The Republic of Tea

Earl Grey is my favorite tea and it’s the kind of tea that I always have to have in my house. I got the loose leaf of this and it does it’s job. I really like it cause even if you steep it for a little longer than usual (that’s how my boyfriend likes it), it doesn’t get that tartness that black tea can get when over-steeped. Also, my favorite thing about Earl Grey is the bergamot and this has a definite bergamot flavor. Good to have at that mid-morning tea time with a splash of milk and some sweetener. I’m happy with it and will most likely purchase it again when I run out.

Well, of my box of cuppa chocolate teas that I got from RoT, this is the one I like the least so far, of the 4 I’ve tried (Still have the velvet one to go). It definitely tastes like chocolate and strawberry, but I’ve never really liked that taste except for an actual chocolate covered strawberry. Strawberry ‘flavour’ just doesn’t taste quite right to me in most places and this is not an exception.

I can see why some people like it and some people hate it though. I wish this wasn’t a rooibos blend because generally I don’t like those very much, though there are exceptions to every rule. This is at least palatable. I think I’ll probably end up giving away the three bags left of this that I have.

This came as a gift from Terri HarpLady – thanks!

I’ve had these sachets for awhile, but I haven’t been the biggest fan of RoT in the past. Today I was feeling lazy and cold, though. And I’m in the middle of cataloguing my teas (only done blacks and greens and I’m already at 106… yeesh), so old samples have gotten stirred up. GOOD.

I tossed two satchets into my 20oz pot. It actually smells delicious – really beautifully cherry sweet, without that sharp sort of hibiscus-cough medicine flavor it could have. The taste is a bit bland, but I attribute that to it sitting in my drawer for a couple of months.

It’s good. I liked it a lot more than I expected to. Thanks!

I’m trying to clear out my cupboard and force myself to drink and rate all the teas that I’m not too fond of so that I can pass them along to others. This tea attracted me because it’s caffeine free and it says that it’s a satisfying cup and helps curb cravings, so I thought “Oh perfect for late at night when I really want cake/ice cream/cookies/etc. but will get fat if I give in and eat them”. Unfortunately this tea tastes pretty bland in my opinion, so it’s really not much help. The teabags smell sickly sweet to me of artificial orange with a little cinnamon. The tea itself smells much better, like a warm, spicy cinnamon aroma. The tea is ok, pretty dull in flavor with not much of an aftertaste. Not a terrible tea, just not one I am likely to purchase again.

-Round natural unbleached teabag.
-Teabag smells of artificial and very sweet orange with cinnamon. Tea liquor aroma is of sweet spicy cinnamon.
-Tea liquor is a cloudy medium orange color.
-Bland orange flavor with a muted cinnamon finish.
-Best with sweetener.
-Fair tea. No bold flavors.

Well, I must say that this one smells divine. Like a Mounds bar, which I enjoy greatly whenever I have them, which isn’t often. It’s making me want one now.

Drinking, it’s a little thinner than I’d really like, considering how rich it smells, but it’s still a nice flavour. I like it.

Upon starting to sip this drink, it’s cooled off quite a bit because I forgot about it, and I can definitely taste the banana flavour, a bit fake but okay, and I can hardly taste the chocolate at all.

Okay, so I reheated it in the microwave and I’m drinking it a little hotter and I can taste the chocolate now. This is a pretty good tea when all the tastes are out. I did add milk and sugar, like I normally do to dessert teas.

This is the tea of choice this morning as I need something seriously good to motivate me to get up, go to class and be productive in general for the day. This tea is interesting in that almost all of the ingredients are some form of cocoa or chocolate – yum! The teabags are very powdery with a fine, cocoa-like filling that floats up out of the tin when you open it. The Republic of Tea recommends brewing the tea for 7 minutes, and the end result is a cup of cloudy tea that smells exactly like hot cocoa. It tastes just like hot cocoa too, one you add a little milk and sweetener. If I had any mini marshmallows in the house I would throw them in the cup also. This tea takes me back to my childhood days of sipping a warm, sweet cup of hot chocolate during the winter. This has been one of my favorites for a long time and it looks like it’s time to purchase more as there is only one teabag left!

-Round natural unbleached teabag. Teabag is powdery with a fine cocoa-like filling.
-Teabag smells strongly of rich chocolate. Tea liquor aroma is exactly like hot cocoa.
-Tea liquor is a dark cloudy brown color.
-Deep dark chocolate flavor with a strong sweet cocoa finish.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Excellent tea. A rich creamy and satisfying cup.

This tea is so perfectly peachy! I’ve had this tea before and I was so happy when I found it hiding in one of our cupboards. It smells so good when it’s steeping and it’s nice and sweet! ♥♥

As soon as you open the can, you get a whiff of lemon and happiness. With the bright cheery tin and the luscious smell, you feel your mood lifting with every sniff. And thankfully, this tea tastes as good as it smells. It’s good plain, it’s fantastic with a spoonful of honey (any kind), and even if it steeps too long or it gets cold, it’s still yummy. Will be buying more of this again before I run out!

