Calafia Tea

I love every word in the name of this tea and was delighted when the package I got from Sipsby suggested a cold brew. I dumped the whole packet in and went happily on my way, until the next morning when I tasted a vaguely tropical something and…nuts?
I cannot begin to explain it since nuts are nowhere near the ingredients, but I got a couple of people to agree with me, so I’ll take it. Thankfully my brother thought it was great and was willing to finish it off for me.

Sipdown! (12 | 228)

Mastress Alita’s Sipdown Challenge (September) – “A hibiscus tea”

I wasn’t sure what tea to use for this prompt, since I’m not a fan of hibiscus or fruit tisanes in general, so it’s not something I keep around. Luckily, this was in my Sips by box for September!

I used the whole sample, which was 12 grams, because I find I really need to use about double the volume of leaf for fruit tisanes or it comes out too weak. Now, this tisane looked like it was about 50% hibiscus, so I was nervous about using so much, but I did it anyway.

Happily, the hibiscus part is fine, it’s not overly sour and has a nice amount of tartness that doesn’t overpower the blend. However… This sort of tastes like a tropical-scented candle to me. Weirdly, it doesn’t really taste like peach or apricot, but has more of a generic tropical fruit vibe. I would guess mango, papaya, and maybe pineapple? But not the real fruits, the candle version of them ha ha. It just tastes weirdly artificial and there’s a slight floral note as well that’s not helping things.

How surprising that the hibiscus turned out to be the best part of this tisane… XD A shame, because the packaging for this tea is completely gorgeous.

2022 Spring Tea Swap – Day 27 (Bonus Tea!)
From Emilie!

Emilie recommended this as a cold brew, so that’s how I made it this first time around. It’s a beautiful red color, likely from the hibiscus, and has somewhat of a tropical flavor and aroma. It tastes just a tiny bit dusty as some herbals tend to do, but overall it’s refreshing. Maybe just a touch tart. Good for a hot summer day, that’s for sure.

Thank you, Emilie, for a wonderful spring swap!!!

I was worried this tea would be too simple, but it’s so marshmallowy and delicious! It’s so soft and lightly fruity and fresh. I love it! The main flavors are marshmallow (I don’t know what’s causing that flavor, I guess the vanilla) and a nonspecific fruitiness. The cold resteep is great too. It looks like this company only makes three teas currently, but I may have to try them all, based on how much I’ve enjoyed this one! I love finding new companies through TTBs!