244 Tasting Notes

75
drank Spiced Winter by Teapigs
244 tasting notes

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

75
drank Spiced Winter by Teapigs
244 tasting notes

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

75

I don’t know whether this blend is actually good or that I’m just so happy to be done with RoT’s 12 Days of Sipping thing that’s making me feel generous, but I dunno, this is pretty good. A note for the herbal ignoramuses among us: lemon balm is not the same thing as lemon. I was very surprised by both the fragrance and my first sip. =) Surprised in a good way, though, ‘cos I didn’t want anything tart.

As you may know by now, I like teas that say, Hi, I’m here! Prepared plain, this blend has a nice, bold—and yes, very "herbal"—flavour. I’ve tried loads of herbal blends and this flavour feels unique. It’s a standout, and worth trying for that reason alone. Grateful to have ended this adventure on a positive note.

Flavors: Herbs

Preparation
Boiling 7 min, 0 sec 2 g 8 OZ / 236 ML
gmathis

It has been a long time since I ventured into the Republic. This sounds like a nice one.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

70
drank Republic Chai by The Republic of Tea
244 tasting notes

This is not chai. We don’t put orange peel and star anise in our tea—or cinnamon, but that might just be my family/region)—nor is simmering tea with water, milk, and honey a traditional preparation.

With that out of the way, this blend isn’t half bad. Like every tea so far in RoT’s 12 Days of Sipping box, it’s weak, but less so than the others. I’m on Day 11 and this is only the second or third blend I’d recommend. If you’re going to go with some form of cream and sweetener, I’d recommend two tea bags; the creamer mutes the flavour too much. I was pleasantly surprised that it tastes good plain and it tastes good cold—that’s definitely uncommon for a “chai” blend.

There is one thing I will say about RoT’s blends. I find cinnamon to be a rude spotlight hog in most cases, but in the RoT blends I’ve tried so far, it’s played surprisingly well with others.

Flavors: Cinnamon, Spices

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec 2 g 8 OZ / 236 ML

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

70
drank Republic Chai by The Republic of Tea
244 tasting notes

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

60

Confession: I can’t tell the difference between British Breakfast, Irish Breakfast, and Scottish Breakfast. I mean, I looked it up, but I can’t taste the difference. Black tea is black tea. I mean, I can taste the difference between PG Tips and Barry’s. And I know Earl Grey is different because the bergamot (mmmm bergamot) sets it apart. But that’s about it.

So yeah, as black tea blends go, this is fine. As has been my experience of late with RoT tea bags, it’s just fine. I’ll take PG Tips any day.

Oh, and it’s better with milk ‘n’ sugar (or oat creamer and stevia, in my case).

Flavors: Tea

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec 2 g 8 OZ / 236 ML
White Antlers

LOL! Nik I have been drinking tea of all sorts for close to 70 years and to me, it ALL still tastes like ‘tea.’

gmathis

Heavy duty unleaded breakfast teas are my happy thing and have been for yours, but I’m not sure I could correctly classify them in a blindfold taste test. Everybody’s blend is a little different. Irish Breakfast blends tend to run heavier on the Assam (done properly, there’s a good burnt toast vibe), and although I always expected those Scots to drink tea the consistency of road tar, Scottish Breakfast blends I’ve tried are surprisingly light. I’m with you—if I need to wake up, just hand me my PG Tips and a carton of milk.

derk

In regards to black tea, how do you both, Nik and White Antlers, differentiate what’s good to your palate?

White Antlers

Well…if it tastes like what I have come to expect tea to taste like, it’s good. that would be a bit malty, a bit tannic, even slightly metallic if it;s that kind of tea. I also like my black teas brewed strong. If it tastes like fake fruit, fake cake or cookies or any kind of pastry or food item, it’s not good. I dislike Earl Greys because the bergamot always tastes overdone. I can pick out some things that I find pleasant in tea, though. For example, Mokalbari estate assam has a very soft plum note that I love but I can’t always taste it when I drink it.

I have a long history practicing and using TCM, so if I drink an herbal, I don’t expect it to satisfy what ‘tea’ tastes like to me. I never drink herbals for pleasure; they are always used medicinally. That includes chamomile before bed, spearmint or peppermint after a heavy meal and so on. Unlike you, derk and a lot of folks here, I don’t a highly sensitive palate nor do I have the gift to ascertain hard to tease out notes in tea. That’s probably not a very erudite answer, but it’s the best I can do. Keep in mind that I am very old and had a TBI in my teen years so my senses are not as keen as those of someone who is 30 years old and in sound mind and body.

