Mote Beach Tea

Another from my swap with TeaEqualsBliss! In the bag this smells JUST like Tropicalia and I’m kind of obsessed with that tea so it was a good starting point. Seriously, why don’t I own any Tropicalia yet?! I always just get it iced in the store. Well, I guess this will do for now!

Many of the notes say that this is a tart blend, so I cold brewed it. Actually I would have done that anyway, but I’ve found that it really cuts down on the tartness from hibiscus even in long steeps (and this one was in the fridge for 13 hours). It’s a gorgeous red color when finished, and the tropical smell is a bit diminished. It doesn’t taste as boldly pina colada-y as Tropicalia, but the coconut and pineapple are still prominent. They’re tempered a bit by the hibiscus and rosehips but it’s still a great iced tea! I actually don’t mind hibiscus when it’s not overwhelming the other flavors, and I do think it works well here and keeps it from being too sweet.

wow… this is TART!

But, as it cools down a little, the tartness seems to subside just a little. I love the coconut and pineapple here. It tastes smooth and creamy and a little sweet.

I did have to add a nice dollop of honey, though, to curb some of the tartness… tart is just not my thing. Other than that, though, I quite like this, and it probably would have been better if I hadn’t left it to steep quite so long.

I haven’t sipped this yet but I really hope it’s not overly tart! It somewhat smells like it could be! Like if you were on a beach smelling the coconut/tropical sun screen with pineapples surrounding you and holding an appletini or something.

Here-goes…
oh yes…the apple is very tart. The hibiscus contributes to that fact. The Pineapple is nice, tho. And the coconut makes it a tad smoother. After I got past the first tarty sip the rest of the sips weren’t as shocking to the system. This is alright. I am going to try cold next. For now I will go with this rating but it may change.

I’m finally home from my conference!! The only good parts about it were a) I was “at work” but not “working” and b) the catering had bags of Numi teas that I managed to sneak a handful of bags of to try later (I did drink several cups of the orange spice one whilst attempting to stay awake during the sessions).

So I go to check my mailbox, and the rest of my Black Friday tea orders are there, along with this mystery box. I opened it up, and it’s from LiberTEAS!!! She surprised me with a boxful of teas that she thought I’d like! I squealed when I saw this one was in it. I’ve been wanting to try it since LiberTEAS and TeaEqualsBliss logged it…I adore tart, and I’ve really been wanting to try some of the teas from this company.

I brewed for 10 minutes. It smells very interesting; the coconut and pineapple seem to be competing with the apple and rosehips. Actually, it smells very similar to Punch Green Rooibos from ESP Emporium!! I loved that blend; what will I think of this?

I’m tasting the pineapple over the hibiscus, as well as the apple and a smidge of the coconut. I’m also getting some vanilla-like notes…but maybe that’s just me. It’s absolutely delicious! It tastes similar to the Punch Green Rooibos. I’ve come to the conclusion, though, that my definition of “tart” is vastly different than others…for me, this is mildly, pleasantly sweet-tart, and is leaning much more toward the sweet end of the spectrum. If you like hibiscus and all things tart, this is definitely for you!

This would also be great iced (perhaps better, but it’s still good hot). I can definitely see myself icing it, mixing it with equal parts lemonade, and adding coconut rum for a summer treat!

Thank you TeaEqualsBliss for sending this one in our trade! I’m slowly leaving tasting notes for all the different teas I have right now… I feel like I’ll never get caught up since there are always more tea samples coming my way. Good problems!

That picture for this tea is GORGEOUS. Wow, I love how that picture was done. Anyway, the hibiscus in this one ruined the tea for me, as usual. I think hibiscus really loves to steal the spotlight, so you can’t even notice the other flavors. As I was steeping, I stole a sip that was nice and sweet and less hibiscus. But then I kind of forgot about it and oversteeped and it was so tart! I couldn’t find the apple or coconut, but I know the pineapple added a sweetness to tame the hibiscus. The steep color was a rosey pink. This one could have been worse, I guess. I like the idea of the blend, I just wish hibiscus wasn’t in herbal teas as much. I’d prefer less flavors (like if the apple, pineapple and coconut were less flavorful together) rather than have hibiscus overpower everything else. The next time I try this one, I will be sure not to oversteep!