The Diplomat

So I bought this late at night and didnt read the ingredients very carefully. Turns out this is a mostly rooibos tea. There’s some green, but the rooibos wins the battle. It actually is good for a rooibos but that stupid aftertaste still comes through. My mom loved this as it does have some coffee flavor in it. For some reason when I ordered it, I thought it was a black tea. I’m thinking next time I’ll mix some black in cause the caramel flavor in this is good. Anybody know of any other tricks for masking the rooibos aftertaste?

Tried this today via tastybrew though I didn’t have much time to really pay attention to it. Thankfully I’ve got more to play with when we’re up at the cottage and I can take time to drink tea on the edge of the dock :)

hmmm didn’t really get the chicory or barley notes in this very distinctly, but they are probably helping to mute the rooibos some. that and the little bit of tea added.
the caramel flavor is not very strong. but that is fine with me.
i guess i don’t have too much more to say about this mellow tea.
i will happily drink the whole sample.
thanks again TastyBrew!

Thank you so much Shelley Lorraine, for the samples you sent me a while back. This one is interesting because it is rooibos mixed with green tea (that must be hojicha if it doesn’t get bitter after six minutes.) I really love it. It tastes like a cappuccino somehow. And the rooibos doesn’t scratch my throat at all…. I can’t even tell its a rooibos. However, the second steep tastes a bit like tobacco, so the first cup was way better. But this one is dreamy. It’s sweet and somehow the steep color is dark, even though it is a blend that intentionally avoided caffeine. I’ll savor this sample!

Backlog:

I made this one yesterday when I was sampling a couple of others as well. This one came to me from TastyBrew. Of the three I sampled at the time (incl. Disney Mad Hatter and Java Tea Co Revolutionary) I liked this one the least. I was surprised at how little the rooibos stood out in both this one and in the Revolutionary. In this one, though, it seemed like the caramel flavor was trying too hard to take over and it ended up producing a strange musty flavor. It was still drinkable, but not something I’d want to have again.

Home – 6:30 PM

I bought this one from tea-sipper’s stash sale. In fact, I got four different coffee-inspired teas from the same company. They all seem to be nearly identical, with slightly different flavors added. This one is inspired by the caramel macchiato, and it has little caramel cubes in it as well.

For some reason I thought this was black tea and rooibos, but it’s actually green tea and rooibos. So I steeped it like a black tea. Oops. Luckily, it tastes fine.

This reminds me of B&B’s Fairytale of NY, which is an Irish Cream inspired rooibos blend. I’m not sure I would specifically know that this is meant to be caramel-flavored? It is tasty, though. The rooibos is woody and goes perfectly with the coffee-like chicory root. It’s smooth and not overly roasty or coffee-ish. I guess maybe since rooibos has a bit of caramel character naturally, I don’t notice the additional caramel flavor?

I dig it, and I suspect I’ll dig the others as well since they’re so similar. :)

This would also probably make a fabulous latte.

What a fun blend from the tea box! I don’t like coffee, so I was hesitant to try this, but when I saw the little caramel pieces in there, I had to! So it tastes kind of like coffee and kind of like a caramel tea. Whatever they’re using to get the coffee flavor is a little unpleasant to my tastes, but I could see a coffee lover enjoying this one a lot! I added sugar and milk.

Well, I finally did it, I finally stopped dragging my feet and playing the avoid at all cost game and went to the doctor. Other than helping me with my really messed up asthma, my new doctor could not do much except set me up with appointments with four different specialists. Good thing I finally have good insurance! I am not looking forward to the testing and experimenting with all the various medications I am going to have to try. Sigh, at least I will have tea to keep me sane.

Today’s tea is The Diplomat by Java Tea Co, a company that creates tea blends that taste like famous coffee drinks but as a healthy alternative. This little gem is made in the image of Caramel Macchiatto, created from (all organic) Rooibos, Green Tea, Chicory Root, Barley, Cornflowers, Almonds, Caramel Creme, Natural Flavors and Polyphenol Extract. The aroma is very much so true to the idea of a Caramel Macchiatto with caramel, sweetness, cream, and coffee’s earthiness. There is also a mild floral hint and a touch of woodiness. I actually found the caramel sweetness a little too sweet, but I feel that way about the aroma of the coffee equivalent.

The brewed leaves bring out more of that coffee aroma (from the chicory) with nutty and woody qualities. The creamy, caramel sweetness is also still present but more subdued. The tea without the steeping leaves has strong coffee notes along with faint floral and intense caramel sweetness. I still find the aroma a bit too sweet for my liking, which is saying something considering how much of a sweet tooth I have.

I am going to admit to not being fond of this tea right off the bat, it did nothing for me. I thought the taste was too much like low quality watered down bitter coffee with too much sweetness. It reminded me of gas station lattes and I am not a fan. There are also notes of woodiness from the rooibos and root like earthiness from the chicory. I probably dislike this tea because of the chicory, it is an herb that just makes me go blech. I decided to add a little cream to the tea and that made it a little more palatable, the taste of the chicory was milder and the bitterness mostly faded. The aftertaste is mildly sweet, which is my favorite part of this tea. On a side note (I feel a little bad bashing this tea) I included this one in my annual Advent Tea Calender and it was a big hit, so I am glad others enjoyed it more than I did.

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/05/java-tea-co-diplomat-tea-review.html

Really amazing coffee flavor in this one. I wasn’t sure how I’d like the caramel, but my sister and I both enjoyed the subtle sweetness. Great for anyone looking for a healthier substitute for their coffee needs.

Loved this one from the sample pack, too. Coolest part—they actually use real caramel! Delicious, delicious, delicious.