The Republic of Tea

Holidays TTB

…what..
I’ve had pu’erh before and I know I don’t like it, but …what? Maybe this is low quality pu’erh? Maybe I just had bad pu’erh before? Who knows? I only made half of a cup to try it because the coconut sounded promising. I love doing TTB’s because this is not something I ever would have picked up for myself but I really do like it.

It’s definitely not as tannic or strong as a ceylon or assam base which I enjoy, but the coconut is lacking. It’s creamy, a bit of vanilla, and it coats my mouth well (if that makes sense.) It’s generally not bland, but not the most flavorful of teas which is a nice change of pace for me.

Il dolce far niente… the joy of doing nothing… What a beautiful thought! I am sitting here sipping this delicious brew and while I watch Eat Pray Love :) What a fun movie and a delightful tea!

When you open the tin, the smell is so enticing! I shared this tea with my husband last night. We both love it! It has such a bold coconut/nutty flavor with just the perfect hint of chocolatey sweetness! This is the perfect cup for a relaxing Saturday afternoon.

Preparation: Bagged tea. Truvia added. (confession: I left the tea bag in the mug and drank around it)

It’s okay. It was surprisingly sweet. The fruit profile was a welcome change to the hibiscus/rose hip type or apple/orange/lemon tea you often get with fruity teas. It’s not a go-to green tea, but I would drink it again.

I was surprised that the caffeine didn’t affect me more, since I am pretty sensitive to it. This was a bit artificial and I didn’t enjoy the sweetener (stevia). I would drink it again if I got it as a sample, but would definitely not have it on hand as a everyday tea.

Nice woodsy Rooibos. Good, but I prefer flavoured rooibos teas.

Sipdown.

Lovely color and matcha taste!

I received this as a gift and find it to have a rather mild flavor. Most of what comes through is the black tea with a hint of cinnamon. Not really detecting much of the plum. It’s drinkable but not exciting and not the first thing I reach for.

From the Herbal TTB.

I would steep two tea bags in an 8/10 ounce mug. With one bag, I can taste the flavors – vanilla, cinnamon – and the rooibos, but they are weak. This blend doesn’t pop out with uniqueness, but I think it’s alright.

I’ve had this tea several times before almost always when I feel
Like being warmed in the inside. The cinnamon is quite warming and the vanilla is just enough to provide some balance.

I read the company description. I’m a fat boy. I know what decadent vanilla sponge cake drizzled with caramel sauce tastes like. (hint – not this) This reminds me of Superberry that my wife loves. To me if you said this was rosehips and currants I would believe you.

Downtown Abbey is a show that I am never going to watch despite knowing a lot of people love it. Mrs Patmore’s Pudding Tea seems adored by most who have reviewed it. I’m happy for fans of both, but I’m sticking with my Earl Grey and Star Trek.

Live long and prosper.

You know how honey flavored teas taste weird?

This does not. It tastes like you just put a spoonful of honey in your cup! It’s one of favorite teas ever. Sheer bliss in a cup when you need something simply basic but comforting.

I received one of the Downton Abbey limited edition teas for Christmas (the raspberry hibiscus herbal tea, which I already know I don’t like) and was so happy that I was able to exchange it for a tin of this instead. This is a nice, basic Earl Grey. Nothing special, but I feel that the base tea is well chosen and the bergamont flavor balanced: present, but not overpowering. It’s lightly astringent if you drink it black, but I always add a splash of milk so that doesn’t bother me. Glad to have some Earl Grey back in my cupboard, as it’s one of those staples I tend to reach for as my first cup of the day.

Very nice. I had the bagged version as a sample from RoT. It has a pretty strong honey/sweet flavor, which I’m sure is why it appeals to me. No bitter or medicinal taste from the ginseng. I would drink it again, and maybe even purchase for an evening tea with low caffeine.

Currently this is my go-to “at work” tea. It’s very smooth and has a delightful aroma. I like it hot or cold, as is or with a little milk and sugar. The tea has a nice flavor, and it’s complimented well by the vanilla. It’s not overwhelming. There certainly are better earl greys out there, but for the price, I think it’s nice. I’ve bought it a couple times now, and gifted it to friends.

Not bad for a red tea. Usually I find the hibiscus flavor overpowering, but the addition of cranberry and spices makes this a pretty nice decaf cup. I would buy this again in small quantities.

It’s okay. A little on the dry/wheezy side of red tea for me. It has a good spice taste though, and maybe some rose hips in it. But I would not buy it again.

A few months ago PBS had a big sale on anything Downton Abbey, coinciding with the end of the series. I used the opportunity to snap up tins of the teas I’d liked when sampled, this being one. It’s the end of August now, and I’ve finally dug in the tea cupboard enough to where I’d been squirreling this away. (Try to bury my faves so I drink up the ones I’m not as fond of.)
I made the first cup unsweetened. I wish I’d used a little less water in the pot. I tend to forget that Republic of Tea should put more in each teabag than they do. Still, a nice smooth fruity black tea, not bitter. I was careful to only steep for four minutes, rather than longer. (Sometimes to make up for smaller teabags, I steep for longer than usual, hoping that will make up the difference. Often that works, but other times, it also renders the tea more bitter. I didn’t do that here.) Bates’ Brambleberry Tea is a pleasant, smoothly drinkable blend, nice and summery with understated fruitiness.
The rest of the pot was sweetened with honey, which brought the fruitiness way into the forefront. I shall have to chill the rest and describe this when it’s an iced tea.

It is now two days later, and I’ve pulled the carafe of the above tea, chilled, from the fridge.
How refreshing! It almost has a melon-like flavor to it now. It’s sweet, cold, and thoroughly enjoyable. I highly recommend this tea—especially as an iced tea!

This tea is one of the six sample bags included in the DA (Downton Abbey) free packet with some PBS orders. As John Bates and his wife Anna are two of my “favourite” characters, I was most interested in this tea. This is a very fruity tea, which I made and drank hot, both plain and sweetened with sugar. I drank it cooled off, as well. The black tea flavor is there, but stays in the background. Its fruitiness is evident always, but is most pronounced when sweetened and hot. I enjoyed it. The new year has just started, but I think I would enjoy this tea even more in the summer.

Unlike some reviews, I thought this was pretty good. Was the chocolate strong, no. But the taste overall was good. I use it with Candy Cane Lane by Celestial. I know, bagged tea…

i really did not like this tea.

very good black tea.

Nice non astringent black tea, smooth
Flavors:malt cocoa
It’s a good tea, but I don’t think I’ll buy it again.

Drinking up the last bit of this on my shelf! I quite like it, though I’m not terribly fond of the licorice/anise part of the flavor. It’s difficult to find a good herbal tea blend that isn’t super sweet or full of things I don’t like much (hibiscus, the aforementioned licorice). There’s enough going on here otherwise that I mostly enjoy it, particularly the cinnamon and peppercorns.