The Republic of Tea

I bought this yesterday at The Fresh Market. It was a limited edition exclusive called All Day Earl Grey that came out in February along with four other teas – a decaf version of this, Strawberry Rhubarb Green Tea, Lemon Biscuit Black Tea, and Fig Whiskey Vanilla Black Tea, which was the tea I actually went there to buy. Guess which was sold out and not coming back? To soothe my wounded soul, I bought the other three flavors on sale. (The decaf version of this was also sold out.)

Since I have been feeling down lately, I decided to try the Orange Marmalade tea this morning since orange scent is supposed to be a big mood booster. As it is a new to me tea and I have had very few teas by this company, I also needed to experiment.

The instructions say to use one tea bag for six ounces of water. I used three for my Stump pot. I steeped once and poured a small amount of tea into my cup to taste full strength. Then I steeped again and added that to the first batch. It wasn’t looking good because the liquor was rather pale compared to the first steep and the scent was muted as well.

I am happy to say that the flavor of both cups was more than acceptable. The orange is STRONG. The tea seemed very sweet – so sweet that I got up and read the tin again to see if there is any sort of sweetener added, but there isn’t. Also, this tastes very orange creamsicle to me, so I am guessing the unnamed “other flavors” are vanilla.

I made enough to try it cold at lunch and will review it that way, too. It is a good choice for iced tea without sweetener, but alas, it is not coming back to the shelves. I bet it would make an awesome tea pop. Perhaps I can look at their usual offerings and put together an orange tea and a vanilla tea and get the same effect. I am not really perceiving the bergamot, so I guess it is a close match to the orange flavor used here.

Edited to add: The Fresh Market called these a store exclusive, but I see it is available on ROT website, as well as the Strawberry Rhubarb Green. It is available online only right now but should be in stores in July according to one reviewer there.

The name caramel always sucks
Me in. And that makes
Me forget these are never my
Favorite flavor. Its ok.

I’m continuing my 2025 sip-down, going through older teas from my cupboard. Consequently, this review should be taken with reserve, since it’s not exactly fair to rate a tea that’s languished in the back of my cupboard for a number of years. Having noticed that the other two reviews of this Downton Abbey blend didn’t like it either—and they were written 4 and 10 years ago tells me it was never that great an herbal tea in the first place.
When Downton Abbey the series was first ending in 2015, I ordered a few different teas that Republic of Tea was selling, tied to the series. I selected this one based on its being caffeine free.
Even when I drank this tea when newly bought, I remember not being able to discern the more unusual flowers in this blend. Both orange blossoms and passion flower are supposed to be included in the tea (they’re on the label), but they’re not included in the Steepster list of flavors, which I why I mention them here.
For a tea which has lemon balm as its first ingredient, and five different flowers, I barely taste any of them. I understand time has passed, so that’s why the upper notes of the florals are missing. The only deeper floral note I detect is some sweetness from the orange blossom (and possibly the linden, but I’m not really familiar with that).
It’s really a pretty nondescript cup of tea, rather muddled tasting, and watery, to boot.
My major complaint of most RoT teas is too little tea within each bag. For a total weight of 46.8 grams, divided by 36 bags = 1.3 grams per teabag. Really minimal. So I used 4 bags in 25 oz of water, let it steep for 7 minutes, so I could better taste this tisane.
Just blah. While I can taste the chamomile, it’s oddly like a watery mushroom-infused liquid, for some reason (maybe the valerian root?). The only thing it’s got going for it is that it IS caffeine-free. With only 8 teabags left, that’s only two more 25-oz half-pots for me to get through…thank goodness. Think I’ll add a couple other teabags of other tisanes to help!

This is one of the best teas I’ve had in a long time, and has potentially opened me up to a world of new experiences from this company. Looking through their website, they seem lovely: lots of flavors, plenty of organic and loose-leaf options, and all the ones I spot-checked didn’t have the dreaded “natural flavors” ingredient. A bit on the pricey side, but as I’m becoming more of a tea snob, it seems worth it.

This particular flavor was wonderful. Simple yet refreshing and soothing. The jasmine flavor is strong and comes across super well. I don’t know, something about this tea just feels so clean and smooth and relaxing.

I’m definitely going to be exploring other flavors from this brand and hopefully they’re as good as this one.

