Thanks again for the samples, Octavia Tea! I was a little worried about this one. It’s a caffeine-free combination of some ingredients that I thought would be very sour: rosehips, hibiscus, schizandra berries, and strawberry and blueberry flavor. My past experience with schizandra berries has been unbearably sour. But upon steeping, I had nothing to fear. The flavor isn’t very sour at all and is actually quite delicious. The perfect level of tart, fruity, with surprising amount of blueberry flavor. The second steep is a light pink brew and much of the same flavor: lighter than the first steep but delicious. This one would be amazing as an iced tea. It’s very refreshing even while it’s hot. A tasty hibiscus blend, when hibiscus usually isn’t my thing at all.
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug // 4 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 5 minute steep
Profile
Bio
Hi! I love tea and trying new ones – it adds a bit of variety to my day! Books, music, TV & movies are my thing… and tea, of course.
Some of my favorite tea shops (still operating):
birdandblendtea.com
teavivre.com
52teas.com
svtea.com
teakruthi.com
harney.com
angrytearoom.com
Dammann Freres
Yunnan Sourcing
fusionteas.com
AprTea.com
Javateaco.com
Lupicia
Plumdeluxe.com
Octaviatea.com
Davidstea
eco-cha.com
what-cha.com
justea.com
singleoriginteas.com
teasenz.com
tealyra.com
whisperingpinestea.com
Mandala
verdanttea.com
thenecessiteas.com
Favorite tea shops (RIP):
butikiteas.com
steapshoppe.com
steepcityteas.com
aquartertotea.com
dellaterrateas.com
zentealife.com
theteamerchant.net
joysteaspoon.com
tealiciousllc.com
Rivertea
Specialteas
My icon photo is Richard Mayhew from the graphic novel ‘Neverwhere’ by Neil Gaiman, Mike Carey & Glenn Fabry.
Most of the teas listed in my cupboard are actually sample sizes. I don’t really have 2,000 ounces of tea around here! Many of my teas have only one teaspoon left… maybe two. But I like keeping them in my cupboard list for reference to what I could be sipping. Usually, I write tasting notes once for each tea. I’m still drinking them, just not writing tasting notes each time!
My dislikes: hibiscus, ginger (unless in chai), turmeric, bee pollen, charcoal type flavors
My ratings:
95-100 – Super awesome deliciousness favorites – cupboard essential
80-95 – Also pretty delicious
65-80 – Pretty good
50-65 – Okay
1-50 – Probably won’t want to sip it again
I’m planning on being a Steepsterer as long as there IS a Steepster, so if you’re not hearing from me, that means something happened to my health… if you know what I mean. (Or as evidenced by the great computer hiatus of 2019, something happened to my computer.) :D
Happy sipping!
Location
USA
