Flora

TOO much Hibiscus – way too much for my liking…and a little cinnamon…these two ingredients are really contradicting each other…eeeek

Steep Information:
Amount: 1 tea pyramid
Water: 6 ounces filtered
Steep Time: see notes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: Cinnamon, hibiscus, licorice
Steeped Tea Smell: Cinnamon, hibiscus, licorice
Flavor: Cinnamon, hibiscus, licorice
Body: Full
Aftertaste: tart licorice
Liquor: deep dark red

So first time I tried this I assumed I oversteeped, threw it out. Not sure how long it was.

Next time I went 5 minutes, still way too strong, let MilitaJim have it, he enjoyed it luckily.

Did one at 1:30 – still too strong for me! I have decided I do not like the combination of hibiscus (tart) and licorice. Probably the same reason I did not like the rishi blueberry red iced tea this morning.

I like bold flavors usually so I think it’s just the combination I do not like.

Made one cup hot and put in the refrigerator to try iced, will let you know how that goes.

Resteep: 5 minutes was dark pink color but no flavor.

images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/04/tea-forte-teabag-herbal-tea-flora.html

LiberTEAS has done it again! She sent me a tea that I wanted to try before I even read a tasting note on it. She’s that good!

TeaEqualsBliss logged this a few days ago, and the combination of cinnamon and hibiscus sounded so wrong it could be right. And, for me, this is full of win. It’s like a hibiscus cider in both smell and taste. Yes, the hibiscus is strong here (I steeped for 8 rather than my usual 10), but the cinnamon and licorice kind of calm the tart down. Reminds me somewhat of wassail (or, rather, the wassail they served at my college’s Madrigal dinner).

Again, for me, this is full of win. LiberTEAS, thank you so, so much!!!

Ah, the pleasure of a good smelling tea. Often the dry leaves, as-of-yet un-infused, reveal a lot about the tea that is to come. The spicy and sweet notes of the dry leaves of this herbal tisane blend in an attractive melody that promises a deep and possibly heavy drink.

Utilising a Tea Forte Café Cup, I steeped this pyramid infuser for four minutes using just-boiled water. Smelling the infusion, it is clear that cinnamon is definitely what lends much of the spiciness to this tea’s aroma. However, with the first sip, it becomes immediately evident that cinnamon is not all that is in Tea Forte’s Flora. The sweetness of liquorice root melds with the explosion of flavour from the hibiscus in this blend. The hibiscus adds a lot of body to this tisane and sweeps through one’s mouth, filling it with flavour.

A re-steep of this herbal blend offers a much weaker version of the first cup, but with the same balance of flavours. This is one blend that is worth trying and might make a tasty chilled drink as well. I would give Flora an 83/100 on my personal enjoyment scale.

I am sorry to say this, but this is a horrible tea. The whole cup is infected by the extreme tartness of hibiscus… I can taste the woody notes of cinnamon, but it does nothing about the tartness and only makes the the tea taste even stranger. I guess I should avoid all herbal teas by Tea Forte, really.

Eh, it’s alright. It mostly tasted like subdued cinnamon, and it had a strange effect that made my teeth feel gritty much like a sugary soda. I’ve had far worse cinnamon tea and I wouldn’t say no to another cup of this, but I wouldn’t buy any of it either.

Colour: Light Red/Pinkish Ruby
Aroma: Smells like Christmas..cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar
Taste: Fruity, astringent, slightly sour

Seems to be a disconnect between the wonderful warm homey smell and the sour fruit tastes. Looks good, smells good, tastes like SNAP!

I really love deep red herbals with hibiscus. This one was good with the sweet and tart mixed together. I had a single tea forte pyramid. I liked it but am not so sure I would buy it loose or in bulk.

As Im not a fan of cinnamon teas, my review should be regarded as having a predisposition, but I really didnt care that much for this one in general, just wasnt for me.

This was narrowly a thumbs-up based on the presentation portion not the taste. It always plays out the same. The practical side of me dislikes the excessive packaging but let’s face it – I’m always hooked when I see it brewed. A clear glass cup with the narrow silk Tea Forte pyramid reaching up to the sky is truly a work of art. The Flora blend produces a beautiful color but the vitamin C taste from the hibiscus of this blend was too acidic for my taste.

Tart and spicy is a surprising combination, but rather nice.

I decided to try something else from Tea Forte tonight and was pleasantly surprised. Flora is very tart right off the bat but sweetens quickly [sans additives]. It vaguely reminds me of that Passion Tea Lemonade stuff I was obsessed with at Starbucks one summer. I steeped it for the recommended five minutes and found that to be enough. Drinking a small amount that had cooled in my mug makes me think that this would be VERY good chilled.