I have found a new favorite! Originally I was attracted to the label’s blossoms in light pinks and green—and the fact spring is new, calling forth hope in a new season. So I ordered a tin, and was delighted with the deep cherry redolence when I opened the tin.
I usually find Republic of Tea’s teabags only fit for the tiny 6 oz cups they advise. In other words, I find such cups entirely too small, so those teabags don’t hold enough for a real cup, to me!
So I made a pot (57 oz), and used 6 bags, with a longer steep. What a treat! Spring in a teacup, truly. The cherry flavor was not as deep in the cup as it was smelling the open tin. That was fine—it was still a nice, clean cherry flavor, not at all artificial tasting. It was fresh, light, and the green tea was perfect. I’ve already enjoyed two pots’ worth. It’s the perfect tea to welcome the new season, toasting my beloved sister Kerry on this her birthday with Spring Cherry!

TTB tea! I like this! It’s appley and fresh! It’s a little tart, but really nice cold. I’m not sure why the other reviews are so brutal.

TTB tea! This doesn’t stand out too much, but it’s pretty smooth! It was enjoyable with milk and sugar, though the spices could have been a lot stronger. Still not bad for an herbal chai.

From a work friend who raved over it. I was pleasantly surprised not to have to squunch up my face from a lot of tartness. Read through some prior reviews as I was sipping it … some of you will remember K S, whose general pronouncement was “kool-aid.” Yeah, cranberry kool-aid about sums it up. In a nice way.

Somebody left this on the pay it forward shelf at work, and I’m a magpie: see something shiny, pick it up. (And I never have enough good decaf options.) First test cup wasn’t bad, extremely light and grassy. Decent option for days I’ve overdone the hard stuff.

Not an advent calendar tea, but a holiday tea included as a catalog sample. It’s been a very long day. I might write up the advent tea tomorrow. I’d forgotten the name of this one and initially searched for it as a candy cane blend. Hot, the peppermint is really prominent, with a creamy sweetness underlying it. The chocolate is much more noticeable as it cools – then it does match its name quite well. Possibly one of the best Republic of Tea blends I’ve had.

I’ve had a lot of mediocre herbal teas from RoT, but this one isn’t bad! I totally see the gingerbread vibe. The spices mix together pleasantly with the rooibos base. I really get this one!

#mugtober sipdown (2654)!

The theme on this day was “tea mail” so I picked out this sachet sample that I received in a tea swap with thereaderscup – it’s the last of the Bridgerton themed teas she had sent me and I’ve truthfully been putting off trying it since I’m not a big fan of plain Earl Grey. This was a very good excuse to finally just drink it, though.

I was quite pleasantly surprised. It’s still not super my cup of tea, but it was a lot more enjoyable than I’d expected it to be. Quite sweet, for an Earl Grey, and with almost more of a bright orange note than actual bergamot. I feel like for someone who LOVES bergamot/traditional Earl Grey this would likely actually be a disappointing experience but for someone like me who doesn’t it was a refreshingly different take and I really liked the sweet orange vibes.

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aact41NKHuA

Sipdown (2634)!

Made a mug of this to start off my day!

I’d definitely argue that this is much more of a peaches and cream blend than a peach ginger which is, from what I can remember, what the blend is mostly advertised as. However, the juicy ripe peach notes and veeeerrryyyy silky taste of vanilla/creme anglais was absolutely and incredibly delicious and well balanced. Plus, there was a sort of nostalgic and sense of comfort about that duo that felt very appropriate for Pen and Colin – channeling that romanticised girl next door/best friends to lovers kind of vibe.

The ginger is still present in the finish, but it’s subtle. I do feel like it adds a little more nuance and depth to the tea though, and I guess there’s something to be said about having a “spicy” component with a Bridgerton Blend… Can’t decide if I wish it was bolder or if I’d rather it had been left out.

Anyway, I’ve been pretty impressed by all the Bridgerton teas I’ve tried so far – but especially this one and Eloise’s. Both are teas I’d maybe consider buying in larger amounts. The profiles aren’t anything unique, but they’re very well executed.

This tea was very sweet, which was totally up my alley. Perhaps it’s just me but this tea doesn’t have that chocolate taste that red velvet usually has but it’s still pretty tasty. I also adore the fact that it is an herbal tea! I am usually not a big fan of rooibos but this is a really good blend!

Sipdown (2625)!

Finished the second half of Bridgerton Season 3 a few nights ago, and I of course had to drink one of my Bridgerton tea samples with the episodes. I honestly thought, based on ROT’s description of this tea, that I was not going to like this tea. However, it’s really unexpectedly fruity and sweet – much less chamomile than you’d think there’s be and even the rose was kind of light. I need to check the ingredients to see if they actually indicate what the fruit flavour should be, but to me it was like a mix of very fresh, ripe apple and peach or apricot.

It was tasty, and I thought nice for the character it’s inspired by too!

