Pitta-Dosha

This is a very unusual tisane. The hibiscus is not overly tart, but it does provide a good deal of body and color to the tisane. I can taste the hibiscus flavor, but not so much of the hibiscus tart.

It is a very interesting combination of flavors – it tastes familiar but unlike anything I can ever remember tasting! I like it though!

Jake and I decided to enjoy this tea a little differently this morning – I made an infused butter with it for our pancakes! When I get around to pancake butter infusions, I usually use straight up cloves or anise, so this was an interesting change.

I put the stovetop unit on medium, melted half a stick of butter, and added about 2 tablespoons of dry tea. I let it alone until butter was completely melted, after which I stirred occasionally until it began to simmer. I let that go on for 2-3 minutes, then pulled it off the stove and strained it into a small Pyrex dish. After that, all I had to do was stir it occasionally so that it wouldn’t separate.

Spooned over pancakes, this was awesome! Each bite was a tasty mix of maple syrup and roses. I may add more tea next time, for even more intense flavor, but this is totally something I’m going to try again!

If you’re curious, here are some pictures of the process:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyssastitches/sets/72157633712758005/

I cold steeped this for about 24 hours, and liked it well enough there’s another thermos of it going now. I’m still perplexed how I like this as much as I do, as there are at least two components in here I don’t normally much care for (chamomile and hibiscus).

This brews up such a lovely raspberry color thanks to the hibiscus. It’s a bit tart, but the hibiscus is tempered quite a good deal by the mint and chamomile. The rose doesn’t come through much in the cold steep, but the chamomile does and becomes a bit apple-y. Then mint is the dominant note, and easily my favorite.

The whole thing tastes a bit like apple mint jelly, though. So that’s kind of neat.

Thanks LiberTeas!

This is tart and double the floral…you have chamomile AND rose! The tartiness is from the hibiscus. I’m not much of a fan of either Hibiscus or Chamomile but this isn’t too shabby considering it has both. I think it would be better cold, however.

One of the indulgences that got me through my undergraduate work. I’m not the biggest hibiscus fan, and mentioning a tea that has a “floral” taste usually sends me scurrying in the other direction. Curiously, this blend appeals to me anyway. The flavor is cool and soothing, likely due to the heavy dose of mint it contains. Beware overbrewing, as that brings the tartness of the infusion out to the point where I wince a little with every sip I take. If you’re looking for a summer brew, this also happens to be great on ice.

Decaf and Herbal Tea TTB. This is an interesting tea. It is billed as an Ayurvedic blend. This as I understand it is a Hindu concept of herbal tea, but I could be wrong. There is a strong note from the hibiscus in this. To a lesser degree I think I taste the chamomile. I’m not really getting the peppermint. I ended up adding sugar to this simply because I like sugar in a lot of tea but you could certainly drink this straight. It’s not particularly bitter. There was only enough of this in the box for one large pot of tea so I used the whole sample, just over three teaspoons. I have never bought from The Tao of Tea but would consider this if I ever put in an order. I don’t even know if they are a Canadian or US company, or even Chinese for that matter.

I brewed this one time in a 16oz Glass Teavana Perfect Tea Maker/Gravity Steeper with 3 tsp leaf and boiling water for 7 minutes.

Beorhthraefn included a sample of this in the Secret Pumpkin package. Thank you!

For those who dread hibiscus in their teas, this is one herbal blend to try. The hibiscus is so light that it’s barely noticeable. It’s the rose that stands out. Relaxing evening cup.