Bonnie

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Bonnie drank Raspberry Rumba by SerendipiTea

Thank you DHart1214 for this sample tea

I’m not a hibiscus hater like lots of people on Steepster, and find that it’s nice with fruit blends as long as the other ingredients have enough flavor on their own to keep from being overpowered.
Sort of like not putting mint with a softer vegital tasting tea because it would hide the flavor completely.

So I looked at the ingredients, apple, raspberry, rose hips, hibiscus, natural flavoring and a ‘Guatemalan black tea’ (really?), all organic, and thought that the balance should be tasty.

Yow! The tea brewed up like a Shu Puer on the 2nd steeping, almost black and thick! You could remove grease from a frying pan with the astringency.
Like any good culinary scientist (which I Ain’t),I put a little milk in the tea and watch an instant churning like DRANO as a whirl-wind of tea stirred itself and became a curdled cup of icky gunk!

I began again and tried a lighter steep and still there was a sour bad taste.
No apple, no black tea flavor to be found. Even sweetening could not make this a happy tea.

How can I find the good here. (That’s my job)

I’ve got it! It’s organic!

2012-10-06 15:44:38 -0400

I Like This

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Comments

teabird 2012-10-06 15:58:44 -0400

I love honest reviews :)

K S 2012-10-06 16:20:36 -0400

I haven’t had anything that undrinkable in a long time. Cooler water maybe? Pass it out at halloween and tell the kids its suppose to be sour? They tell me they like that sort of thing.

Bonnie 2012-10-06 17:12:40 -0400

Maybe with dry ice? Stick in some red wax lips? Cooler water with black tea? Shiver!

K S 2012-10-06 17:25:07 -0400

Ooh dry ice. creeepy. Put it in a cauldron and tell them its gopher guts or something equally disgusting.

Several of the black teas I have tried (especially Teavivre) call for below boiling water. Darjeeling should be below boiling. Even some Ceylon teas I brew benefit from lowering the temp a bit. It sounds like it will not help in this case – on the other hand who knows.

Bonnie 2012-10-06 19:05:49 -0400

It was a sample…wah wah, too bad (har har) can’t try it, all gone. Give it to Mikey! (remember that ad!)
Do you have up-to-date steeping perameter’s for GUATEMALAN BLACK TEA? (joke)

hannabling 2012-10-08 14:49:06 -0400

Mix this tea with the big bag of Mate!

Bonnie 2012-10-09 00:48:03 -0400

Good idea hannabling!

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Bio

Colorado Grandma
http://www.teaandincense.com
Grandmother to 3 tea drinking teenaged girls and 3 young tea drinking boys. I began teatime as in the Summer over 30 years ago when my children were little. We took a break from play for tea and snacks and to chat every day. They loved tea time.
We have several tea houses close to my home and a Tea Festival in Boulder. Fort Collins is a bit of a foodie town. We brew lots of Beer (Fat Tire is one brand) and have several Spice Shops (Savory is the one featured on Food Network).
Colorado State University is a mile from my home and the Rocky Mountains climb higher at the end of my block. The climate here is semi-arid with LOTS OF SUN AT 5000 feet. (Heavy Winter snows start in the higher elevations). After living my whole life in Northern California (Silicon Valley) I have to admit that I LOVE IT HERE!!!
I attend a wonderful Greek Orthodox Church and enjoy cooking ethnic foods (all kinds). I am disabled with Migraines and Fibromyalgia!
My family is Bi-racial ( African-American, Scots) and Bi-cultural, (Peruvian, Cyprus, France, Mexico, Native American)
I’ve worked at a Winery, was a Special Ed. Major, Telecom and System Analyst, Won Cooking Contests, been an Athlete and Coach, Artist, Pianist, Vista Volunteer. I love to travel and have been to Italy, Greece, Peru, Mexico, Hawaii, Alaska, Malta, Canada, Croatia and Turkey! If you check the bio page below…the photo is one from my trip to Santorini, Greece. I took the photo. OPA!