This is a very sweet tea. I have been drinking only minimally processed high-grade black, oolong, pu’erh, or green teas, and decided to do a sip down on this one (and get the can out of my tea supplies). It tastes processed; yet it is a childhood type of flavor, of candy canes and the winter holidays. It is also green rooibos, which I have grown to loathe. But in this tea, it tatses and smells of candy canes, which is simultaneously pleasant and annoying as I have given up added sugar for health reasons. Bye bye Peppermint Bark, won’t be buying again.

Sipdown (2616)!

I recently did a tea swap with gabbydrinkstea and she was kind enough to include a sample of each of Republic of Tea’s new Bridgerton blends for me to try. Outside of the standalone Queen Charlotte mini series, I’ve never actually watched Bridgerton before so I didn’t really know the characters at all. However, it’s a long weekend here in Canada (for Victoria Day) and I’ve been stuck in quarantine so I had a little more time on my hands – so I actually started the series this past weekend.

When I saw this was a lemon and mint black tea I was ever so slightly intrigued. Lemon and mint is not exactly the most exciting pairing, but it’s one that I typically see much more in herbal blends or green tea so I was a little excited by the tea base switch up. It ended up being really, really quite lovely. I sipped on it while actually watching the show, and maybe that did elevate the experience slightly but I really think it was the uniquely decadent yet fresh and zesty tasting notes that really won me over. The black tea base was smooth and medium bodied and though there was a bright, zesty freshness to the lemon notes it also had a bit of a more sweet and creamy element too – it reminded me in some ways of a lemon curd you might get in a really nice tart. The mint was gentle and crisp, and rounded out the finish quite nicely. However, I also unexpectedly got notes of vanilla and almost like a caramel or burnt sugar. That was super unexpected, but it gave this really subtle dessert-like quality to the profile that I really latched onto.

I could very easily see this served as the selection for a really nice high tea, with loads of light and dainty sweets and finger foods. A nice buttermilk scone with clotted cream, perhaps, would go BEAUTIFULLY with this blend!

I just finished the first season, and so far Eloise is actually one of my favourite characters – so it was nice that I ended up enjoying the tea blend associated with her so much. I really don’t foresee a RoT order in my future any time soon, but this is something I would consider buying for myself. Unfortunately, I’m sure it’ll be long sold out before I even get close to considering ordering anything…

This one is super fake and candylike, but pleasant enough with some milk. You really need to double up on the teabags to taste the flavor though. I like my tea sweet, but I could see it being a bit sickly sweet for others. I’m also getting tired of it about halfway through the tin.

A friend gifted this to me when she was cleaning out her tea cupboard. Today is the last of the container and I am just realizing it’s from Republic of Tea. I only noticed the Stonewall Kitchen packaging. I’ve been drinking this one regularly through the winter in my work mug. Usually I steep it in my travel mug while getting my breakfast together and then wait until it cools some to drink. Today I followed the suggested directions and steeped for about 6 minutes in boiled water.
I’ve enjoyed this throughout winter since it looks like winter has returned today with snow/sleet/rain the tea will have one last sip. Today I’m actually focusing on the flavors. It’s a sweet creamy mint blend. Other reviewers mentioned stevia but I don’t see that in the ingredient listing. I believe the blend was changed to monk fruit to add sweetness. I would definitely purchase again. This appears to be a limited edition so I’ll have to keep my eyes open in the winter for it to come around again.

Earl grey tea bags. I taste bergamot mostly and a little woodiness from the tea. No tartness, bitterness, or astringency detected, very middle of the road. I would recommend this to friends at a supermarket.

sold for $12.00/50 tea bags

https://www.republicoftea.com/earl-greyer-black-tea/p/v00583/

Daughter says the smell is good. It does smell like carrot cake but without the frosting. I find most people put too much frosting on the cake. The flavor is quite nice as well. Bits of lightly frosted and nicely spiced carrot cake flows gently on the palate. The mouthfeel is soft. A cakey aftertaste. My daughter quite enjoys this one.

I tasted absolutely nothing wit this tea. I don’t have a sense of smell, so I don’t actually taste much anyway, but I had this at the height of the worst cold I’ve had in a long time, so that probably didn’t help. It was literally warm water. At least it wasn’t sour, bitter or astringent. I got plenty of flavor from the Cold 911, so it couldn’t have been only the cold that kept me from tasting anything from this one.

I keep trying to find another caffeine free tea to add to my evening rotation. This one was drinkable, but nothing I need to order a tin of. I have another teabag of it and I will try it again.

I got this as a gift a few years ago so I might try and finish it off. It was a nice gift assortment, except for the Earl grey and the hicaf teas with stevia. I appreciate the cinnamon and am reminded of Celestial’s Cinnamon Express, but this stevia aftertaste ruins the cup. Don’t need to drink this again, but I am much more awake :)