Tea of Good Tidings

There’s something about the smell of this that makes me love it – it’s an interesting mix of fruity, spicy cinnamon, and the tangy scent of the juniper berries. Somehow they all manage to work together very well. I wish a little more of the fruity sweetness had gotten into the flavour. Overall the flavour seems to be tangy, a mixture of citrus and juniper berries which give the tea a clean flavour with notes of pine. The cinnamon is subtle, but it gives the tea a warm, soothing quality to it.

It’s a very interesting and unusual tea.

Drinking the last of this tea this morning. I’m rather sad to see it go, and will probably reinvest in another tin sometime in the future. It’s a great tea for wrapping up in a blanket on the back porch and watching the world wake up.

For having so many ingredients in this tea, there certainly isn’t much flavor. The Republic of Tea is always disappointing to me though. I wouldn’t invest in a tin of 50 teas without trying the flavor first. The black tea isn’t very strong. It seems like the flavors listed would work well together, if I could actually taste them. Too bad.

I am hopelessly addicted to Tea of Good Tidings. Everything about it says I would’t like it. There is just so much going on with the dense fruit and huge amalgam of flavors. Then the powerful black tea rises up on the nose and punches me right in the face!

But it all works delectably together. It is rich and complex without being synthetic. I’m rather surprised that the enormous RoT conglomerate is able to put out this sublime gift. I am usually more taken by boutique teas. This is impressive, and I always have a cup or two a day.

I keep my pantry full of it so I can drink it all year long.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

I was skeptical of this tea when it first arrived. The smell of the juniper berries was overpowering, and the strong fruity scent had me worried. I generally prefer earthier-flavored teas, with lighter fruit undertones and subtle flavors. To say the least, I was afraid I had wasted money on a tea I would not like. However, I decided to give the tea a chance straight away, and I couldn’t have been more wrong. The smell of the loose tea leaves was completely different from the way the brew tasted; the flavor of the black tea was prominent, while the fruits and spices properly balanced out the blend. It is now my favorite hot tea.

I adore this tea. I buy a bulk bag of it every October or so, when it comes back into stock, and drink it through the year. It’s got lovely spicy notes in it plus juniper, which I adore and haven’t found in many teas.

So, the boyfriend and I went to this local little store called Putnam Market to grab sandwiches for lunch (they have a bunch of assorted deli stuff and they sell a lot of condiments, bakery goods, etc). They carry a lot of Republic of Tea items and I was very happy to find several of their holiday teas! I’ve been perusing them casually on RoT’s website and hoping I could find them in a store somewhere. Hooray! I picked up this one along with Peppermint Bark, and I’ll probably go back for a couple more later. Anyway, this tea! For some reason, it’s loose leaf while all the others are in bags. Visually, it’s a mix of dark chocolate brown leaves, dried orange peel, rose petals, and various dried berries (cranberry, juniper, black currant). Dry scent is a lovely mix of fruity, spicy, sweet, and piney.

Once the tea is steeped, I can smell a lot more sweet and creamy vanilla/almond aromas, along with citrus and spice. Hmm… The flavor is quite light, maybe next time I’ll try a longer steep. I can taste light sweet orange and vanilla flavors, as well as a touch of spice (mostly clove). I wish there was a bit more berry presence here, though I do get a hint of pine from the juniper. I’m actually tasting a hint of bitterness here, possibly because I used almost two teaspoons of leaf for my 8 ounce cup.

Overall, this is a tasty cup that definitely reminds me of the holidays. Next time I’ll try a bit less tea and a longer steep.

A nice tea to drink in the winter. Good for a fruit/spice lover who wants a caffeine hit.

Very decent holiday tea. The scent that wafts from the mug after a 4 minutes’ brew is almost intoxicating.