The Republic of Tea

Another steal from my mothers RoT stash. I drink mate blends when I happen to have easy access to one, but it’s not a tisane I’ll actively seek out.

The can doesn’t have all the powdery cocoa that it warns about on the outside. I think they may have changed the formula a bit as older reviews on the RoT website describe it as being more powdery in the can.

I used just one bag and didn’t fill my mug all the way, but I probably should have used two bags. I steeped it for 7 minutes and it is a bit watery. The flavor, albeit weak, is alright: like un-sweeteened chocolate and roasted mate. It’s not a replacement for hot cocoa. If you need a serious chocolate fix, look elsewhere.

My mother went out of town to take an injured baby bunny to a wildlife vet (my sister’s cat got to it) and she stopped at a natural food store there and bought a few different RoT cans; mostly bagged as that is what they had available (it’s not a really big store).

I took samples of each to try myself, this being one of them. Not sure about the honeysuckle flavor, it’s kind of unusual. I don’t know if it’s the flavor alone or how it blends with the white tea that bothers me. The first few sips were alright, but the more I drink, the more the strange hay-sweet flavor seems to build up and offend my taste buds.

Figured out how to make iced tea (it requires more planning than I expected), and ever since, I’ve been enjoying this one. It’s not as naturally sweet as when it’s cold-brewed, but once I add sugar or honey, it tastes a lot like the way the coffee shop makes it. My bank account is grateful I’ve discovered a cheaper alternative.

Despite the cool temperatures outside, I haven’t been in the mood for hot tea. I bought this tea a few months ago. One of my favorite coffee shops stocks only Republic of Tea varieties and I’ve had this tea several times there. I ordered it hot a few times, but the blackberry flavor comes across very artificial and a bit too heavy-handed when made that way. I switched to iced on the recommendation of the barista, and it was delicious. Decided to purchase it so I’m not stopping by the coffee shop every day. I can save a few dollars if I’m making it at home for myself.

Last night was the first time I made it. I didn’t have ice at home so I cold-brewed a few bags of this tea in a pitcher overnight, and drank it in the morning and with lunch. The blackberry flavor comes out really well. It was naturally sweet, so I didn’t have to add any sweetener – definitely a plus as I’m trying to watch my sugar intake currently.

I still like iced better than cold-brewed, at least for this tea, so I’m going to pick up a few ice trays from the store soon. I look forward to enjoying this during the actual hot days of summer.

When I first saw this flavor on their website I was intrigued, but didn’t have the money to invest on something I may not like since mint & me don’t always get along. But lo’ & behold my next RoT catalog had a sample! :)

I brewed that baby up & fell in love – this is a great Southern summer sippin’ tea.

To really get the full watermelon flavor, you need to pony-up to the true Southern tradition & sweeten the heck outta that sucker!

It’s true…the mint isn’t really prominent – or maybe it’s my untrained palette that doesn’t notice it – but for me, it works. But I love the taste of juicy watermelon as it slowly makes it’s way down the back of my throat at the end of the sip.

And for me, I can get a 2nd steep – but I’m damned determined that way. So the 1st steep is for 5 minutes & I run the 2nd at close to 7.

I immediately ordered a tin for me & one for my sister. And now that the hubby has had his first sip, I’m going to have to order more…argh.

But the bigger issue is how to convince him that we can’t afford for this to be an everyday tea. But I can easily see it being our Summer Saturday night special. ;)

I nicked a bag of this from the spa last time I was there, just to see what it was like. :) It was the only black tea they had on offer, which makes sense since you are there to relax.

It’s not too bad, really. Decently strong apricot flavor with a light hint of sweetness. I left the bag in the cup for like 30 minutes when I got sidetracked into reviewing some of the husband’s photography. Not in the least bit bitter. The only downside is as the cup cools more with the bag still in there, I’m not sure, but I think I taste the bag. Just a mild papery taste in the background which is totally my fault and not that of the tea. :)

If I was limited to bagged tea, I think RoT would be my choice for a lot of things.

this tea. nicely played little tea. i brewed it up kind haphazardly and wasn’t trying too hard to choose a tea, i was like whatevs, and the second i tasted it i was all “hey! … i like this! yum!” gulp gulp gulp

it was gone in record time.
could have been the hours i spent in the sun i suppose? but yum!

so good Shelley_Lorraine. so good.

to bad this isn’t for sale! but hopefully eventually…
http://www.kolle-rebbe.de/arbeit/haelssen-lyon/der-teekalender/

“The Tea Calendar has been launched in a limited special edition. It is very expensive, handmade and not commercially available in this form. This first edition will be followed by a longer development phase in which the Tea Calendar is to be brought to market.”

eventually brought to market. i’ll be looking for it cuz i’m SO CURIOUS.

