The Republic of Tea

Starting to wind down. This is ok with a little sweetening. The main taste here is rooibos, with some almond. I’m looking forward to going to bed tonight, & I have a feeling I’ll sleep like a vampire at dawn.

bleh. I like the rooibos version better but i’m glad to have tried this. There’s something about the base that doesn’t sit well with me.

Sipdown and a thank you terri for letting me try this version!

Terri sent this my way to let me try out the black version of this since i have the rooibos version in my house. I’m happy to say i actually prefer the rooibos version. This is nice, and i’ll likely use my last two bags from terri to try it with a bit of milk, but there’s something about the rooibos that makes this taste more pumpkin-y than the black base. Still, not a bad little bagged cup :)

I bought this tea at my local supermarket as I enjoy both Rooibos and vanilla flavors. I found this to be a well-rounded tea that I enjoyed very much for late night sipping when I didn’t want any caffeine. I would love to have some more, but it’s on the expensive side.

I like to drink this Earl Grey when I’m in the mood for a more citrus-y Earl Grey. Drinking this tea helps me feel ‘brighter’. The tea has a good nose both in the tin and in the cup.

I don’t even know how to rate this one. I believe if I still took my tea (as I did as a child) with lots of milk and sugar, I would absolutely love this tea. But the tannins in this could make pudding taste like chalk (pardon the bizarre analogy!). Besides that, it’s a really nice tea, insomuch as that’s possible. I kinda wish I had ordered more even tough I didn’t enjoy this particular cup, because I know I have enjoyed this in the past.

Sipdown

Kind of a sad sip-down though, as I really enjoyed this one. Celestial Seasonings has something similar but it doesn’t have rooibos, which I like to drink daily. This says it’s “Sold Out and Discontinued” on the Republic of Tea site. My only complaint with teas from this brand is they are quite pricey as they only produce 6oz of tea. And for some reason, some of the blends, while still the same price, only come with 36 bags, while others come with 50. In any case, I’ll miss this blend. It’s not too gingery and has notes of cinnamon and vanilla. I add sweetener and use 2 bags per mug (though I can usually get another steep out of them). Bye Gingerbread Cuppa Cake, it was nice knowing you!

I bought this when World Market was doing their BOGO sale on The Republic of Tea teas. I don’t know why I only pulled it out recently, but the cute little tin was hiding in the back of my cupboard. In any case, I think this is long gone as I can’t find it on the website and it’s been missing from my local World Market for months now (sorry!). This is a nice caffeine free alternative for the holiday season.

It’s sweet on its own, but I always add sweetener and that’s when the flavors really pop. It’s got just enough cinnamon and vanilla added to keep the ginger from being overwhelming. It’s a lovely cup and I’d repurchase with a sale. Otherwise, I find this brand on the pricey side, since one bag only yields 6oz of tea. I double bagged in a 12oz mug.

I am always left impressed by the “get xyz” series from Republic of Tea (actually, just in general, I love their brand).

The taste is smooth and sweet the whole way — upon hitting your tongue and going down the hatch. There is a hint of cinnamon without it being overpowering — most blendmasters make a mistake of adding far too much cinnamon in their blends.

I’m not feeling well today and my husband offered to make some tea. After zealously opening a loose tea container and spilling the contents all over the counter, he decided a bagged offering might be safest. He showed me the bowl of teabags, and this is the one I picked.

I know I’m a weirdo who likes lots of teas nobody else likes… so I am not surprised that I really like this one! It’s chai spicy then savory herb-y then sweet herb-y. Even somehow minty. Very flavorful and unique. Some may say strange, but I like strange! I’m finding it really soothing on my sore throat, too.

In fact, I like it enough to throw some in my next RoT order. Thanks TeaSipper’s Traveling Tea Box! Another completely enjoyable tea from the Steepsterites!

This tea is ok. I wasn’t expecting much seeing as it’s a bagged tea and I’ve been disappointed many times with bagged teas, but this one surprised me. It actually had a decent amount of flavor and I actually enjoyed it and I don’t generally like rooibos. No, it doesn’t taste much like chocolate and yes, the peppermint is very much an aftertaste. But, the tea itself was decently enjoyable.

