Strawberry Cheesecake

July Sipdown Challenge Prompt – a tea that makes you smile

Why did this tea make me smile? Because when I reached into the mailbox and saw an envelope that definitely wasn’t a bill, I knew it was a card from gmathis! This teabag was inside the card with a little piece of advice to make it half and half with black tea because it is so sweet so that’s what I did, combining it with Decaf Ceylon from Harney and Sons since it was after 3 pm.

Another reason to smile was that it was so timely. I have made a few different types of jams and preserves – fig jam, pear preserves, grape hull preserves, grape jam – but I don’t think I have ever made strawberry jam until today.

Last week the strawberries at the grocery store were on a big sale at a “3 for” price so we bought three. One container full was eaten, one was partially gone to the turtles, and the other was still full and the remaining strawberries were clearly about to be on their way out. So I made strawberry jam for the first time and the tea arrived just in time to pair it with my inaugural slice of toast with homemade strawberry jam.

And WOW was that cuppa sweet even though it was half strength! But it was also PERFECT for my afternoon treat. I saved a cup for Ashman and gave him tea and toast after supper and he glugged all the tea right down. It actually reminded me Anna’s Blend from Tin Roof Teas long ago, a tea I have sorely missed. That one as strawberry with yogurt flavor and the cream cheese flavor for the cheesecake aspect of this was close. I usually dislike stevia but it didn’t bother me in this since it was heavily diluted by the black tea.

I would totally buy this just for mixing with plain black tea. It might be great with green, too. Thank you, gmathis! You made my day!

Our facilities director is a tea guy and when he’s in the building, often drops by a bag or two of something for me to try. You’d like him.

So today’s try-it-you’ll-like it was my first flirt ever with anything but straight-up Red Rose. He did warn me: “If you sweeten your tea, don’t.” I don’t anyway, but I appreciated the heads-up…it was so candy-sweet I winced. Thank you, stevia. Once I got past that, it did remind me of the little four-inch round cheesecake dessert cups you can get at the Walmart deli, but I wasn’t enjoying it hot at all. A little ice made it more like a non-carbonated Fanta or Welch’s strawberry soda.

Not one I’ll hunt down for myself, but it might have some possibilities as one to ice down and garnish in the summer.

Thanks to getanzt for this one! I’m drinking it cold, and I understand why the other reviewers had problems with this one, but I really like it. It’s a super sweet candy strawberry flavor that just works for me. It’s fake tasting, but I don’t mind. These Red Rose herbal dessert teas really work for me!

My “something borrowed” for a A June Wedding, sent to me from Devon Bartholomew in a recent swap.

I only smell hibiscus when I open the tea bag and now I’m disappointed. I knew hibiscus would be involved, but I’d hoped for something more. But then, as the hot water hits, I smell strawberries! Fresh strawberries, strawberry candy, strawberry jam – a mix of all of it! I’m starting to get excited.

Then I taste it.

The illusion is over. All that’s left is the artificial sweetness of the stevia and the dusty, dry hibiscus. Together they are the stuff of nightmares. I managed to finish half the cup before abandoning all hope and tossing the rest down the gullet of the greedy kitchen sink. Good riddance.

This was one of the few teas I have tried that I was not a fan of. There is an aftertaste that I did not like – I found out why, after I read the box – it contains stevia, which I do not like. The flavor sounded so promising! It would have been so much more pleasant if they didnt add stevia.