I’m not a huge fan of RoT, but I do think some of their fruity black teas are decent. Every year I get a few samples with a catalog, so I decided to try this.
There are twenty herbs in this…….TWENTY! I smelled the teabag, but got more aroma from the envelope it came in. From a distance it reminded me of Bubble Yum bubble gum. Closer sniffication reveals Rooibos, allspice, anise, lemon grass, cinnamon, and vanilla.
The main cup aromas were Rooibos, allspice, anise, lemongrass, and wintermint. My palate detected mainly Rooibos & allspice, while the anise hit the back of my palate. I did notice slight hibiscus in the aftertaste. Overall, a very mild cup.
I remember seeing somewhere that one of their teabags contains between 1.0-1.3 grams of tea. The standard is 2.25-3.0 grams per 6 to 8 oz cup. So you really do need two teabags to get a decent cup. That means IF I wanted to ice this tea (a general rule is to double the tea for iced tea), I’d need 3 or 4 times as much!! NOT FOR ME. :-[
To top it off this is a 20th Anniversary Tea! What a major letdown. I mean, I can’t believe they thought, ‘YES!! This is our best representation in celebration of twenty years in the tea industry! Now go celebrate!!’ This was NOT a celebration in a cup. Twenty ingredients is a mishmash in a cup-way too many, which turns out to be a mess in my cup.
I need a good FF Darjeeling RIGHT NOW! That’s a tea that is worthy of…….and IS a celebration in a cup. :))
Cupped & Reviewed: Friday, May 18, 2012.
