The Republic of Tea

I think I’ve drank enough black tea for one day!
So I’m going with a cup of green, & this spring cherry, which I used to drink daily, is a nice change of pace.

I’m taking a break from my novel. One of my main characters is brewing sheng in her yixing right now, & although I’d also like to be sipping cups of sheng, for now I’m going with green tea. I’ve always kind of enjoyed this one. The sencha is very clean, the cherry is not cough syrupy, there’s a light floral. I’m not as in love with it as I was when it first came on the market, but I enjoy an occasional cup.

I only have a few students today. The first one is due to arrive any moment, & she likes green tea. I’ve been serving her a different green tea each week, mostly from Verdant, whose teas have totally blown her away. One week I gave her a cup of Matcha (& that day my wisking technique was at an all time high, I’d like to add, so it was beautiful & foamy! I should have took a photo). She’d never had anything like it!
Last week I unloaded a tazo green tea bag on her, (someone has to drink that stuff, right?), & this week I made her a cup of this spring cherry, which I used to be in love with, years ago when the company was young & not so commercial. I still enjoy this tea from time to time, so I’ll have a cup too. Lightly fruity & floral, but no cough syrupy taste, I think she’ll like it.

In spite of the weather, my cherry tree is blooming & today was the day for my annual invocation! I bought myself an order of sushi, came home & steeped a cup of spring cherry green, & enjoyed my little snack out in the yard under the cherry tree, admiring her blossoms. After my snack, I laid hands on her trunk, calling upon the Earth, the sun, the wind, & the rains to support her. Then I called out to all creatures within earshot, welcoming them to nest in her branches, to savor the cherries when they are ripe, & then reminded them that I also love cherries, so please leave the lower branches for me. :)

I’ve enjoyed this tea for a number of years, & it is especially nice during this season, when the cherries are blooming. I’ll have more than one picnic under that tree, & this is the tea of choice for those occasions.

I counted up all my teas, including the samples & trades that aren’t listed in my cupboard, & the total is…(trumpet call)… 230… TaDa!

So, this tea harkens back to the early days of my re-introduction to caffeine. I gave up caffeine when my first daughter (now age 30) was born because it caused her to break out in a rash. (No, she wasn’t drinking it, silly!) The Republic of Tea was a new company, & I saw their display at the store & was mesmerized. Initially I tried some of the caffeine free varieties, but as I read the labels, I wanted to try others.

This is still my favorite ‘cherry’ tea, the least phony tasting one I’ve tried. The cherry is very subtle, so it doesn’t taste like cough syrup. The sencha doesn’t taste anything like the green teas I drink these days. I don’t drink this often, but I always drink some in the spring, when my cherry tree blooms. I like to have a little picnic & ceremony under that tree, calling upon the nature spirits & birds (especially the blue jays that nest in my pin oaks) to remember that I love cherries too, so let’s enjoy a bountiful harvest, & if you don’t mind, leave the lower branches for me!

I made a decision this morning to stick to green teas today, to give my palate a break from black teas. I’m also trying to clear my cupboards a little bit, & all of my greens & oolongs have been neglected lately.
So I thought it would be fun to have a little contest, so to speak. I lined up 4 similar green teas, so I could compare them.

Sipdown!
I’ve had this awhile, I think I bought it last summer at our first every family reunion because I ran out of tea. It is acceptable as a bagged breakfast blend if I use 2 bags to a cup. So I used all 3 bags that were left in my insulated starbucks thingy, & out into the garden we went. Teas stay hot forever in that thing, so I worked out there for a couple of hours, sipping & wedding, sipping & shaping beds, sipping & enjoying the cacophony of bird sounds that I love so well.

I’m home from the rehearsal, fixing lunch. I realized there are still 2 other unflavored black teas on my list that I haven’t drank yet (besides the coveted Zhu Right!). So this is one of them. It’s been in my cupboard forever, required 2 bags to brew a decent cup, but otherwise is acceptable.

I want a Gaiwan!
I thought I had all of the tea paraphernalia I needed. I have a variety of teapots, strainers, teas, utensils, bowls, etc. I think today is my 5th day on Steepster, & I need a Gaiwan!

Of course, these things must be chosen delicately, so, I’m ogling at a couple of them…I may have to have 2 sizes… I ordered some tea from Butiki last night, using the last of the money in my paypal account (if you care to help refresh my ‘tea buying money’, you can download my recordings from iTunes, or buy the CDs from CDbaby… ;).

