Thanks to De and aisling of tea for giving me a sample of this to try! This is my first taste of what River Tea has to offer.
Okay, so a little bit of background: today, for medical reasons, I had to fast. To prepare for a minor procedure, my doctor said not eat anything after midnight of the night before, and to drink as little as possible. Not wanting to risk anything, I just drank a glass of water in the morning. So I’ve gone most of the day without tea. :-(
Once I got home I decided to make up for this appalling lack by drinking something fruity and caffeine-free. So that’s where this tea comes in.
On first sniff, the dry leaf of this tea is very fruity and floral. I followed the instructions I was given, and ended up with a beautiful teacup of magenta-coloured liquid.
The smell of the wet leaf once it’s done steeping is different from that of the dry leaf, but very true to the taste of the brewed tea itself. There’s a layer of vanilla over everything, lending a hint of creaminess, but below that the strongest taste and smell is of hibiscus and rosehips (I find them very similar in flavour). I can see the lemon peeking out from underneath the hibiscus, but am finding it very difficult to discern the other fruit flavours that are supposed to be present. I sweetened things up with a touch of lemon-infused honey, but still the flowers are the strongest flavour.
Unfortunately, I’m not a big fan of hibiscus teas, so this is really more of a novelty for me than a keeper. However, it was nice to have something to look forward to when I came home earlier today.
Flavors: Flowers, Lemon Zest, Vanilla
Preparation
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I find that cold brewing hibiscus teas cuts down on the hibiscus taste, and a touch of sugar works better than honey at taming it. Especially lemon honey, because lemon would just bring out more tartness.
Yeah, I think this probably would be better cold brewed – gotta wait a few more months for the weather to be worth it. I didn’t know about the difference between white sugar and honey when it comes to hibiscus.
If you have any plain honeybush, adding that could also help soften the tartness.
I find that cold brewing hibiscus teas cuts down on the hibiscus taste, and a touch of sugar works better than honey at taming it. Especially lemon honey, because lemon would just bring out more tartness.
Yeah, I think this probably would be better cold brewed – gotta wait a few more months for the weather to be worth it. I didn’t know about the difference between white sugar and honey when it comes to hibiscus.
If you have any plain honeybush, adding that could also help soften the tartness.