Today I had tea with two of my daughters and this was one of our tastings. We tasted this and three other teas and we all agreed that this was our favorite. We sweetened it a wee bit with the German rock sugar from Teavana. This tea was suprisingly robust. It seemed like a thicker infusion than I was expecting. It was a full, sweet, flowery and fruity taste. I would definitely buy this tea and enjoy keeping some on hand. It is decaffeinated and I presume a tisane. I did not detect any real tea leaves of any sort. Nevertheless it is quite tasty and I think it would be yummy mixed in with iced tea. My daughter that supplied this one said she has mixed it with lemonade previously and that it is terrific that way with lots of ice on a hot summer day. It was good hot today in my opinion. It would be enjoyable in the evening also when I don’t want anything decaffeinated.

This is my favorite “I have a lot of stuff to do today and I don’t want to do any of it but I have no choice so I might as well be cheerful about it” tea. It has a cleansing aroma, a naturally sweet taste, and when I drink it, I feel calm and focused.

I a few samples of The Republic of Tea’s chocolate rooibos blends that I am excited to try. I have a hard time making myself switch from strong black teas to caffeine-free teas in the evening, and I am hoping that these delicious-looking blends will help. The teabag smells chocolatey and has that sweet odd scent from the rooibos. (I’m not a huge fan of rooibos, but am trying to be open minded!) The flavor is alright, it is kind of subtle. I added a little sweetener as I hoped it would enhance the sweeter flavors and also some milk as suggested, but both of these overwhelmed the tea. I was hoping for a more smooth and creamy cup. Although it’s not as good as I hoped, it’s still a nice caffeine-free cuppa for before bed, but probably one that I wouldn’t necessarily purchase a full tin of.

-Round natural unbleached teabag.
-Teabag smells of chocolate and rooibos. Tea liquor aroma is of sweet, warm red velvet cake and icing.
-Tea liquor is a deep reddish-brown color.
-Light chocolate flavor with a mellow red velvet finish.
-Best with a small amount of sweetener. (Milk overwhelms the delicate flavor.)
-Fair tea. Very thin and weak flavor. No creamy cake-like flavor as expected.

2 teabags for 300mL water @100C, steeped 8+ minutes, drunk bare.

Even two teabags don’t make this taste any better. I smell more roses. That’s it. This could be so much better. Revising the rating down. Will never buy this again.

1 bag for 250mL water @100C, steeped til I finish drinking it, drunk bare.

First, I gotta complain: that’s one stingy pinch of leaves in the teabag.

The formulation of Get Relaxed I’ve got contains no kava. Ingredients: organic rooibos (leaf); linden (flowers); passionflower (aerial parts); chamomile (flower); English Lavender (flower); Damask Rose (petals). Chamomile, lavender and passionflower each can help me sleep; together they’re a potent team. Scented with rose, they’re nigh-on irresistible. Sometimes I think of old-lady perfume when I smell this tisane, and that’s fine. It is floral. And it tastes like a blend of rooibos, lavender and rose. But the leaves in the bag are quite stale, and the portion is small. It takes at least eight minutes to steep anything worth tasting. I could do much better making my own blend, but I bought this silly stuff and spent quite a bit of money on it, so now I need to drink it.

It works, it tastes mostly as you’d expect, but it could be fresher. Especially for the price: $14.00 for 36 teabags.

Sipdown!

This is a great blend. I made it extra strong because I was feeling it. This is smooth, smoky and the rose is a nice touch.

Regarding Anna Karenina, the smoke and rose suggest passion and femininity, but they also push the boundaries a little. Is it too much? What will others say? I suppose it could be a cup of sorrow or regret, but if you live in the moment nothing going can stop you from surrendering to each sip…

Thanks again to Josie Jade for the sample. The Steepster book club will discuss AK on the 25th and I’m looking forward to it. I hope we continue with this!

At first glance of the tea description…rose petals ugh…smoke ugh! But I am pleasantly surprised at the layers of flavor. First, you smell the smokiness, but it is not the over the top smokey, just a slight smoke. Second, you taste a delicate backdrop of black teas and then on the back of your tongue the cream of a rose. I have not added milk or sugar this time.

Forgot I’d tasted this already and didn’t like it so I’m half way through a mug of it (2 bags to the big mug). The hibiscus is strong and tart and there is some lime flavour to this, but I stand by my previous statements.

Trying another one of these. Didn’t like the last one because of the stevia ingredient but I bought this so I’m going to drink at least one glass of it.

Without any additional sweetener beyond the stevia that is already in it, I taste mostly just hibiscus with maybe a slight aftertaste of lime in it. The smell is really nice, I can definitely smell the lime there, but I mostly just taste hibiscus.

With a bit more sugar, the lime flavour comes out a bit more but so does the hibiscus also. If you are looking for a nice hibiscus tea, this is a good one, if you are looking for a lime tea, I’d look elsewhere.

With just a bit of milk added, or vanilla soy milk, this tea tastes like liquid pumpkin pie! My favorite for the fall/winter. :3

Loose
Appearance: deep green gunpowder pearls
Aroma when Dry: powdery mint
After water is first poured: vanilla mint icing
Tea liquor:
At end of steep: faint green
Staple? Type yes, won’t buy brand again
Preferred time of day: any
Taste:
At first?: mint candy, slight chalkiness
As it cools?: mint notes open and flatten somehow
Additives used (milk, honey, sugar etc)? No
Lingers? Yes, very mild mint and vanilla notes