LiberTEAS

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I think this tea was very recently blended, because when I opened the pouch, I could smell the alcohol. The alcohol is so strong that I thought that it might have been a rum flavored tisane until after I tasted it, and could taste no alcohol essence. Just tasting apple, maple, rooibos and honeybush!

I really like this combination. I prefer honeybush/rooibos blends to strictly rooibos blends because I like the way the two work together. I can taste the honey-esque tones of the honeybush without tasting that funky sweetness from the rooibos. There is also a slight nut/wood like note but not overwhelming.

The apple and maple also work well together… very autumn-ish! Yum!

2010-12-13 01:09:35 -0500

Boiling

8 min or more

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pinky 2010-12-13 01:19:15 -0500

Hi LiberTeas, I was just wondering, is alcohol routinely used as the vehicle for flavouring in teas?

LiberTEAS 2010-12-13 01:39:56 -0500

@Pinky – yes. Teas are flavored with a flavoring oil, and those oils have an alcohol base. Generally, the alcohol evaporates shortly after the oils are applied to the teas, however, if the tea is packaged immediately after flavoring, the alcohol doesn’t have time to evaporate, which is why sometimes when you open a new package of tea, you experience an alcohol odor. The alcohol evaporates when the tea is brewed, and does not affect the flavor of the tea.

Even when you find flavored teas with large chunks of fruit mixed in, more often than not, the tea has also been flavored with oils, because the fruit chunks (or chocolate chunks, or whatever), really do not influence the flavor of the tea.

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Bio

I am obsessed with tea!

I am a co-founder of the SororiTEA Sisters:
http://sororiteasisters.com

I also review teas for the Tea Review Blog:
http://www.teareviewblog.com

In addition to my passion for tea, I am also a mixed media/altered arts artist. You can see some of my art here: http://eccentricpastiche.blogspot.com

I am also a self-proclaimed foodie. I review local restaurants and the food I buy online here: http://hungryinportland.wordpress.com

My favorite teas are Yellow Teas with most Oolong teas at a close second. As far as “flavored” teas go, I love Earl Grey, Chocolate and Jasmine teas.

I also am intrigued by flavored teas with an unusual or unique flavor combination.

I don’t do a whole lot of swaps anymore, however, I do occasionally sell sampler boxes here: http://liberteas.teatra.de/ I don’t always have sampler boxes available as it depends upon how much time I have as well as packaging supplies. I usually post at least one or two sampler boxes per month, though, so if you’re interested, keep an eye out or PM me and I’ll let you know when I have some posted.

Most of the teas that I record in my notes here are going to have a fairly high rating from me. This is not because I am not discerning, but because I do not usually waste my time on drinking tea I do not care for, nor will I waste my time on writing about it.