11 Tasting Notes
1ST CUP:
Served: Iced
Amount: 2 tsp
Brewed In: 1.5 cups
Cup Size: 23oz tumbler full of ice
Sweetener: stevia in the raw
Temp: boiling
Steep Time: 3 min
Method: Finum paper tea filter
Notes:
The first sip almost tastes smokey – just a little. But then the longer it sits on my tongue, the more that flavor mellows out & I can begin to taste the cherry-sweet grenadine which lingers afterwards.
It’s nice – am I head over heels for it? No, but I can easily see finishing up the sample I bought. And who knows…it may grow on me more.
And I can’t help but wonder what this would taste like hot on a cold, rainy day – seems like it might be a nice pick me up then.
Signed,
Jane
Preparation
1ST CUP:
Served: Iced
Amount: 6 tea bags
Brewed In: 2 cups
Cup Size: Quart pitcher w/ ice
Sweetener: stevia in the raw
Temp: boiling
Steep Time: 3 min
Notes:
Hmmm….I really want to love this tea iced, but I’m not quite there yet. Oh, I want to be there – don’t get me wrong and I’m pretty positive I will be…but I’m wondering if I over-steeped it or made it too weak for the pitcher. But it’s tasting a little astringent to me at the moment – or maybe it needed more sweetening?
So I say again…hmmmm.
Just a little bummed because I had my mouth all set for the perfect Tex-Mex experience for a native Tex who’s been away far too long from her Mex.
I spent the day marinating chicken, soaking Mesquite chips (mes-keet for you non-natives) for the grill, prepping the cilantro & jalapenos, crumbling the queso fresco, warmed up the corn tortillas…even found some Tejano music on Pandora and sat down to enjoy it all with a tall glass of iced key lime tea….and????….ehh.
The tea was off. Only slightly, but still off enough to foil the pinnacle of what was to be my Saturday night home grill extravaganza.
Hmmm…
Signed,
Jane
Preparation
When I first saw this flavor on their website I was intrigued, but didn’t have the money to invest on something I may not like since mint & me don’t always get along. But lo’ & behold my next RoT catalog had a sample! :)
I brewed that baby up & fell in love – this is a great Southern summer sippin’ tea.
To really get the full watermelon flavor, you need to pony-up to the true Southern tradition & sweeten the heck outta that sucker!
It’s true…the mint isn’t really prominent – or maybe it’s my untrained palette that doesn’t notice it – but for me, it works. But I love the taste of juicy watermelon as it slowly makes it’s way down the back of my throat at the end of the sip.
And for me, I can get a 2nd steep – but I’m damned determined that way. So the 1st steep is for 5 minutes & I run the 2nd at close to 7.
I immediately ordered a tin for me & one for my sister. And now that the hubby has had his first sip, I’m going to have to order more…argh.
But the bigger issue is how to convince him that we can’t afford for this to be an everyday tea. But I can easily see it being our Summer Saturday night special. ;)
Preparation
Served: Iced
Amount: 1 sachet
Brewed In: 1.5 cups
Cup Size: 23oz tumbler full of ice
Sweetener: stevia in the raw
Temp: boiling
Steep Time: 4 min
Notes:
So a bit of back-story on this tea…
It was December 2011 and my husband & I had just landed in Detroit for a layover on our 24+ hour flight from Incheon (South Korea) to DFW.
We were returning to the States for the first time after 3 years of life in Korea & with us was our 14 year-old cranky cat (the 140 lb. dog shipped ahead of us 2 weeks before) & my husband was beyond sick & constantly coughing. (He wound up being hospitalized with a rare strain of pneumonia a few days later.)
Everything we owned was in 4 suitcases, we had no home, no car (it was being shipped back by boat) & I was beyond exhausted trying to care for a sick husband, a stressed-out cat & traveling for hours.
Turned out there was a Coffee Bean & Tea Company in the airport & I bought us two tall, hot cups of Vanilla Ceylon.
I can perfectly remember how buttery-hot it was – almost to the point of carmelization & it was heaven. It was my one moment of tranquility in a chaotic month.
Once we got settled in our new home, I quickly ordered 3 tins of it. And even though it’s almost summer now, I’ve really been enjoying it iced.
Preparation
1ST CUP:
Served: Iced
Amount: 2 tsp
Brewed In: 1.5 cups
Cup Size: 23oz tumbler full of ice
Sweetener: stevia in the raw
Temp: boiling
Steep Time: 3 min
Method: Finum paper tea filter
Notes:
After drinking British Breakfast the past 2 mornings in a row, my first thought was that this wasn’t quite strong enough. But the more I sipped while actually having pancakes & turkey bacon for breakfast, this was really good.
The flavors really paired well with the breakfast rather than compete so that it was the ultimate pancake breakfast experience. Will have to resteep to get a 2nd cup!
So glad I bought this & remembered I had it this morning! Yum-yum!
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RESTEEP:
Served: Iced
Amount: Initial 2 tsp + 1 tsp fresh
[same as above]
Well, that kicked it up a notch! Flavor is much more mellowly sweet & deep. And now that I’ve inhaled my actual pancakes, I can continue to have that lovely taste without the extra carbs. : )
Signed,
Jane
Preparation
1ST CUP:
Served: Hot
Amount: 1.5 tsp
Brewed In: 10 oz
Cup Size: 10.5 oz mug
Sweetener: stevia in the raw
Temp: 175
Steep Time: 3 min
Method: Finum paper tea filter
Notes:
Decided to steep this longer & lower to try to get more of the flavor from the pieces of dried fruit. Not sure if it worked since I can’t pick up any distinctive flavor – just a jumble of fruit.
I’ll have to try again with the normal 185 temp & shorter time & see if I get a better taste because right now it just seems bland to me without any one flavor noticeable over the other.
Of course this could all be because I’ve been fighting a head cold for 10 days now, but I’ll try again once I’m through with this bug.
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UPDATE: As the cup sat a few more minutes, cooling off to probably around 140, suddenly the taste changed for me. It came across more mellow, less jumbled & more individually pronounced. Went from “meh” to “hmm”.
Signed,
Jane
Preparation
As a sweet tea drinker who’s trying to cut calories, making this with Stevia in the Raw was still delicious – but when I tossed in a couple of brown sugar cubes the flavor really went through the roof!
Will be a part of my permanent stash.
