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I really like this iced! My favourite ever fake flavour is grape. It’s always the best flavour for candy, soda, etc. This doesn’t have much sweetness but has a crisp acidity to it. It’s good brewed strong (cold brew for 40+ minutes or brew hot and pour over ice) but should be served cold imo. Fruity, without being chemically, and quite refreshing.

I tried a sachet of this (from Easter 2023 when I bought myself a gift set of 12 different herbals to try) and I love the little pyramid box it comes in.

I cold brewed this three times and it brewed three strong cups.

650 mL cold water for 2 hours + ice – a strong cup that is dark orange and fragrant. I smell honey notes and I can smell rooibos more than honeybush. It tastes slightly minerally (as rooibos does) with lightly dried grass and sticks, but also a honey floral note. The more I pay attention to the flavours, the more I can make out distinctive fruits. I get some acai, but even more I get cherry, orange, and red fruits. The hibiscus is mild but actually adds a fruity note and a nice bit of acidity.

650 mL with ice this time for ~45 minutes – a lighter steep but still 70% of the flavour of the previous cup. I drank it fast because it’s so hot out and I am very thirsty doing yard work

650 mL for about 6 hours in the fridge – another heavy steep. I get even more cherry and pomegranate but no acai. I think I get some plum notes and maybe apricot or peach. Much less hibiscus now but the fruity flavour is a bit more generic.

I found this tea lacking in complexity. Based on other reviews, I’m going to try it again before adding a score.

I get generic fruity and sweet notes with very soft oaty flavours if I concentrate on it. I was hoping for more toasted rice and maple. The black tea is doing most of the work here, but is not as potent as I hoped. Will try again soon before I write a better review. Just documenting this so I can look back on it next time.

I remember when this tea was in stores (that was so long ago now…I miss physical DT stores) and I tried this brewed strong over ice with agave. It was delicious. In order to finish up the ~2 portions of loose leaf I had around, I decided to recreate my first ever cup.

~2.5 to 3 tsp leaf
750 mL cold water, brewed for 2 hours
Added 1 tbs brown sugar, since I have no agave syrup
Served over ice

The cold brewing brought out the herbs (lemongrass flavours) more so than the vegetal oolong used in this blend. This oolong has floral notes, which I love. In the after taste you get buttery notes and a hint of vanilla.

It was fantastic! With the hot weather these days, I think cold brews are what’s going to keep me hydrated.

I use this tea as the base for making boba tea. I brew it strong in hot water (~200-250 mL) and buy frozen or shelf stable pre-cooked boba pearls. I just got some taro syrup so I’m using ~50-60 ML of that too. Fill up the rest of the big cup with ice and soy milk. This tea has a wonderful desserty quality with dark cocoa and smooth malty notes. It even smells like cocoa. It has a nice sweetness but a touch of roasted notes (like how coffee and cocoa are a bit roasty, not like grain type roasty).

Another steepdown thanks to my boba tea obsession. I brew this tea very strong in 200 mL boiling water and allow to steep for 15+ minutes. Cool in fridge or freezer for 10 minutes. Pour into a tall glass and fill remaining space in cup with vanilla soy milk and some cold water. Add some ice. I use the frozen ready-to-eat boba (O’s Bubble brand brown sugar or black tea flavour) and microwave for 50 seconds. Overall it makes a bubble tea latte that is better than any creamy ones I’ve had from a store. Something about the cocoa, toasted coconut, creamy soy milk, and brown sugar sweetness goes so well together.

I wish it had a bit more cocoa/chocolate but there is enough toasted coconut and desserty goodness that I enjoy it a lot.

I’m trying to make a dent in my hibiscus herbal collection of teas I don’t really love but don’t hate enough to compost/give away.

Cold water, steeped ~15-20 minutes in ~400 mL water
The most noticeable notes are sour acidic hibiscus and a nice peach flavour. The peach is stronger in the after taste and the smell of the liquid. The initial taste is generic fruity with hibiscus and it takes a moment to notice the peach. I can’t taste any rhubarb in particular but it is fairly sour. This would be best served with sweetener or in a lemonade drink.

This is a lovely creamy dessert tea. Although a bit cloying, I like how thick and fullbodied it is and I like the vanilla and cream flavours. It is less citrus/bergamot than some other EGs but I actually like that better. Stronger bergamot can make tea bitter or medicinal. This is good with a touch of maple syrup or brown sugar + a dash of vanilla soy milk. I’ve also tried Silk brand coffee creamer and it was very sweet and delicious.

I’ve had this quite a few times and it is delish! I just finished it off a few days ago and thought I would make one last review only to find out I never reviewed it! I must remedy this!

First of all, this is really nice hot or cold. I prefer 4-6 minutes if I’m adding milk or ~3 if not. For cold steeps I brew overnight or for at least a few hours. It is very nice on its own or lightly sweetened with agave. It is not too tannic in a way that is bitter and overpowering, but there is lots of flavour there. The fruitiness is natural, but it is difficult to pick out distinct fruits. I want to say strawberry and notes of honey, tropical fruits, and maybe apricot. I do not get floral notes but the vanilla is present in the aroma. I like how versatile this blend is. Perfect for a cozy cup with milk and sugar but just as nice plain and iced in the summer.

Homemade Advent Exchange Tea #17

This is a nice herbal mint blend. It does not taste like the chocolate mint that I grow and dry from my own garden, but it is nice. It is more vegetal and has less menthol than peppermint. It has some other herbal notes (from the hyssop I assume). A nice herbal, but nothing really stands out from other mint blends.