So, about this tea: it’s ok. I don’t buy a lot of bagged teas, I always feel that they scrimp on the dosage, if you know what I mean. I bought this tea while I was traveling (we musicians do that), because I ran out of my Stash, & I needed some breakfast tea. It is unremarkable, requires 2 bags to brew a decent cup, but it will do for now, as I have to drive my son to college. It’s raining in St. Louis, & that’s a good thing!

It might just be where I had this, but man, I would not drink this every day. Meh verging on the border of blech.

Surprisingly good. Short steep time.

I was very curious about trying this tea blend. It contains organic green rooibos, holy basil, licorice, indian sarsaparilla, maca root, acerola berries extract and natural orange and vanilla flavor.
I brewed the tea to boiling temperature. I steeped it for approximately five to six minutes.
While drinking this tea, I tasted sweetness as well as a tangy flavor. The liquor was an orange color. The aroma was a strong fragrance of licorice, a bit of vanilla,probably the maca root and the holy basil.
At first, I wasn’t sure how I felt about about the taste of complex flavors. It was completely new to my taste buds. I didn’t have such a good experience when drinking rooibos in the past,so I was hesitant. After taking a few more sips, I started to enjoy drinking it. It felt more energized that I usually do and definitely more alert!
I would say that this tea blend has made me realize that I would like to be more adventurous in the tea that I choose to try from now on. The adventure continues.

This has been my go to rose tea for years. I remember when it was called queen of hearts and you could only get it seasonally through republic of tea. It is wonderfully floral but not too much. I find the rose very calming and soothing.

Simple fruity tea. I really enjoy this tea iced.

This is my staple tea I seem to return to over and over. nice hint of honey.

I believe it was CupOfTree who sent this to me! Thanks so much!

I have found with Republic of Tea’s flavored bags – especially rooibos flavored – double bagging it seems to do the trick. So that’s just what I did here…

It smells extremely chocolaty that is for sure! The taste is more peppermint than chocolate but I can still taste that nice sweet chocolate in addition to the peppermint but it’s secondary. I’m totally ok with that as I am a mint freak! Chocolate Mint? Even better!

This is yummy…fresh and refreshing! Sweet chocolaty and minty! A treat, indeed!

When I first saw the name of this tea that TeaEqualsBliss gave me I must admit that I was a little scared.
Carrots? In Tea?
But, when I smelled the tea I was surprised, pleasantly surprised that is.
Then when I tasted it, I was happy to find a bright sweet tea that did not taste like a salad at all.
I love drinking this tea after supper and am very sad that it is now gone.
I think I will be adding this to my shopping list.
Thank You, TeaEqualsBliss!

My most preferred rooibos tea, so far. Strong without bitterness and slightly sweet.

Not a bad tea. Do love a black tea for breakfast. Found I really like this, has a slightly smoky flavor with hits of malt.

I’ll admit right away that I’m not well-versed enough in oolong teas to compare this to other milk oolongs. I’m a devotee of strong black tea, for the most part. But this – this is actually one of my very favorites. The leaves are deliciously fragrant when dry, with a scent that’s somehow both bright and milky-sweet, and they unfurl dramatically when steeped. I always take my tea a little sweetened, and a splash of milk isn’t out of place with this tea. It’s mellow and refreshing, perfect for summer days when you still want a hot cup of tea.

This was my first experience into the world of Genmai cha tea. I was introduced to it several years ago by a good friend who drank it all the time while we were at work at Barnes & Noble. It was hard to find, but when I finally did buy a tin for myself, I loved it! I really like earthy tastes, and this tasted like grass and rice, which I loved.

Many people say this Republic of Tea version is not the best example of genmaicha, and now that I have tasted others, I know that this one is different. I think it is easier to drink than “better” genmaichas, and I am glad this was my introduction.

If you have tried other genmaichas and found them hard to like, try this one – it is milder flavored, even if it is not “proper”.

This brewed tea smells wonderful! I love honey in my tea so was very excited to try it. The smell of honey really comes thru. Unfortunately even with a touch of sugar it was severly bitter. I brewed at the recommended 3 minutes so will try steeping shorter next time and see if it helps..then try cold brewing as iced tea. I didn’t taste any honey only bitterness when drinking this tea.

This is a WONDERFUL tea! It does not need any sweetner and the blend of hibiscus and pineapple are perfect – tart and sweet at the same time. I put the tea bags in a pot and just drink until finished before removing the bags.