The Republic of Tea

This is one of the finest teas I’ve tasted. I have anxiety issues that run in my family, and I began taking St. John’s Wort as a supplement to help keep the ol’ noggin stable. Problem is, taking 3 pills a day can get kinda annoying.

So, I was overjoyed to know that my favorite tea company – the Republic of Tea – was churning out a product that contained a standard dose of St. John’s Wort that didn’t taste like cat pee.

The aroma is awesome and the taste is absolutely wonderful. Super tasty, and brilliant even without sugar. It helps with the anxiety, but it also helps with the thirst for tea.

A ballpark win in my opinion.

I decided to try a cup of this tonight when I stopped at Panera and was very surprised by how sweet it was. Normally this may have been a good thing, but I wasn’t in the mood tonight.

Be careful with steeping this one – not too hot of water, and fast steep (45 seconds or so).
Smell is a good mix of coconut and vanilla. It’s relatively strong smelling from the tin. The taste is white tea and coconut. With all of these tasting notes I’ve done, I’m noticing a trend with The Republic of Tea: not much vanilla taste to be had in their teas that have vanilla (so far from the ones I’ve tried). The vanilla smell is pretty but for some reason I can’t taste it. Since vanilla is listed in the title before coconut, I would have thought that vanilla would be the main flavour. It’s not a bad tea though, just a “like”, not a “love”.

I love this tea! It comes out as a beautiful dark purple color. The smell is my favorite thing about this tea, it is SO amazing! I only wish it was a little bit more flavorful since I don’t use any sweeteners.

Pretty good for a fruity black; flavors well balanced. Usually drink between meals for the sweet taste with only two infusions (I like my tea strong). Haven’t as yet had it iced.

I drink iced tea ALL the time. This is my current addiction. I have strayed, but always return to the acai berry. Yum!

My first rooibos tea, and it was an okay experience. I received this free sample from Republic of Tea with their latest catalog. I was having a nice wedge of leftover apple pie from Thanksgiving, and I figured that the Cinnamon/Vanilla flavor profile would suit the apple pie’s flavor.

Once brewed, this one smelled a bit like potpourri. Not bad potpourri, just like something that I wouldn’t normally associate with drinking. The rooibos drippings were a dark red in color. Almost scarlet. Very pretty and very festive. The smell was earthy, and a bit medicinal, but in a feel-good kind of way.

The first sip was kind of bland, and a bit floral. The cinnamon and vanilla didn’t really come across strongly – I think the cinnamon was part of the aftertaste, and the vanilla just a hint of sweetness. I’ve been having a really bad time with vanilla teas, and I’ve yet to try a loose leaf one. I can’t stand the taste of artificial vanilla. Or the smell of it. Since I couldn’t really get a grasp on the vanilla here at all, this is inconsequential.

I’m not really sure what rooibos tastes like. So I can’t tell you if it was a dominant flavor profile, or what it was that was added to the mix. The entire thing was fairly sweet, and I’m standing by the potpourri flavorings.

A resounding “meh” from me.

This is the Early Grey I grew up on. Like the Twinnings, it has a strong, reliable taste. Bold and full-bodied, with a great bergamot flavor pulling through. I like my Earl Greys strong, so I brew a bit long.

This smells so good while you’re steeping it and while you’re drinking it! I really like the strong cinnamon flavor, but I can see how some might be put off by it. I am disappointed only by the lack of vanilla flavor, but I added a tsp of vanilla honey. Works nicely with it and gives a little extra vanilla boost. Definitely being harshly judged on here. Samples can do that though.

So much of the tea experience is the way it smells. This tea smells so wonderful, it is one that just begs to be enjoyed slowly. I’m working on finding rooibos teas I really enjoy and this is one of them.

I tried this tea at a sampling and bought it because I loved it. I have not had the same feeling again since taking it home. I want to like it, but I don’t.

Okay, so I really like rooibos tea, which means that I like this one too.
The smell is sweet like candy, and the taste is rooibos and pomegranate. The flavour of the pomegranate is light. It smells more than it tastes, if that makes sense. I could taste the pomegranate more as my tea cooled off than when it was hot. I can’t smell or taste the vanilla at all so I would say that you will only notice the vanilla if you have a really good sense of smell and taste, or are very experienced with tasting flavours in teas.

Nice tea for those mornings when I can’t get warm. Who knew that yerba mate and cocoa would work so nicely together? I don’t use any milk, but I’ve recommended doing so to a few people who had trouble getting past their notions of hot chocolate. They’ve liked it a lot that way.

bleh. Everything about this tea reminded me of the smell of a tobacco store. I think it was the weak/fake tasting vanilla or something. Glad it was just a sample…

Just sipping my sample here…
You can smell mostly cinnamon but you can tell the vanilla is there too. The cinnamon smell reminded me of the cinnamon hearts that you eat around Valentine’s Day.
As for taste, it’s true that rooibos flavour is the main taste but I’m in love with rooibos right now so I’m okay with it. The cinnamon is strong enough to taste it too, and I find the cinnamon taste lingers in my mouth for a few seconds. Vanilla isn’t there so much – I can’t notice it in the taste – only the smell.
If I place another order with ROT, I will include this in my purchase. I just purchased some tea from them so we’ll have to see if I order again while this holiday tea is still in stock.

Very well matched flavors that make for a wonderful rooibos. The Cinnamon and vanilla go great together but surprisingly lack the amount of flavor I would expect. Perhaps a longer steeping time would remedy this but I still enjoyed this tea very much. The vanilla provides a very faint sweetness while the cinnamon is the slightly more dominant taste. I’d prefer stronger flavors but it’s still a tea I’d have again.

Finally, a mild black tea! Light and fruity, just the way I like my tea. I might like one more flavor to add to it, but I’m not sure yet. Honey might be overkill…

I received a free bag of this when I ordered The Republic of Tea’s catalog. I’m not a fan and I love rooibos. This tastes mostly of stale rooibos and a little pomegranate. I mostly SMELL the pomegranate, not taste it. The vanilla is barely there in the aftertaste.

Oh well, at least it was free. You just can’t beat free tea.

Very nice for a bagged version.

I like it! My first Assam and I really enjoy the maltiness of this tea.

Makes me yearn for summers in Maine. Steeped it a little too long, I think. The scent is delicious and hearty, yet given that, the flavor doesn’t quite live up to expectations without significant amounts of sugar bring it out. Wish they used real blueberries, but I have a feeling it is just flavoring and black tea. Still, quite scrumptious, and definitely worth picking up for a steep or several!

Added a little sugar and ice. This will be nice as iced tea in the summer.