Throwback Thursday! Since I’ve been working on sipping down my Rooibos Market Spice in the evenings, I figured I’d revisit this tea this morning, which is a similar flavor profile. I also have tons of it — it was an 8 oz. bag, bigger than I ever purchase (though the smallest Hobee’s offers, apparently) and since it’s a CTC tea, they recommend a 1/2 teaspoon a cup. I don’t even brew by “teaspoons” anymore, so trying to make my tea this morning, I was quite confused how much of this powder-tea to use. Huh…
Apparently I underleafed it, because when I got to work, my thermos was way too weak. I really didn’t want to overdo it on leaf or steep, because let me tell you, last time I ate at a Hobee’s visiting Todd, they made this tea so damn strong I will NEVER order it there again. My poor little spice-wuss stomach couldn’t take it, I was having IBS like woah that day, and I had to promptly be shuttled to a Whole Foods to get some pineapple coconut water to calm my poor stomach. Making this tea myself, I’ve never had it so strong and spicy before! I have no idea how they brew this in their restaurants, but it is not to my tastes at all. But this morning, it was definitely not the right leaf/steep time/water ratio for a good cup.
Tried another cup on my lunch break and tried measuring my leaf using a bit more than I do with long, full loose leaf, about 3 grams not counting the heavy cinnamon/rosehip/orange peel bits, but still used the brief one minute steep. It still tasted a bit weaker than I’d prefer, but much more flavorful than this morning, so I’m closer — I think this CTC may just need a longer steep to extract a good flavor due to all the spices, so next time I’ll let it steep for two minutes and hope it doesn’t go bitter. At least the spice wasn’t too strong/overbearing like how Hobee’s makes it. This tea has that artificial candied cinnamon flavor I’m not overly crazy about, which puts out a bit of heat but if treated right it is warming with some nice sweetness and a touch of clove on the finish. Like the Market Spice Rooibos, the orange notes are tasting more subtle compared to the spice. I do really like the inclusion of the rosehip; it isn’t overwhelming but adds a slight fruity/floral note.
I still need to find the optimal brew conditions for this, but it is decent for an orange spice tea. I prefer the Rooibos Market Spice for the sweeter base, but prefer this one as an iced tea. Lowering my rating a bit just because my personal preferences have changed quite a bit over the last year concerning artificial spice flavorings.
Flavors: Artificial, Candy, Cinnamon, Citrus, Clove, Floral, Orange Zest, Spices, Spicy, Sweet
Preparation
People who liked this
Comments
You have plenty to experiment with, lol. The last time I took you to Hobee’s was highly unusual. They very rarely brew it that strongly.
Ah, was that unusual? I don’t know what they did, because I’ve never managed to get a cup that burn-your-mouth-off with this stuff before!
I’m actually drinking Hobee’s right now! I steeped for 2 minutes this time, and am still not sure if I’m quite there. I feel I’m using ample leaf at 3.2g which is what OCTea suggests (it seems to always be spot on for me) so I don’t know if it really needs an even longer steep than that or if it’s just age at this point. But I’m going to keep playing! It’s definitely not crazy strong-spicy like Hobee’s made it, though!
Yeah, they usually make it with a little bite, but not like that. Next time it’s too strong I’ll cut it with some ice water.
You have plenty to experiment with, lol. The last time I took you to Hobee’s was highly unusual. They very rarely brew it that strongly.
Ah, was that unusual? I don’t know what they did, because I’ve never managed to get a cup that burn-your-mouth-off with this stuff before!
I’m actually drinking Hobee’s right now! I steeped for 2 minutes this time, and am still not sure if I’m quite there. I feel I’m using ample leaf at 3.2g which is what OCTea suggests (it seems to always be spot on for me) so I don’t know if it really needs an even longer steep than that or if it’s just age at this point. But I’m going to keep playing! It’s definitely not crazy strong-spicy like Hobee’s made it, though!
Yeah, they usually make it with a little bite, but not like that. Next time it’s too strong I’ll cut it with some ice water.