Sip and Be Merry

I grabbed a single sachet of this from a recent tea box. It has no ingredients listed, so I didn’t know what to expect, but it tastes quite desserty, rather like cookies. I’d usually add milk to a tea like this, but it doesn’t need it. Nice black base, nice cookie taste. I’d drink this again. I really, really enjoy it actually.

Similar in taste to Republic of Tea Cuppa Caramel Cake, but has more of a fruity smell
Conflicting tastes and smells between fruity and rich, resulting in a 5/10 rating.
3-5min steep advisory. Tried 12.2018

I got this as a free sample in Republic of Tea’s seasonal catalog. Aww yiss, winter blends.

This is reminiscent of eggnog, heavy with vanilla. But instead of nutmeg, as one would find in eggnog, they used cardamom. It has a creamy, sweet note that makes me put this in the dessert tea category. The raspberry leaves give it a bit of a dryness that balances that out somewhat. Others have said they tasted caramel, but I don’t.

There is just something missing here in this blend. Clove? Cinnamon? Ginger? I don’t know. It’s an ok cup, but I’m not into it.

I’m on a (tea) bag roll today. I received this free sample in the mail from The Republic of Tea just before Christmas. This was one of my favorite companies during my bag days seven years ago when I was just a TEAnager (hee hee). The company displays a lot of imagination and creativity with the many tea selections they offer, including special limited holiday selections, like this one.

When I opened the wrapper, my nostrils were immediately filled with a delicious aroma like eggnog or a Christmas cookie. My senses are easy to please when it comes to sweet stuff. I dropped the round and tag-less bag disc into boiling water for five minutes as recommended by the wrapper for the maximum brewing time.

The finished aroma was also like eggnog…yes…or a Christmas cookie. The color was bright amber.

The flavor of this tea was true to its smell. It tasted just like eggnog…and, one more time… or a Christmas cookie. Although the flavor was potent, and probably not found in nature, it did not taste chemically artificial to me. There was no astringency and a pleasant enough aftertaste remained on my palate that reminded me of Christmas cookies past.

If I were ever to return to my early life as a bag drinker, I would be fine with this selection again during the holidays. I prefer loose leaf but sometimes I don’t have a problem when I’m told it’s in the bag.

When I started the coffee-tea transition, I was not a flavored coffee fan, and was pretty sure the same would be true of tea. For my experience, the sweet, spicy and sometimes exotic aroma from various flavoring or additives don’t always translate in the cup.

That said, after dabbling with herbals and simple blends like Morocco Mint, I decided to try some flavored teas and tisanes during the Christmas season. My wife favors decaf options, and you can always offer something that smells awesome to a holiday guest.

With its base black tea, I tried Sip and Be Merry moments after opening the box. It smells fantastic and the bag infuses very quickly. It smells and tastes somewhat fruity; the second most notable flavor is the vanilla. I can see the black tea in the cup, but there’s no real evidence of it in the flavor. Not bad. My guests and co-workers love it. My wife can even drink it early in the day. That’s my positive review as I cleanse my palate with some Irish Breakfast Tea.

This was a sample from their catalog. I Prepared with a tiny bit of soy milk and a tiny bit of honey. Sipping on this the black tea’s base is too weak and quite absent unfortunately. The flavor doesn’t make up for the lack of base either. I can taste something that resembles alcoholic flavored extracts you would use in baking. It reminds me of a very artificial amaretto flavor I’ve had chocolate that tasted like that before. I believe this must be the caramel coming through and am quite disappointed. It is slightly creamy but not nearly to the extent that the Downton Abbey Ms. Patmore’s Pudding tea is. Which is one of my favorites. I do not recommend this tea to buy as it is quite boring and the quality resembles a lower priced tea bag.

I got this as a sample from the Republic of Tea. This is a pretty nice tea, reminds me of the holidays, as I’m sure it’s meant to. The vanilla is pretty clear and the cardamom is mostly what I tasted as ‘warm’ (in the sense, not the temperature). I probably wouldn’t buy this but I wouldn’t complain about drinking it again.

Made with milk and sugar.