I should sip down some.
You really do get what is advertised, here. The cherry and chocolate are noticable, and pleasant. Still, it doesnt stir my soul, so I’m not heartbroken that its my final cup of this.
Many thanks to my sister, who is the giver of this.
Sipdown!

Well, I can certainly smell the cherry of this cherry and chocolte blend. And the fist sip reveals a lot of cherry flavor.
It does taste a bit like a cherry liqure chocolate. Huh. Somehow I wasnt expecting that.
It is just the tiniest bit artificial tasting, as well, but not aggresively so. I’m alright with overlooking the slight fakeness to the taste, as its an interesting combo.

really disappointed because i wanted to like this tea, but all i get is hazelnut. and i don’t like hazelnut in the least. was not expecting that at all, since this is supposed to taste like caramel, vanilla or some approximation of cake.

i also get a plasticky note that’s hard to ignore…not sure if it’s from the sachet or the artificial flavoring, but i couldn’t even finish my cup.

what to do with the rest of this tin??

A light, holiday, green tea. I only had 12 bags of it, as part of the three holiday’s tea tin that Republic of Tea puts out, but wish I had more. A nice afternoon tea for this time of year.

Not bad! I wanted to try something new, and don’t regret the choice. I tasted more caramel than apple, and no strong rooibos notes either. A bit of raw sugar made it even more dessert-like, but wasn’t necessary. I drank the whole (small) pot over the course of a long meal, and only used half a packet of sugar in the raw.

Got this one from Darby in the Secret Turkey Swap. I may have steeped it too long. The black base is a little bitter. The flavor is actually pretty good though. It just tastes like a buttered pecan ice cream. Nice creamy nut flavor :] Thanks again!

Drinking this up, is it a sip down if we don’t know if we have more in the giant box of tea in my living room and I have no intention go looking for it? This tea bag came in my catalogue a while ago and traveled with me to Mass.

This is actually really quite pleasant. I would drink this again absolutely. I don’t pick up much of the tea base but the fruit flavours are lovely, sweet and tart in equal measures. It perhaps tastes a bit medicinal in the after aftertaste but I’m someone who likes cherry cough drops so I’m okay with that. Would like to try again with the correct water to teabag ratio because I was just guessing with this one. Perhaps in the future.

HAPPY NEW YEAR STEEPSTER!! HOPE EVERYONE HAS AN AWESOME, TEA-FILLED 2014 AND BEST WISHES FOR THE YEAR TO COME!!

With that said, my first tea of the new year was not so great. In fact, it went down the drain. I think that Republic of Tea’s rooibos is far too medicinal for my tastes. C’est la vie.

This went down the drain. The rooibos was just too strong (and kind of medicinal) in this cup. There was a hint of strawberry but it took a lot of searching to find it. Into the swap box with this tin.

I rarely drink Lapsang Souchong, which is why my Republic of Tea can from ancient history is still more than half full. Every time I do drink this tea, I realize that I like it a lot, but it does not leap to my mind as a craving—not like Earl Grey or Sencha or Assam or …

It might have been the weather—freezing rain—but something said to me that today was a day for Lapsang Souchong. I cannot even recall the last time I had a cup, so I brewed up a Bodum full of the stuff and discovered that, perhaps because it is already so “cooked” and aged, the taste never really seems to change. Hearty and flavorful and reminiscent of a bizarre cross between the smoky embers of a campfire and a Dostoevsky novel, Lapsang Souchong is nothing if not unique!

I have noticed that leather notes in perfume are often redolent of Lapsang Souchong. So I suppose that I could say that the tea is leathery. Or is it, rather, that leather notes in perfume are sometimes more like smoked tea?

I drank this reddish-brown tea brewed strong and splashed with cream. Just right for a gloomy and pensive day like today with nary a ray of sunshine anywhere in sight.

This tea has a beautiful, milky aroma to it— not akin to cow’s milk, but maybe some sweet soy or almond milk. It also smells just a touch buttery and like golden caramel.

The taste is wonderful. I detest milk in tea, so I thought I wouldn’t particularly like this tea— was I ever wrong. It’s warm, and has wonderful milky light caramel and toasted rice notes over a satiny green tea flavor. It has just a touch of bitterness on the back of the tongue that balances everything out perfectly.

I love this tea, and would recommend it for anyone seeking out a light yet satisfying tea for a cold night. Just make sure you taste it before you add sweetener or milk— you may find you don’t need it!

I am no expert on matcha, but I can say that this tea is truly delightful and delicious. I could drink this all day long (and I often do).

The best Earl Grey I’ve tasted thus far. It’s so smooth and fragrant. Simply delicious. This is one of my staples.

One of my favorite teas, although I agree that it’s sometimes a little weak; I’m looking forward to trying either the loose version or two bags in one cup. This one’s delicious by itself or with a bit of cream and sugar.

I revisited this tea twice in the last few weeks and very disappointed that it seems to have lost a lot of its flavor. Either that or I have a terrible memory. It’s been in a tin and it’s only a year old, I would have thought it would keep for a while longer. So anyway, it’s a sipdown and just be warned, if you have some of this you might want to drink it soon!

Here’s my afternoon tea, generally I’m not a big RoT fan but I do like this lemony green rooibos for some reason. It’s a tasty blend that goes well with the soymilk I like and actually tastes kind of dessert-y.

I haven’t done a whole lot today, I got a foam roller to do some stretching, went for a walk and had a massage. I started an interesting book called “Women of the Silk” by Gail Tsukiyama. All in all, it’s been a nice day for healing and rest. It’s good to have some non-caffeinated options that I like.

I got home and wanted to try out the electric tea kettle I just got. I love it so far! Anyway I like this tisane still, it’s very lemony but delicious, not sure if the BF liked it as much as I do. see previous notes if interested. :)

This was an impulse buy I found today at the health food store. Finally something from the Republic of Tea that I actually like. When steeped for the full 7 minutes it’s very lemony, with a hint of cream and coconut (although no dairy, as far as I can tell). I put some soymilk in mine which made it a little more chiffon-like. I appreciate the green rooibos base here, which seems to go better with the lemon than some red rooibos teas I’ve tried. Hmm… I hope I find somewhere at home to purchase this because it’s yummy. I wish more people were making green rooibos blends, I enjoy them a lot.

mmm thanks for sending this one my way terri! I like this even with the coconut in it as it comes across as mostly almond cookie :)

Final cup of the evening.
I never think I’m going to enjoy this one, but really, with a little sweetener it is pretty tasty. A nice little dessert cup.