Pink Flamingo

Very thirst quenching cold brew! In total, an 11 hour steep which yielded a delicious citrus grapefruit juice like drink with a refreshing kickback from all the eucalyptus (I’m reaching the end of my tin, so a lot of the small eucalyptus bits that sunk to the bottom are what remains). This will be a summer staple, for me.

Next up to be cold brewed, Watermelon Mint Chiller so I can get in that easy sipdown!

My overall opinion of this tisane hasn’t really changed since the first time I tried this. Sour citrus and eucalyptus just isn’t a taste I gravitate towards. I do kind of like the light orange juice aftertaste it leaves in my mouth though, hmmm, neato. I decided to try making a hot brew then tossing some ice in it since the weather has been so warm. I like it better this way…refreshing. Unfortunately it’s still a long way from making my favorites list. Not likely a repurchase unless I forget that I’ve tried it, and I see it at the 2 for $5 impulse buy display at the cash register.

Eh, yuck. Last time I tried this, it was a cold-brew that was absolutely awful due to the hibiscus and oversteeping. So I tried a regular hot brew to taste both hot and chill this time. Sadly, although the tea smells deliciously of grapefruit, I really don’t like it. I suppose it’s not terrible, but I’m getting a citrus peel sort of taste (I dislike citrus peel of any variety), and although the hibiscus isn’t overwhelming, I’m finding time and time again that it ruins my enjoyment of a tea even in small quantities. I’ll drink the rest of this cold tomorrow (or try to, anyhow), but I doubt that’s going to change my opinion of it. This tea is probably just fine for citrus lovers, but for whatever reason, such flavours just don’t work for me in tea.

ETA: Chilled version is no better. Bleh. I guess part of the reason I disliked it the first time was because I think it’s gross period.

Given I have not been having the best time with hibiscus today (and yet keep making teas with it), I am surprised to actually enjoy this one. It’s quite tart, and I am enjoying that aspect of it right now.

It comes off more as a ruby red grapefruit rather than a ruby red hibiscus tea. I think the lemongrass is actually quite good here, I know I’ve said before that sometimes if it doesn’t fit, it makes whatever it is taste like Froot Loops. I love how this is tart without it being the hibiscus for once. It has some nice citrusy notes to it.

I think after Mamma Mia the surprise lies in the fact I actually like this since it seems like such an odd combination of various things…carrots? Eucalyptus leaves? It works. As I’ve let it sit, the tartness has lost its bite, so to speak. The first sip actually felt like a pinch inside my cheek but now it seems tamed. I was considering adding agave but now it’s good.

I probably wouldn’t get this normally (I received it in *DaisyChubb*’s iced tea swap I believe!) but I will sure enjoy this the rest of the summer, so for the next 2 1/2 months.

So a friend of mine is pregnant, and “storing her tea” at my place until some time in the future. I was given specific instructions to just drink it all – like i haven’t got enough of my own tea to drink! In any case i figure i would however, use the time to sample the teas she has that i’ve never tried.

So this one is up first! It’s hibiscus alright, but it’s over all not a bad little tea. I’d likely prefer it better cold and i certainly wouldn’t buy it myself but i wouldn’t refuse to drink it. I can get hints of orange in this but mostly it’s that sour hibiscus taste hanging out.

I was fairly certain I was the last person on Steepster to try this! OR…darned-near.

Special thanks to Amanda for this one!!! I have been wanting to try it for a while and I’ve shocked myself with that statement because it’s a fruity herbal. BUT…you know what? This is tasty! Citrus, Apple, fruit combo is really wonderful…it’s citrusy and fruity but not overly puckery or hibiscusy. The berries are a nice touch. I think the carrot adds the smoothness but pleasant sweetness to make this all work out nicely!

This was a wonderful surprise in many ways. I’m drinking this hot and it’s yummy but I am thinking cold it would ROCK even more.

I met up with Heather today to swap samples, and pass off samples to the Vancouver crew since a bunch of West Coasters are meeting up tomorrow (exciting, eh?) and we stopped in at the nearby DAVIDsTEA for an iced tea. Blackberry leaves and citrus, how can this not be good?

For the longest time I stayed away from hibiscus. Most hibiscus blends have been too loud, too tart, too spastic. But after Pink Passionfruit has won me over, more hibiscus-laced herbals, please.

I’m obviously going by memory, but the citrus hit me first, a sparkly orange, followed by a well-behaved hibiscus, followed by crisp blackberry leaves. I’m surprised the lemongrass isn’t coming through, but that’s cool.

I never ever put sweetener in my cold brews/iced teas at home but the agave was kind of refreshing. Don’t know if I’d make it a habit at home, though.

I am liking this less as time goes by. I had it iced (cold-brewed), and I’m rarely in the mood for something so tart. I thought it would be a little weaker when cold-brewed, but it was so potent!

When I first smelled this in store, I thought it smelled like Joy’s Teaspoon’s Wellness. It also looks like it, since they share a number of ingredients. Nonetheless, the beau bought a tin of this yesterday, and we’re giving it a go. It still smells like Wellness, but with additional grapefruit smell. I really like the smell, and if it tastes anything at all like Wellness, I will probably love the taste. As soon as I poured the water, this turned bright pink. Definitely hibiscus and beetroot!

This tea from the Spring collection is actually far lighter than I expected. 100 g filled the tin almost to the brim, so that sort of makes up for the suggestion that 2 tsp of tea are required for 1 mug of water. As usual, I’ve thrown that out the window and used 2 tsp of tea for 20 oz(ish) of water. Since this has no proper tea in it, I’ll just leave it steeping longer to really flavour up.

The steeped smell is slightly grapefruit, even more slightly hibiscus (can I say more slightly??) The colour is deep pink to purple. I don’t really know how long I steeped it..I should really try playing by the rules someday.

First sips are tart and sweet, if that’s possible. I don’t get as much grapefruit not, but definite citrus. There is an extremely pleasant aftertaste. I get the impression this isn’t fully flavoured thanks to my screwy steep times, btu I like it and that’s what counts. Definitely reminiscent of Wellness (as expected). Between the two I would pick Wellness for strength and flavour, great price and re-steepability. But, this is lovely and will be enjoyed until it’s gone. I might try steeping properly sometime and see if I get that hardcore grapefruit flavour that others do.

I used the last of this to create a cold brew. I’m getting less citrus and a lot more lemongrass and hibiscus. Still pretty tasty, but I prefer it hot.