Sangria

Somehow I acquired a 50g bag of this. I believe I actually purchased it, I’m not sure if it was on a whim or because I had a sample I liked in-store, but it was ultimately a bad decision. I have this vague memory of wanting to return the tea because it was so gross, but I no longer had the receipt, so was out of luck.

Anyhow, rediscovered it a couple days ago and yep, it’s still awful. There’s a vomitty smell to it despite no coconut, and on top of that, a bit of what comes off to me as a staleness. Flavour is the same (tart, orangey, licorice-sweet, stale, vomit). So, I decided to try icing and sweetening it to see if it made it any better. Definitely better (cold vomit>hot vomit?) but still not my thing… so I fed it to my husband and within a minute, the cup was gone. Now, he tells me there’s a “spiciness” to it that he doesn’t really care for, but I asked if he’d drink the rest of the bag if I made it up for him and he said yes, so it mustn’t have been that bad. So – looks like that’s what will happen to the rest of this! Does it make me a bad person that I’m not telling him it smells/tastes like puke to me? (I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the tea per se, it might be that an ingredient has gone a bit rancid or perhaps just my perception of an ingredient combination, since I recall this grossness from the get-go.)

I think (hope) this is the last of this tea. I’m having it iced and its just too tart for me… Despite adding sugar – and – vodka. The vodka made it a little more bearable but its still clear I’m not a fan of this tea. Meh. Just too much hibiscus I guess. It’s very tangy and tart.

This tea is a bit of an enigma to me. I’ve finally drank down my stash of it, but it has definitely been a journey. I find the orange, liquorice root, and hibiscus to be quite nauseating together. Something about the tea tastes like it’s trying to be alcohol. I don’t appreciate alcoholic notes in my teas, and Sangria is no exception. Some things can’t, and shouldn’t, be emulated in a tea.

As I was drinking this, I found myself physically grimacing. I couldn’t finish my mug; luckily this was also my last bit of the loose leaf. I think I specifically hate the liquorice root in this tea. After swallowing, the liquorice root leaves a sickly sweetness in the mouth, along the lines of very sweet liqueurs I have tried. If I drank an entire cup of this I would likely end up with a headache.

Update: I am feeling quite sick to my stomach after drinking about half a mug of this. It’s likely a mental reaction, and maybe I’m being ridiculous, but this has got to be the worst tea I have ever drank from DAVIDsTEA.

I LOVE the smell of Sangria! It smells delicious and very fruit punch-y.

I’m pretty impressed because I have to say they really got the flavors on point. It really reminds me of actual sangria just without the alcohol.

At times I could taste the hibiscus more so than others. I always find steeping with hibiscus tricky cause sometimes it just comes out so bitter. Luckily a bit of sweetener goes a long way.

I found this to be a very refreshing drink and will have to try cold brewing it to see which way tastes better. Perhaps cold brew will alleviate any bitterness from the hibiscus?

Oh, this was good. Like drinking a thick fruit juice instead of tea. Very fruity with a hint of bitterness that was surprisingly welcome. I wouldn’t call it sangria, mostly because actual sangria tends to have some astringency from the red wine for me, but this was excellent.

… And also a run on sentence. Oops.

I tried this tea iced and it definitely reminds me of sangria but minus the alcohol.

Smell like straight up sangria to me, taste like sangria, but is not as good as a sangria. Sangria without alcool is just that: sangria without alcool. It’s tart and fruity, but it’s not satisfying. This one is not for me.

I’m not 100% sure how I feel about this one. I initially had a small sample at DAVID’s and there was something about it that I didn’t like. Even then, I ended up topping up my travel mug with it and it really started to grow on me. Overall, it was really fruity. The only thing that really stood out for me were some juicy orange notes. There’s a little bit of a red grape vibe as well. It’s not tart at all—basically like drinking juice. I don’t think I’d pick any up, but I did enjoy what I had.

I’ve never had sangria, so I can’t really speak to how similar/dissimilar this blend tastes to the real thing. Wine just isn’t my thing. However, I have tried a few sangria-inspired tea blends, and I really enjoy this particular blend. I find it’s quite balanced, which can be difficult when hibiscus is thrown into the mix. I tend to steep this on the shorter range of the recommended steep time so that the flavor of the tart hibiscus is softened by the berry and orange notes. It’s quite refreshing over ice and/or as the base of a spritzer. Hello summer!

It tastes really similar to Strawberry-Rhubarb Parfait in my opinion but more tart and overall less good. I didn’t buy it myself (because I knew it wasn’t something I would like) but someone send a sample to me. It’s nice that I got it for free but I wouldn’t buy that again.