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Happy National Find a Rainbow Day! I figured as Steepster’s #1 Hibiscus Fan (you guys all voted for me, right? right?) that I should brew a pretty red cuppa today! But did I have any ridiculously old hibi-hip blends? You bet I did! This sampler pouch was from B&B’s “Bluebird Tea Co.” days, and combines two of my favorite polarizing ingredients, hibiscus and licorice root!

Also using this as my Ode to Tea R entry!

Since this was a heavy fruit blend, the 20g sampler really wasn’t much. I thought about just doing a liter mason jar cold brew, but opted for my slightly smaller 750ml cold brew bottle and saved the rest of the leaf to brew one hot cuppa.

Used one heaping teaspoon brewed grandpa-style in 350ml 205F water, accompanied with two of the Jammy Dodgers cookies that Cameron sent me! (Thank you, Cameron!) The aroma off my hot brewed cup definitely smells fruity, and of licorice root… If I shut my eyes and just sort of take in the aroma as a whole, I can get where they are going with a Red Vine. There is a strong raspberry aroma, with that fruit punchy/tangy hibiscus undertone. Sipping the cup… hmm. I like the two flavors, but admittedly it is a bit strange tasting them together. I am getting a tart red raspberry, with a strong sticky-sweet licorice root. My brain is getting the association, but I wouldn’t say it tastes very accurate to a Red Vine, since the last time I had one of those, there really was no licorice sorts of flavors to it. I wonder if the ones made in the UK use some of the licorice herbs in them, since licorice in general is a more liked flavor in Europe?

The cold brew has the same flavor, though I feel like the berry is a bit brighter with a more juicy/jammy quality to it. There is still the snap of licorice root sweetness toward the end of the sip and that touch of herbaceousness, but it doesn’t feel quite as strong and lingering as in the warm cup. It’s a good “fruit punch” sort of tea, with that thicker/sweeter taste iced.

So, I can say, this doesn’t have the “tartness” I’d associate with hibiscus teas… on account of a lot of licorice root, which I know is equally polarizing. I’m sure the raspberry leaf is also contributing as well, as there is a subtle sort of herbaceous quality beneath the fruitiness. As for me… I like this! But I often feel like I have the weirdest taste buds on Steepster…

The biscuit choice was perfect, too! It was my first time ever trying Jammy Dodgers and they are delicious!

In other news, I have also finished off another “so old they were still Bluebird Tea Co.” tea, Easter Egg Nests, as a delightful latte (much more of a “milk chocolate” flavor when prepared that way!) which I’m using as my Ode to Tea E entry!

Flavors: Fruit Punch, Herbaceous, Hibiscus, Licorice, Raspberry, Sweet, Tangy

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 8 min or more 1 tsp 12 OZ / 350 ML
gmathis

You are just knocking out that alphabet! Happy hibby to you, as well!

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gmathis

You are just knocking out that alphabet! Happy hibby to you, as well!

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Bio

Hi! I’m Sara, a middle-aged librarian living in southern Idaho, USA. I’m a big ol’ sci-fi/fantasy/anime geek that loves fandom conventions, coloring books, simulation computer games, Japanese culture, and cats. Proud genderqueer asexual (she/they) and supporter of the LGBTQ+ community. I’m also a chronic migraineur. As a surprise to no one, I’m a helpless tea addict with a tea collecting and hoarding problem! (It still baffles me how much tea I can cram into my little condo!) I enjoy trying all sorts of teas… for me tea is a neverending journey!

Favorite Flavors:

I love sampling a wide variety of teas! For me the variety is what makes the hobby of tea sampling so fun! While I enjoy trying all different types of teas (pure teas, blends, tisanes), these are some flavors/ingredients I enjoy:
-Dessert/chocolate/vanilla/caramel/cream/toffee/maple
-Sweet/licorice root/stevia
-Vegetal/grassy
-Floral/lavender/rose
-Spices/chais
-Fruity
-Tropical/pineapple/coconut
-Bergamot (in moderation)
-Roasted/nutty
-Tart/tangy/hibiscus/rosehip

Disliked Flavors:

There are not many flavors or ingredients that I don’t like. These include:
-Bananas/banana flavoring
-Hemp/CBD teas
-Smoke-scented teas/heavy smoke flavors (migraine trigger)
-Perfumey teas/extremely heavy floral aromas (migraine trigger)
-Gingko biloba (migraine trigger)
-Chamomile (used in blends as a background note/paired with stronger flavors is okay)
-Extremely spicy/heated teas
-Medicinal flavors/Ginseng
-Metallic flavors
-Overly strong artificial flavorings

With the exception of bananas and migraine triggers, I’ll pretty much try any tea at least once!

Steeping Parameters:

I drink tea in a variety of ways! For hot brews, I mostly drink my teas brewed in the western style without additions, and for iced tea, I drink teas mostly brewed in the cold brew style without additions. Occassionally I’ll change that up. I use the https://octea.ndim.space/#/ app for water-to-tea ratios and use steep times to my preferences.

My Rating Scale:

90-100 – Top tier tea! These teas are among my personal favorites, and typically I like to keep them stocked in my cupboards at all times, if possible!

70-89 – These are teas that I personally found very enjoyable, but I may or may not feel inclined to keep them in stock.

50-69 – Teas that fall in this range I enjoyed, but found either average, lacking in some way, or I’ve had a similar tea that “did it better.”

21-49 – Teas in this range I didn’t enjoy, for one reason or another. I may or may not finish them off, depending on their ranking, and feel no inclination to restock them.

20-1 – Blech! My Tea Hall of Shame. These are the teas that most likely saw the bottom of my garbage can, because I’d feel guilty to pass them onto someone else.

Note that I only journal a tea once, not every time I drink a cup of it. If my opinion of a tea drastically changes since my original review, I will journal the tea again with an updated opinion and change my rating. Occassionally I revisit a tea I’ve reviewed before after a year or more has passed.

Inventory:

My Cupboard on Steepster reflects teas that I have sampled and logged for review, and is not used as an inventory for teas I currently own at the present moment. An accurate and up-to-date listing of my current tea inventory can be viewed here: https://tinyurl.com/xjt9ptx3 . I am open to tea trades (within the United States only!) at this time. Note that I will not trade teas that I currently have in a quantity less than 50g (samplers, 1oz packages, etc.) or any teas that are currently still sealed/unopened in my cupboard.

Contact Info:

Feel free to send me a Steepster PM, or alternatively, check the website URL section below; it goes to a contact form that will reach my personal e-mail.

Location

Idaho, United States

Website

https://teatimetuesdayreviews...

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