I received this as one of three samples in my first DAVIDsTEA order. Living in Albany NY, I am not fortunate to live near a DAVIDsTEA. sigh
Dry Smell: strawberry and yogurt. or strawberry ice cream. Either way there is a creamy strawberry smell the moment you open the bag.
Steeped Smell: Creamy strawberry smell is still there, but most of the creaminess is gone and in its place is a tart sweet smell. Whether it is the hibiscus or the rhubarb I am not sure
Taste: HOT At first, it is just tart. But not in a bad way. I’m a big fan of hibiscus, whether it is mixed in to a blend or straight up, hot or iced. I’m not really getting rhubarb though. Once you swallow, the creaminess and the strawberry comes back and lingers in a very nice way. I’m sure if I steeped this for less time the tartness wouldn’t be as prominent. Overall, I would definitely buy some of this and play with it to see how I liked it best. A note on the color: This is the most wonderful deep ruby color. I like my tea stronger, so it almost looks like blood. Which is fitting since I am sitting here after work watching True Blood :) Mmmm, Joe Mangianello, mmmm. cough anywho…
COLD I took the other half of my mug and put a big ice chunk in it and swirled it around to make a quick and dirty iced tea. It is not as intense, but the flavor is still there. The tartness seems to have dissipated a bit, letting that strawberry ice cream flavor shine through. To be honest, I always prefer tea hot, but this would definitely be a nice treat on a hot day, which I hope those are all behind us.
