Strawberry Ginger

Brewed this one up again today, mostly because it found its way to work somehow, and seemed appealing at the time! So why not. I seem to recall having hibiscus issues in the past, so kept the infusion to a careful 4 minutes.

While it’s certainly never going to make it into the ranks of my favourite teas, this cup really isn’t too bad. The ginger is mild and soothing; the strawberry is reduced to more of an underlying fruitiness, but that’s ok. I’m finding it to be a touch weak (maybe I should have used a higher leaf:water ratio), but I’m drinking it cooled right now, and it’s rather refreshing.

ETA: Re-steep for quite a while produced a tarter tea that was bitter from the ginger, but still not bad, especially compared to the stevia-laden wonder (i.e. Chocolate Cake) that I was attempting to enjoy alongside it.

I got a cute little sample packet of this from Kittenna. I love how DAVIDs packages their samples, they’re adorable and perfect for taking around in your purse or bag. I brought this one up with me since I didn’t want to be without my daily morning cold brew, and it seems like it’d be good iced. I don’t really like strawberry teas hot (Lady Londonderry being the delicious exception).

I think I steeped this a little under 12 hours, I tend to get up earlier when I am away from home. It’s a lovely color, pale strawberry pink. The hibiscus is nonexistent which I am grateful for, this really just tastes like strawberries. It’s got a nice juicy quality, perhaps not overly strong—I almost would have guessed this was a white blend with a kind of middle of the road base, it’s not very “herb-y.” It does have some soft floral notes and an airy quality which remind me of a white blend… yet it’s definitely tea-free. Weird!

Sadly, I’m not getting a ton of ginger, just a hint towards the end of each sip. I love spicy ginger teas so I was hoping for a strong kick of it, but I’d have to say the taste is almost 100% strawberry with the teeniest ounce of ginger. It’s very refreshing with a nice natural sweetness, though just not at all what I was expecting.

Heyyyy, do you remember me!? I took a break but now I’m back!! Happy new year!

I gave this a good long steep tonight and added some agave. I think this is the perfect way to brew this tea hot. The agave brings out the sweetness of the strawberries and the ginger has an almost sparkling quality. Yummmmm

So I got a cup of this to go when stopping in to pick up some of the new teas. I feel a bit like death warmed over, so I thought a cup of this might perk me up.

Um, well…it didn’t. It smells like Goji Pop and I realize now that’s because of the hibiscus in the blend. Blegh. While drinking it, I got absolutely no flavor in the sip, just a touch of berry and ginger and mostly hibiscus in the aftertaste. I thought maybe by tastebuds were off, so I made De try some. Nope. Hot water with an aftertaste of hibiscus.

Okay, maybe the flavor comes out when iced. I’ll let it get cold while I nap. Oh now it has flavor. HIBISCUS with an aftertaste of ginger.

I have 10g waiting for me to try at home, there has to be more to this tea…there just has to. I’ll rate this when I get to try it at home.

Hmm, this tea seems to be a bit polarizing, judging from the reviews. Oddly enough, I rather enjoyed this one. I would have guessed that I wouldn’t like it due to the hibiscus, but I sort of used a lot more water than recommended so whatever sourness is likely drowned out. I can still detect juicy strawberry and warm ginger though. Very nice. I imagine this would make a good base for lemonade. Strawberry ginger lemonade. Yum. I am brilliant! Too bad I only got a sample and it’s gone now. I’m not willing to order it either. hah! It’s not really that good even if it is enjoyable. For a strawberry tea with a spicy element, I’ll stick with Blazing Strawberry, which I recently got 50g of. yaaay.

I noticed that the summer collection just came out, btw! I’m super curious about Luscious Watermelon but I’m also pretty sure I won’t really like it too much so I’m hesitant to buy it. Anyone want to swap some for Blazing Strawberry or Swampwater? :)

Sip down this morning. I cold steeped overnight then had a couple did to decide if I wanted to brin it with me or not.

Not. It went down the drain. Something about it was too leafy-dirt-like for me, and I found it really unpleasant. Too bad, because the first couple times I had this one I thought it was great. But now it’s gone and I can’t buy more, and that’s fine.

So now that I know what to expect from this blend, I really like it! I did a shorter steep than last time (about 4.5 mins) and that took care of the sour-ish note I got the first time I tried it. I love all of the ingredients that are in here. Strawberry? Check. Ginger? Yep. Blackberry? Yes please! I even enjoy the dreaded hibiscus, and find it works really nicely here. I don’t think I’d like this hot, but it is wonderful iced. It does remind me of Goji Pop, but they are different enough that I wouldn’t mind having both in my cupboard. I had mine with a small dash of agave; I think it would be a bit too tart without sweetening.

Last cup of the day! Way oversteeped on this one. I’m very fond of this one, thought it seems to get no love from the steepster community. Anyone else missing this one this year? I had to stock up before it went out of stock. I love the berry paired with the ginger. Perfect for spring/summer.

On to the next herbal! The aroma is strongly ginger followed by light strawberry. The taste is just like the aroma. Hmm, this one’s not bad. It’s not uber delicious, but that’s because it’s an herbal. :P

It’s not my favorite combination of flavors. But it is nice and calming after my earlier bamboo experience. I think I need something dessert-y though, so I’m off to make another tea! Thanks to Kittenna for the sample. Only 3 teas left from your giant swap package! :D

Dry Leaf Nose: Zesty ginger aroma with sweet strawberry notes, all supported by a background of fresh herbs.

Liquor: Naturally pink strawberry colour with a tangy ginger-strawberry aroma.

Flavour: Ginger notes buffered by a subtle strawberry flavour. A naturally sweet finish follows a somewhat tart and lively first impression.