Sub Rosa Tea

Well the sipdown fever has finally made me crack open this little sample, which I have had for years, and has sat neglected, as it just isn’t my thing.
I don’t like mango, I could care less about papaya, and mate is not something I’ve really tried so far.
But! This was not an unpleasant cup. There was a light fruitiness to it that was actually nice.
Still, I won’t rank it, because its not my thing.
But it is a sipdown, and I am now at 50 teas! Woo!

I keep coming back to this tea. It’s definitely one of my favorites.

I really like the spices in this tea. It definitely reminds me of cooler weather and begs to be sipped hot with a splash of milk (don’t mind if I do!) There is a touch of sweetness in this tea that I really like.

I drank this iced, cold brewed and the apricot really stands out. It looked like a green tea at first because the color did not deepen, but it’s definitely black!

Goodness, this tea is great cold-brewed! I brewed it overnight (about 1/2 oz in 1.5 L water) and it couldn’t be any more perfect.
The color of the tea makes it look like a green tea, but it’s black. The key lime flavors really stand out. No sweetener needed.

This is one of those dessert teas that goes all the way in the dessert direction. I added about half a packet of sweetener and a splash of half and half to an 8oz cup, and if I hadn’t made it myself I probably wouldn’t have believed it wasn’t some kind of fancy hot chocolate! The overall flavor I get is marshmallow, interestingly enough, with chocolate and coconut as strong secondary flavors. Both the aroma and the taste are very strong!

I love this a lot, but fair warning: it doesn’t really taste like tea at all.

The dry “leaf” of this smells absolutely heavenly — not much like a carrot cake, but a slightly sweet and pleasantly spicy rooibos. It’s nice to look at as well, with fairly large carrot, coconut, walnut, and ginger chunks!

I’m not very impressed by the taste of this brewed up with nothing added, but since it’s obviously supposed to be a dessert-esque blend, I expected I’d have to add some sweetener. That brings out a nice spiciness (cinnamon and ginger) and makes it taste lovely: spicy enough to seem extra warming and soothing but not so much that those that are bad with spicy foods and drinks (like me) will be overwhelmed! Does it live up to the carrot cake name? Not really, and I truly wish that it did, but I still enjoy it!

The aromas of this tea alone are just divine! It has a sweetness that gives some delicacy to the boldness of the mate.

I am not usually a fan of Mate, but this tea was the perfect kick to get me into my work! This did a lot more than coffee and it was enjoyable as an addition. Reminder to self: don’t drink late at night!