Nik

> LOL! Nik I have been drinking tea of all sorts for close to 70 years and to me, it ALL still tastes like ‘tea.’

I think we’re doing it right, then, friend. =)

> In regards to black tea, how do you both, Nik and White Antlers, differentiate what’s good to your palate?

I like the flavour to be bold but not bitter (and I know much of this is preparation-dependent), the brew to be smooth going down my gullet, and not having a dry-mouth after-effect. Associating goodness more with how it feels is probably why I can tell the difference between PG Tips and Barry’s but not Darjeeling and Kenya.

White Antlers

Nik-you summed it better and up more concisely than I could-‘associating goodness more with how it feels…’ YES!

derk

Thank you both for you insight!

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

50

RoT’s 12 Days of Sipping, day 9. The first whiff of this dry blend was awful. It smelled spoiled. It quickly passed and then it smelled like it’s supposed to smell, but that first impression, wow, I have no idea what happened there.

All three flavours are present in equal measure: rooibos, peppermint (more candy cane than actual mint), and chocolate—and all three are equally muted. The end result is just okay. I imagine using two tea bags would’ve been better, but that doubles the price of the tea, and it’s just not worth it. I’m not adding a separate note for the sweetened, creamer version, because it wasn’t significantly different: as expected, the sweetener was kind of nice; the creamer (coconut milk) would’ve probably been wonderful if the flavours were bolder, but as it is it just obscured what little flavour was there.

Flavors: Chocolate, Peppermint, Rooibos

Preparation
Boiling 7 min, 0 sec 2 g 8 OZ / 236 ML

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

75
drank Honey Ginseng by The Republic of Tea
244 tasting notes

Oh, honey! Got two sachets of this in RoT’s 12 Days of Sipping. Prepped plain, this brew is smooth, fragrant, and all honey. If that’s your thing, and you can have a bit of caffeine, you’ll love it. It needs nothing to enhance or “fix” its flavour, either; just steep and enjoy.

Flavors: Honey

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 0 sec 2 g 8 OZ / 236 ML

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

35

Second of two sachets included in RoT’s 12 Days of Sipping. Prepared this time with creamer and sweetener, which didn’t do anything to improve the tea’s flavour or presentation. Rooibos is still the only discernible flavour I taste.

Flavors: Rooibos

Preparation
Boiling 6 min, 0 sec 2 g 8 OZ / 236 ML

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

35

RoT’s 12 Days of Sipping (2020), day 7. First of two sachets, prepared plain. I like neither cinnamon nor vanilla, so I adjusted my expectations accordingly. The brew smells like Big Red (the chewing gum)—all cinnamon, with perhaps a bit of vanilla smoothness. (I can’t really explain what I mean by a fragrance being “smooth,” so make of that what you will.)

It tastes like rooibos. Maybe a hint of cinnamon, but that’s it. Great for me because I love the taste of rooibos, not so great for anyone expecting cinnamon and vanilla. And if I wanted plain rooibos, I would just drink plain rooibos.

Flavors: Rooibos

Preparation
Boiling 7 min, 0 sec 2 g 8 OZ / 236 ML

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

Profile

Bio

2012.10.07: I hear people like to understand other people’s ratings, so here’s a loose guide:

01-29: Dear God, why.
30-49: I’ll finish this cup, I guess, but no more.
50-59: Meh.
60-69: Decent. Maybe I can blend it with something else and make it better.
70-79: Heeey, this is quite good!
80-89: I love it, but I’m not in love with it.
90-100: Permanently resident in my Happy Place.

Update: I have steeped, and it was good. =] Still a tea-ophyte, though.

This is a tea site, so I feel like “well, I’m Indian” should be enough of an introduction. Because, I mean, it’s kind of in my genes, right? But the fact of the matter is that I’m an absolute tea-ophyte.

I’ve just discovered a world beyond Celestial Seasonings. I’ve just discovered “sachets” instead of “normal” tea bags and bought my first loose tea sampler. I don’t get the whole water temperature and steep time thing yet, nor that if I want to get a yixiang tea pot, I’d need one for each type of tea. I have this infuser ball thing, but I haven’t used it yet.

Don’t cringe, but right now I’m still just boiling water and pouring it over a teabag, adding some sugar, and drinking a nice, hot cuppa. I’d like to learn more, I think, and I’d like to train my palate. I figure participating in this community is the best way to do that.

So ya. Hi!

Location

South Jersey, US

Website

http://about.me/bleepnik

Following These People

Moderator Tools

Mark as Spammer