Scarlet

This isn’t near as tart as I thought it would be – thank goodness the hibiscus isn’t taking over this one! It is a bit tart but it is also quite juicy with a lovely blueberry taste. I’m thinking this would be great iced!

I’m not going to give this tea a rating mainly because of user error. I tried following the steeping instructions and my gut told me that 2 tablespoons was too much, but I went with it anyway. Oh the tart horror! I’m partly mad at myself, but also the tart was just so overwhelming that it added to that anger. Did I just experience “hibiscus rage?” It’s like I was living the scene from Clue where the fabulous Madeline Kahn (as Mrs. White) goes on about her rage burning on the sides of her face. I tried adding sugar, but the tart kicked it out of the way. I finally had to toss the cup less than midway through. Perhaps iced would be better, but there’s not enough left to give it a try. If I were to give the tea a rating, then it’d be a big red one. GA

Juicy and not too tart – I like it!

I was at a supermarket today in awe, standing in front of the bulk tea section and couldn’t resist picking up a couple samples. This one smelled like this amazing rich mixture of blueberries and cherries. Delicious… or so I thought. Went home, brewed it, tasted it, yuck. It has that tartness that I find unappealing in so many fruity teas. When buying it in bulk you don’t get a list of ingredients, but I’ll bet it has a small army of tiny hibiscus pieces waiting to launch an attack in every cup. It tasted better once it was cold and I could even enjoy the fruity flavor a little at that point, but not enough to brew another cup ever again. I’m starting to think I don’t like tart and hot at the same time. Well Scarlet, done and DONE.

This is good, but seems a little weak. I’m thinking that I needed to use more tea. I know I brewed it long enough!!

I have a lot of other fruit teas that I like better, but I’ll definitely finish the pouch I have.

I’ve tried this a couple of ways & here’s my conclusions:

It’s much better iced than hot. Also, it’s VERY strong and VERY tart. My first time drinking it, I did 1 cup of hot water to 1 tbsp of Scarlet, and it was overpoweringly tart. No amount of added honey or sugar could stop the tart. It was like drinking a liquid Warhead candy (anyone remember Warheads? No?).

The second time, I tried two teaspoons instead to one cup of boiling water, let steep, and then poured over a handful of ice after adding sugar. Much, much better. When cold, the tartness is staunched a little and you can really taste the fruitiness – more like a Sweet-Tart than a Warhead. I’m getting ready to make up a little pitcher of it this way, in fact.

Oh, and it’s good for a second steep. Haven’t tried third though.

It’s been rainy, cold, and overcast here in Atlanta these past few days. Today was the first bit of sun I’ve seen in a while, so I brewed up this tea I bought down in Austin. It’s so deliciously sweet, I thought I was drinking Kool-Aid. The blueberry and cherry notes are really strong. This would be excellent iced.

Whoa!! JUICY!
It’s juicy in a similar way to Rishi’s Blueberry Rooibos. I really like it!! Seems like something even kids would enjoy. I’m going to try it iced sometime… I’ll let you know what happens!