I just got my mystery swap from BrewTEAlly Sweet today and this is the first sample I decided to brew. I looked it up on Steepster first and gee are you lot hard on this one or what?! I expect that I will need two bags of most bagged teas for a strong enough brew, so comments about weakness weren’t such a concern.

But really, I don’t see what the big deal is except that maybe we are all getting too spoiled with premium loose teas these days? It’s a bagged tea people, it’s not going to taste super gourmet. Now, this doesn’t mean that I’m cheering for it either, I used two bags and the clove and orange came through plenty strong (EDIT: heh, just saw that orange isn’t listed in the ingredients. I guess it’s the blend of apple and licorice that’s coming out orange-y). I think that it could use more cinnamon, but overall it’s a pleasant drink. There is a sweet aftertaste too that is not obnoxious as some can be. I probably won’t go out of my way to buy it and I won’t be recommending it to all my friends, but I reserve my ‘red- range’ ratings for the teas that are physically and mentally painful for me to drink. This is not one of them.

Weird. I remember this tea being better in the past; must be the rosy glasses of nostalgia, or else I just wasn’t spoiled enough by a huge tea selection back then. My days of drinking mostly Republic of Tea blends are long over. Comfort and Joy used to be one of my favorites, but now it tastes so… lifeless, perhaps. This can’t be the same company that produced the Tea of Good Tidings.

Very decent holiday tea. The scent that wafts from the mug after a 4 minutes’ brew is almost intoxicating.

As holiday-style teas go, this is a surprisingly well-put-together blend from the Republic of Tea. For some reason this tea is also rather soothing, and I’m not sure why.

Was looking for a caffeine free tea and thought why now?! Might as well try to keep my skin healthy while drinking healthy. The tart you usually get from hibiscus was not quite present. It had a hint of sweetness and a hint of the berry. While I’m not a huge fan of rooibos tea, this one was not as strong as most:) thank you for the nice brew before bed:)
http://m.flickr.com/lightbox?id=8756648104

well i told myself i wasn’t going to let my tasting notes get away from me. but it’s gone and happened again anyways.
i sure can drink a lot faster than i can write about them.
i was SO LAZY yesterday! and i vowed to taper my caffeine off earlier in the day than i usually do, so from my little caffeine-free pile came this tea!
already in a tea bag easy peasy.
nothing to write home about, but not an annoying tea by any means.
i just let the tea bag be lazy right along with me.
thank you whatshesaid!!

The orange taste is very subtle, and this tea is so easily brewed incorrectly—although it’s not too bitter even then. This tea was made by a barista so it wasn’t very well brewed, but I still liked it, more or less.

Tastes wonderful iced. For the times when Harney & Sons’ Caribe fails me.

Tastes like most chocolate-style mates I’ve had so far. The specific flowers in this blend soften the flavor (which is the key to most “latte”-style teas, along with wonder that is vanilla). It’s nice to have what’s effectively a latte in taste without resorting to milk of any type, and nice to have a caffeinated herbal tea with this effect (you often find black tea blends of the latte kind, the “Creamy Earl Grey”s and suchlike).

I received a sample size tea bag of this yesterday in a RoT catalogue. I’m drinking it iced and it definately tastes like real watermelon. The mint flavor is a hint of a whisper at the most – barely perceptable and easy to overlook if I weren’t searching for it. The base black tea flavor is also not there very much. This tea is all about the watermelon.

SIPDOWN! This is another one terri sent and for which the folks at work stole my remaining teabags of! I saved one to have this evening and i’m glad i did. This is another pretty decent tea bag from republic of tea. What i’ve come to realise is that while there are other companies that do the nice sachets and whose teas are pretty decent, this is the sort of company for which i could easily have a couple tins tucked away at work. This is a pretty nice juicy peach sort of tea. My only complaint is with how light the ginger is. I wish it were just a smidgen more gingery. Still though, not a bad little tea! thanks terri!

sipdown! I had this earlier this afternoon and it was pretty decent for a bagged tea. I actually think this would make a good cocktail type of tea. even a non alcoholic one. Maybe cherry-lemon or something of that nature. Either way, thanks to terri for letting me try this one out!

For bagged tea, I really love Blackberry Sage. The aroma is amazing, and it is sweet but not too sweet. I taste more of the fruit than the sage, but it has a great balance between the two. It also makes a delicious iced tea!

I’ve had this tea for quite a while, previous to starting my tasting log. This is my last bag. I will not be purchasing this again. The Harney Soho chocolate coconut blend is much better than this.

The tea bag smells very artificial, quite chemical like. Unfortunately the taste is not much better. Adding milk, sweetener, anything….it does not help to better the flavor.

We loved this tea, but it doesn’t seem to be available any more. I
have tried to make something similar by mixing 2 teaspoons of Republic
of Tea Rose petal tea with one teaspoon of lapsang souchong. We were
satisfied with this.