The third of my four stray Twinings bags. I actually feel like I’m having a pretty good time with these today, despite them being of the “fine shred” variety. I’m not the biggest ginger fan, but I do love rhubarb, so I’m guessing that’s why I added this one to an order sometime in the distant past. I gave the bag 3.5 minutes in boiling water, and the scent when I returned to the kitchen was pretty amazing – rhubarb and custard sweets!
To taste, this is initially more rhubarb than ginger, which scores it major points with me. The rhubarb is on the sweet side, and just a little bit tart. The ginger emerges in the mid-sip, but more as a warmth and kick of spicy heat than a flavour in itself. The major letdown for me with this one is the liquorice root. It wasn’t listed in the ingredients, but I know it’s around because I can taste its sweet stickiness at the back of my throat. It’s not as overdone as it’s been in some teas I’ve tried recently, but it’s still there and I HATE it.
If it wasn’t for that, this would have been a pretty high scorer with me. I don’t feel I come across a rhubarb tea that often, so when I do it’s a pleasant novelty. I wouldn’t say this was a particularly fiery blend, so it’s not living up to its name in that respect, but it is rhubarb and ginger and that would have been enough. As it stands, I wouldn’t repurchase this one. The liquorice is a complete no-no as far as I’m concerned.
