Teabox Tuesday! There wasn’t much of this left in the Discovery Teabox, and I took what was left… I’m not sure if I had enough leaf for a proper sampling (especially since I personally go a little heavy on rooibos and what I put in my infuser didn’t look as heavy as I usually brew rooibos teas), so I dropped the water amount to attempt to accomodate for that. Hopefully I got close to the right ballpark to get a decent ratio for an herbal. If it turns out weak, well… I know the problem is probably going to be that there just wasn’t really much leaf left of this one. But I love hibi so I really wanted to try it! In fact, I’m surprised so many folks even touched this one in the teabox because of the hibi, considering it is so universally hated around here. Thank you to Skysamurai for organizing the Discovery Teabox and all participants for sharing!
My cup is a lovely deep red, not a watery-looking red or a strange pink or lavender shade, so I think I managed to get my leaf/water balance correct, phew (it did occur to me if the tea did turn out a bit weak from being the tail end of the leaf from the teabox, I could always supplement with a little plain hibi from my stash, heh). The aroma is very fruity; mostly I smell a red berry sweet, jammy aroma, and a hint of pineapple.
I like the flavor! I really am getting a very sweet, jammy taste at the forefront, that has a strong red berry flavor, with notes of strawberry and currant, with a tart/tangy juicy fruitiness at the end of the sip that tastes strongly of pineapple and citrus fruit. There is another flavor there too, and I can’t describe it, so it must be either the aloe or the prickly pear, as I’m not exactly familiar with either. I believe it’s the prickly pear, since one description says the juice is somewhat like a cross between bubblegum and watermelon, and that actually is very close to the flavor I’m tasting. It’s very sweet, and somewhat melon-like. I almost want to say watermelon Jolly Rancher, just not that intense.
I’d love to try this one iced, but sometimes a warm fruity hibi tea on a rainy evening feels very cozy and satisfying… I think it’s from the thicker mouthfeel, it feels very calming as it coats the throat and warms the tummy. Really enjoyed this cup.
Flavors: Black Currant, Candy, Citrus, Fruity, Jam, Melon, Pineapple, Strawberry, Sweet, Tangy, Tart