The first of 2 bathtub teas, sipped while reading Sherlock Holmes, “The crooked man”.

I picked up a tin of this the other day on sale at WF. The cool weather has caused me to crave some dessert-like teas. Really, I’m craving desserts, but that will cause nothing but problems for me, so a few flavored teas will have to do. This is not bad. With ROT I always use 2 bags (if you read their directions, one bag is for a 6oz cup). I think it would be even better if I added a little maple, but for this morning, no.

I really enjoyed this tea! Although I am not a fan of almond flavors, I thought this was a very mild, nutty, slightly sweet cup. It’s a good cup to enjoy while reading a good book…

I think I’m getting more into pepperminty teas this year. Winter normally makes me think of peppermint mochas, but as peppermint is always included in holiday/Christmas blends, I am usually forced to try a minty one despite it not being my favorite flavor. Instead of wishing for more creamy, egg-noggy Christmas flavored teas, I’ve decided to just embrace the peppermint and force myself to drink it down! It happens sometimes that I’m pleasantly surprised.

Giving this tea a sniff, I smell mostly rooibos and peppermint, no chocolate. I’m a little worried because it seems like it’s not going to be creamy chocolate. Sipping… the rooibos is definitely detectable and is rather strong. I don’t mind this because I like rooibos, but for those who do not like it, I would avoid this blend. The peppermint is also a bit strong. It’s not like it clears out your nose and mouth, but it does taste toothpasty. I don’t get any chocolate which is a bit disappointing because I think it would make a nice addition to the cup. The aftertaste is also a little sour and strange. For the most part, I enjoy the RoT’s “Cuppa Chocolate” teas, but this one is not for me.

This was another catalog sample. This is very weak in flavor for my taste when prepared per the website’s instructions. Not a bad flavor besides that. Maybe I should have prepared it in the “traditional” way they describe. Oh well.

This was a sample that came with the Republic of Tea catalog.

This one is driving me crazy because the smell of it when it is first brewed is a smell that I recognize, but I can’t quite place. It’s a smell you’d find in a candy shop, I believe, and might be a flavor of salt water taffy, but I’m not at all confident in that. The caramel apple flavor is only really apparent to me in the aftertaste (something like one of those caramel apple lollipops). The apple lacks any tartness, and I like tart apples. There is also a dry woody flavor in the aftertaste, but it’s not strong. Overall, this is a pleasant tea, but flavored teas, and especially rooibos aren’t really my thing so I won’t rate this. Fun to sample, though!

This was not as good as I was hoping it would be. This will be a tea I have with food from now on.

Hi everyone, I hope all my Steepster buddies had a good Thanksgiving vacation!

I am back from Mendocino where the weather and the scenery were gorgeous. Fortunately for me and my credit card, I did not find any new tea shops to try. ;-)

This tea I got in bulk at Whole Foods about a week ago. I had been wanting a new dragonwell to tide me over until spring and it’s nice to only have to purchase a small amount that you want.

As far as dragonwells are concerned, this seems to be fairly average. I’m not getting an incredible amount of nuttiness but there is some. Also a nice flavor of cooked peas and corn. IMO, it is decent but not a top flight dragonwell, nice for the every day drinking.

Really good dessert tea. Doesn’t need any sugar at all.

This came as a sample with the catalogue. It smells just exactly like caramel. The flavor definitely disappoints by comparison! It isn’t a total fail, just not as rich as the smell. This does taste like a caramel apple, with the caramel flavor at the beginning of the sip followed by a sweet apple taste. The apple flavor is somewhere between that of a naturally very sweet apple and candy. There’s a mildly spicy kick in the aftertaste that I’m quite enjoying. Overall, not a bad cuppa, but nothing I’d seek out.

This smells really good right out of the canister, much like one of my favorite candies, which are old-fashioned sour gummy peaches. So of course, this gave me cause for excitement! I found while brewing it almost had a “perfumy” quality, but it was not unpleasant. The flavor, however, was a bit of a let down and actually is pretty artificial in taste. I was expecting something more sweet and fruity/juicy. The main note is candied peach w/ a hint of candied ginger that is not overpowering. A great flavor concept, but it left something to be desired. It is a bit better sweetened, and two bags are needed if using a large mug. I will finish my stash, but won’t re-buy.