Natural Hibiscus

Had this as a HOT Sample at Wegmans tonight. I was surprised at the taste. It proved me wrong. It was sweet but pretty good. It wasn’t really tart which totally confused me…because of 99.9% of my other Hibiscus experiences. Wasn’t too bad, really…

At Cinderella Russian Bakery & Cafe. This was their house iced tea, at least for today. Didn’t see the bag, but all their other teas were Republic so I’m assuming this is it (also since it seems to be one of the more widely available hibiscus tisanes.) even my husband liked it since it wasnt sweetened. He suggested it might be good hot. Maybe I’ll try that with the sample I have at home.

Steep Information:
Amount: 2 teabags
Additives: none
Water: filtered boiling 10 ounce mug
Steep Time: a little over 5 minutes, but then I kept the bags in
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: sweet, floral, berry
Steeped Tea Smell: sweet, berry
Flavor: hibiscus! sweet, tart
MilitiaJim: natural sweet tarts candy
Body: Full
Aftertaste: sweet and tart
Liquor: deep dark red

We stopped in Wegman’s grocery store on our quest for just born jellybeans (couldn’t find them, ended up buying a case online). While there we went to the tea isle and these were on sale! 6.99 a piece. MilitiaJim (reasonably) limited me to only one. Since I had already tried one of them, and had a sample of one other I went for this one.

And apparently I missed my mouth and am wearing some, on my white shirt, I do not think these spots are going to come out.

Post-Steep Additives: none

Today we have made; 1 travel mug w/2 bags, 2 mugs w/2 bags each, 1 large pitcher w/16 bags+8 cups hot water+some ice

I think this is excellent, Although I enjoy the added flavor (pineapple lychee) more, this might be an excellent additive/mixer tea.

images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/04/republic-of-tea-company-teabag-herbal.html

This was free to me thanks to the catalog. :) It’s somewhat tart, somewhat sweet, crisp , fruity, ripe, actually quite delightful, and a lovely dark red shade when brewed. I did not expect to like this, I was pleasantly surprised.

Ok, I admit it, I signed up for the Republic of Tea catalog for the free samples. Guilty.

Anyway, it smelled really tart when I sniffed the bag while waiting for the water to heat up. It also, of course, smelled like dried hibiscus without the bitterness that fresh hibiscus flowers have. The second I poured the water into the mug, it turned magenta, then proceeded to get very dark.

Hmm, as far as the taste goes, it’s a little mediocre. I can detect what I think is lemongrass, plus maybe some kind of berry, but it’s very mild. It’s tangy, and something about it reminds of Tazo’s “Passion”. (But it’s not as good.) I wouldn’t pursue this tea again, but it’s not bad.

My wife and I really like this tea for its beautiful color, deep strong taste, its depth of flavor, and overall enjoyment…and it supposedly lowers one’s blood pressure. We liked it so much that we requested that our local natural food store carry it. It is currently a real favorite at my house.

What I love about this tea is the liquor – a gorgeous royal purple. I love watching the dark pink tendrils slink through the water as the tea bag steeps.

I have mixed feelings about the flavor. Hot, the tea is tart. I can’t stand drinking it hot. I prefer it iced – even though it is still very sweet – because it’s refreshing on hot summer days.

Mom got this sample with her Republic of Tea catalog (which, I assume, she now receives since she ordered tea for me), and passed it along to me. I was rather excited, since I’ve tried most of the flavored superfruit teas, but not the plain, original one.

This one is just as good as the others. Sweet, not too tart, with a hint of apple and lemon. Drinking it hot, but like the others, would be excellent cold. I’d definitely consider purchasing this.

Today I had tea with two of my daughters and this was one of our tastings. We tasted this and three other teas and we all agreed that this was our favorite. We sweetened it a wee bit with the German rock sugar from Teavana. This tea was suprisingly robust. It seemed like a thicker infusion than I was expecting. It was a full, sweet, flowery and fruity taste. I would definitely buy this tea and enjoy keeping some on hand. It is decaffeinated and I presume a tisane. I did not detect any real tea leaves of any sort. Nevertheless it is quite tasty and I think it would be yummy mixed in with iced tea. My daughter that supplied this one said she has mixed it with lemonade previously and that it is terrific that way with lots of ice on a hot summer day. It was good hot today in my opinion. It would be enjoyable in the evening also when I don’t want anything decaffeinated.

this tea turns a beautiful ruby red almost instantly!

i like this tea, it’s very enjoyable, but that’s about it. while i’ll probably continue to carry some blend of hibiscus in my home, it won’t necessarily be from republic of tea. it’s very tasty, but nothing extraordinary to keep me loyal and coming back for more.

overall, a very good, very forgettable herbal. it is yummy with lots of sugar :D

I got this as a free sample with the Republic of Tea cataloge. At least it was free. It was way too sweet for my taste, and I ended up dumping the 2/3 of the cup that I just couldn’t finish when the voices in my head went from saying “too sweet” to “asinign.” Too bad. It smelled pretty when I opened the packet, and it sure looked pretty, but I’m not a fan of this one at all.