Sheri's Blend

Re-visiting this one today as part of the never-ending Herculean effort to diminish my tea stash, or at least the ones I’m not crazy about. I steeped 1.5 teaspoons of this for about five minutes and got an apricotty brew with a hint more cinnamon than I would prefer, but it’s not too bad. I find cinnamon to be a tricky ingredient in tea as it always tries to take over. The blend is still pretty lackluster but decent enough. Maybe this should be a cold brew tea for the beau? Hmm.

I ordered this along with the Strawberry Zabaglione which arrived yesterday, thinking it would make a really yummy iced tea. But I decided to try it hot first…

The apricot flavor works really well with rooibos. I can taste only slight hints of the woodsy tones usually associated with rooibos – and none of the funky artificial-sweetener taste that I get with rooibos. The flavor is just very smooth and sweet – like an apricot.

The cinnamon is a sweeter cinnamon taste, not real spicy or hot.

This really tastes like “summer” to me… and I definitely look forward to enjoying it iced! In fact, I think I’ll brew some up tonight so that it will be nice and chilled tomorrow.

Backlogging.

For the fourth tea of Christmas, Frank gave to us Sheri’s Blend.

I opened the sample packet and smelled sweet, fruity – maybe peach, candy. Sheri’s Blend has the pretty autumn colors of orange brown rooibos, dark yellow flower petals, and dark brown chunks of apricot. This is one of Frank’s rooibos/honeybush blends I wanted to try.

Steeping, Sheri’s Blend smells nicely of stone fruits and sweetness. The liquid is a medium orangey brown. The first sips have more of an apricot feel than taste. As it cools some, the juiciness of the fruit comes out more. The cinnamon is like a faint dusting. This tea is lovely but more muted than Frank’s other blends. It would make a good companion for reading on a cold evening.

I tried a second steep and it was mostly apricot fruity warm water. I am finding I don’t mind drinking these though, even if they aren’t nearly as flavorful as the first mug.

I’m rating this tisane a 76, which is in the middle of my good range (70-80).

2nd steep: 12 min.

So this was the tea of the day that I ended up spilling a goodly portion on the floor. Yup, little bits of rooibos everywhere. I had just enough for a pot, and have decided to go ahead and brew it up now since I haven’t had it yet.

So I love rooibos blends, and have been eyeing this tea for a while, but haven’t ordered it yet. I’ve been dedicating my tea budget to Frank’s limited edition teas, telling myself that this blend will still be there when I’m ready for it. That and the label makes me kinda snicker.

Cinnamon, apricots, rooibos. It’s lovely. I only brewed for 5 minutes, and while it has a solid fruity-spicy flavor, I think this is one I’d brew for 10 minutes to get a really full-bodied brew (will probably do a second steep). The apricot blends wonderfully with the rooibos (and I maintain that apricot was meant to be blended with rooibos), and the cinnamon is very gentle and slightly in the background (or else it ended up on my kitchen floor).

Nom! Definitely glad this one is permanent!!

I’m really enjoying today’s tea of the day sample. The apricot and cinnamon are so rich and flavorful they really cover up the rooibos flavor I don’t enjoy. This cup is very warming, maybe the addition of the cinnamon is what makes it more warming. I enjoy 52teas apricot flavoring, as I’ve experienced it in apricot fusion, and it doesn’t fail me in flavor here. I must get more of this tea. This sampler has been a great way to taste teas I may not have purchased on my own.

LiberTEAS sent me this one a while back and I finally had the opportunity to try it for the first time tonight. I have always LOVED Apricots and that is the reason I have been wanting to try this. I was really hoping the cinnamon wasn’t going to ruin the apricot flavor and I was a little worried about the marigolds…making it bitter…but…

The Apricot was PERFECT…the Cinnamon with the Apricots was JUST RIGHT and paired nicely and the marigold flowers didn’t harm it at all…just enough to be a HINT of floral…

Lovely lovely lovely…very nice flavored Rooibos!!!

This is SO bomb. I love you rooibos. You never get bitter. At first, I wasn’t sure about your flava, but you pair nicely with everything! And guess what, you’ve never turned bitter on me!

This sample came with the iced teas I purchased. Strong and syrupy. Sweet and lightly spiced.

The rooibos is strong in this one. Perhaps I oversteep my rooiboses. In any case, I found the apricot to be mild. The flavor seems artificial and chemical-y. Like lip balm. This is the second 52teas to taste like lip balm to me. Am I the only one? I barely taste the cinnamon. Overall, a bit disappointing. I think I’ll steep the remainder of my sample for less time and see if it’s better.

Now I’m in the mood for a good Japanese green.

Thanks for letting me try this Uniquity! That’s another 52teas flavor crossed off my list.

Thank you LiberTEAS for letting me try this one. This blend is smooth and I think the flavors all blend together very well. I added a splash of milk to mine and I think it made it even smoother and brought out the sweetness.

This tea is really good! The Apricot and cinnamon blend so well together! I am not a big fan of rooibos but I found I really enjoy this tea and will probably order more of this. (Which is nice because had it not been in this sampler I most likely wouldn’t have purchased a whole pouch of it)