Except for the fact that it’s only early September and it got up to 90 degrees this afternoon, today was kind of a perfect fall day. I went for a walk in the woods in the morning, I baked a loaf of fresh bread when I got home, and this evening I sat down with a tea that’s named after my favorite season.
But what a letdown! First of all, let me say that I love hibiscus. It’s one of my favorite flavors, and all other things equal, if I have to pick between a tea that does have hibiscus and one that doesn’t, I’m going to go for the hibiscus. But in this blend, it gets in the way.
For the first couple of sips while the tea was still piping hot, the hibiscus was all I could taste, and somewhat faintly at that (although the cup was tart all the way through). There was a brief window at a warm-but-not-hot temperature when I got a faint hint of orange and a little of the woodsy body of the rooibos, but once this mug reached room temperature, it was back to hibiscus water. I can’t say I ever tasted the cranberry.
This tea smells beautiful in the tin and I do love hibiscus, so I’m not giving up yet. I’ll play around with how I brew it, but my hopes are not high. This is what I get for trying to rush Mother Nature.
