The Republic of Tea

My husband got me this tea for Christmas. He was right on for picking a good flavor for me. It’s a really nice cinnamon tea, with a touch of butter, but on the weak side as far as flavor goes. Good with breakfast. I guess it’s limited, so once it’s gone, that’s it, but there are 50 tea bags, so I’m sure I’ll have it for awhile.

Wow I’m confused…this tea has some serious hate front and center…I found it not bad at all. I thought at first well maybe they’ve changed something because almost all these 1-4 ratings are from years ago.

I got it for free in the catalog like most everyone else.

I steeped it while I made some solid perfume, so it had time to cool off also. The good thing about solid perfume is it’s so quick to finish, so the tea was at the perfect temperature for drinking when I was done.

I’ll honestly say I was expecting to hate it. I don’t care much for RoT unless it’s herbal/rooibos. But I was pleasantly surprised. I thought it was going to be weak and bitter because I used a lot of water for their underleafed sachet.

This isn’t strongly spiced, but I don’t think it tastes a thing like apple cider. It was like a cinnamon/lightly spiced black tea with just a hint of sweetness.

I don’t think I’d buy it unless I could get it way cheaper than what RoT sells everything for, but it wasn’t bad especially if you’re in the mood for cinnamon, but not a tea that’s really IN YO FACE cinnamon.

So I love anything chocolate cherry and when it was posted you could get a tin of this for $6.50 shipped I figured why not?

I have two other chocolate cherry teas, one from The Tea Spot, which was okay, and then Griottes from Della Terra that I haven’t tried yet.

I think this actually ranks above the Tea Spot one, though I have only had it with additions. I drank this plain and it was soooo perfect. I drank it while watching the series finale of 30 Rock as I cried at the end. Of course.

The chocolate isn’t super strong, but it tastes real enough. The cherry is perfect though. I don’t think it tastes medicinal at all, it tastes like a maraschino cherry.

Of course the only downside of this tea is a) you have to use 2 teabags to make a decent sized cup and b) it’s actually only available from World Market. But if I could get it at such a low price again, I’d get it. I have to try my other two again and see which one really prevails.

Now I must go check on course 2 of our coffee oatmeal stout night. First up was stout mac and cheese (I’m now dying earlier than ever) and next is chocolate stout brownies. My arms are tired from all the whisking and grating.

i steep this with blueberry bliss by teavana awesome!

on my 2nd steep of my 2nd bag, i thank you Josie Jade :)

aroma: slightly smoky mingled with a rosy fragrance
flavor: i like a strong lapsang souchong but this blend’s flavors fit!

this is the one i liked the best of all the 3 teas i had on my bday. it is good enough that i finished it even without adding anything :)

thank You Lord for tea <3

Sunday Saple Sipdown #2
This one is from Josie Jade. She was generous in sending 3 bags. The first time I had this, I used 1 bag. It was pleasant but mild. Today I used the other 2 bags together, steeped for 3 minutes. Plus stevia.

Not bad! Mildly smokey, with a trace of rose. Thanks Josie!

This is Josie Jade’s pick to read with the book, Anna Karenina.
It’s also really nice! It’s smokey, with a rose aftertaste. I thought I would want to sweeten it, but actually I like it straight.

Again, I’d like to commend & thank both Josie & Serenity for this wonderful idea, & for sending out the tea samples to everyone!

And now, I’m taking my cups of tea to the bubble bath, as I’m still only at 75% on the book. Time to soak, sip, and read!

Saturday Sample Sipdown #5

Thanks to Josie Jade for this one. It is pleasant, a change of pace, but not something I would stock.

For those of you who don’t know, a group of us have been reading Anna Karenina, thanks to Serenity & Josie Jade. Thanks girls!
This is a tea sample, which Serenity picked to go with the book. I’m not usually a fan of flavored green teas, but it’s really quite pleasant!

Eh, it was alright, but I don’t think I would revisit this Earl again while there are better versions out in the market.

i did not like this tea a lot the first time i tried it…but the second time i did! even the resteep.

gotta try it another time to make a decent review tho ^^

Part of saturday sampler day. Very light on the plum and spice and thankfully light on the green tea. This is ok if it were the only thing available, I would drink it.

It smells wonderful! It is better with some sweetener as I find is the case for me with the fruity tisanes. Added some milk for a creamier chocolate taste. I like the rooibos in this too, delicately blending in with the rest of the ingredients. Thanks to Serenity for the AK sample and prep advice!

I believe this is the tea that I’m having this morning. I was too slow-moving this morning to actually take the time to make my own tea, which is very unusual for me. Normally that’s the one thing that I always make time for.
Anyway, this tea is fine for this morning. It’s a normal orange pekoe with a mellow/mild flavour. And honestly, that’s all I really have to say about this one this morning…

A little artificial, but honestly, I haven’t had banana flavoured anything that didn’t taste that way.

That said, this is my second favorite RoT “Cuppa Chocolate” tea. Very tasty, and really hits the spot when I want something sweet. I add milk and sugar…YUM.

I use two teabags with this, because it can be a little weak. (Although, I add two teabags to just about everything, so YMMV.) I also let this steep for an unusually long time, that is, if I don’t just leave the bag in there out of laziness. ;)

Oh, and I also love that I can have this tea at night, which is when I usually want to curl up with a dessert tea. I usually have to avoid my other teas because I’d be wide awake at bedtime.

I adore this tea.

Do yourself a favor, though, and buy the loose version of this if given a choice. The bagged version is flat. When I first bought this, I found it in a tiny tin, loose. The flavor was WONDERFUL. Vanilla, nutty, just the right start to an early morning. (I am NOT a morning person.)

When I couldn’t find that version, I purchased the bagged version from the same store. It just doesn’t have the same dimension. I feel like I am drinking it just to finish up the tin now, and I don’t like to do that. :(

Try their Vanilla Almond if you want something vanilla, nutty, and bagged.

I am familiar with how stingy this company is with the content of their tea bags, so I put three of them in my mason jar to cold brew and gave them several hours to steep. The result was both unusual and pleasant. Can’t say I taste the ginger, but there’s a pleasantly fragrant bite reminiscent of orange peel that goes well with the sweetness of the anise. The mint is a bit wild and weedy but works well with the other flavors.

This came to me free in a sample box from my big sis, HarpLady. I probably won’t take out a second mortgage to buy another tin of this variety but it’s an unusual blend and a surprising change of pace.