Coffees of Hawaii

aisling of tea sent me this pouch of tea since I’m actually a fan of hibiscus, at least when deployed well. I have to admit I was a little skeptical because the primary ingredient in this tea is actually coffee cherries… weird! I don’t really like coffee, but I don’t mind coffee flavoring in some circumstances.

I bought a new bodum iced tea pitcher at TJ Maxx the other day (I know, nothing like waiting until the end of the summer, but it is a nice pitcher), so I cold brewed this one for a day or so. The result is, well, weird like I thought it might be. I mean, it tastes a bit like raspberry, a bit like tart hibiscus, and then also a bit like coffee. Not like a cup of coffee, but more like coffee flavoring… but it’s hard to figure out because coffee is almost never paired with fruit. I think it’s growing on me as I drink this cup. I’m also interested in seeing how this one will taste with some sweetening, since I’m drinking it plain now. But yeah… coffee and fruit is a bit… weird.

So I was ordering coffee online from this Coffees of Hawaii place because of a promo they had for a certain coffee. While browsing the website, I noticed they had another little section for teas so naturally that peaked my interest, they had a few of them and I decided to give one a try. The main product is the coffee cherry, which is the berry that contains the coffee beans. I’m guessing they noticed the potential to turn waste into a product and revenue (don’t blame them) and it seemed interesting enough to try. I like cherries. I like coffee (please don’t flame me!), so hell add those two up, and my interest is peaking. This blend is one with vanilla and papaya leaf so I went with the one that sounded the most interesting/exotic.

Now onto the “tea” itself. Dark red/brown, lighter in colour than a black tea, smell a bit of leaves (banana leaves in particular, if i recall correctly). Taste, does not taste like coffee at all to me, main flavour I am getting is red bean, crushed red bean.. the type you get in like cold Vietnamese/Chinese drinks. I don’t know what papaya leaf taste like, and I don’t taste any vanilla at all. I didn’t notice any vanilla bean segments in my scoop so maybe that’s why.

Overall though, it’s interesting.. but not interesting at all at the same time. This was ok to try and it was cheap. I got it for $5 for 3oz shipped, so really no harm there. I will not try and re-steep this one, doesn’t seem like it would be any better. I actually drank this before my coffee, so I’m kinda looking forward and hoping the coffee is good.

So, learning from the horror that was Painfully Strong Hibiscus Raspberry from this same company, I brewed this with only a teaspoon of tea, instead of a tablespoon. When I sniffed the finished product, I hate to say this, but my immediate thought was of a cheap motel room by the pool. Kinda musty and chlorine-y, but not….I don’t know, it wasn’t a bad thing, kinda?

After I take a sip, I realize the smell reminds me of a hotel coffee, that’s what I’m associating it with. Not terrible…but not all that great, either.

My wife’s going to try this when she gets home, but I think I can safely say that if there are any coffee cherry enthusiasts out there, I’d be happy to send you some of these teas.

Maybe milk would help…
Ugh these teas confuse the heck out of me.

I’m not going to rate this one just yet because I need to make it…better. I followed the company’s instructions of 1 tablespoon for 16 ounces of water (technically, I should have used 2 T, but seriously.) Way, way too strong for me. I added sugar, but you can’t taste it. It’s more hibiscus than raspberry, but it’s not terrible. It could just be because it’s crazy strong too. Definitely going to make another cup with way less tea.

I was weirded out by this tea. Is it tea? Is it coffee? If tea is simply defined by soaking plant products in hot water, isn’t coffee tea? Could I make tea out of chocolate covered espresso beans? Why is my cat doing that?

I digress. Anyway, it smelled nothing like what it tastes like, and the color is a dark red…the color is so rich that at once point I caught myself checking my tongue in the mirror to see if it had been dyed (it hadn’t). I don’t get “COFFEE” flavor from this, but I do get a kind of “oh, hey, y’know my friend coffee?” It’s there, but oh so barely, like a guest at a party thrown by hibiscus and raspberry.

I don’t know about this tea. I just don’t know.

EDIT: A few more sips and I was sick to my stomach. Down the drain with ye!