Argo Tea

tried iced: a little better, but not much

Steep Information:
Amount: 4 tsp
Water: 16 oz filtered boiling
Tool: Adagio IngenuiTEA 16 oz
Steep Time: a little over 6 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: not much
Steeped Tea Smell: funny, a sour kind of tart
Flavor: sour, apple, hibiscus, citrus
Body: Full
Aftertaste: apple, citrus
Liquor: opaque dark red

Thanks to Meghann M for this tea.

I like how the apple pieces float at the top while steeping.

I like hibiscus, I like hibiscus and apple. I do not like this tea, there is an odd citrus note in it. I like sour apple candies but this is more layered – lemon then hibiscus then apple as opposed to a solid sour apple flavor.

images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/06/argo-tea-loose-leaf-herbal-tea-hibiscus.html

What a strong aroma! As soon as I opened my 2oz bag I knew I was in for treat. Powerful scents of honey with faint lemon creeped out of the bag. The tea brewed strong, so you only need a little bit of the loose leaf in your infuser. The taste is a very soothing honey flavor backed by the kick of the herbal green tea. As with most black teas I’ve tried, the flavor does not linger at first. After a few minutes of sipping on this tea I get a better sense of the honey flavor.

This particular Genmaicha has a stronger “roasted-like” flavour than others that I have tried, so it was a great addition to my tea collection.

Though green tea isn’t always my first choice, I’ve always loved the incorporation of the popped rice. I definitely was not disappointed by Argo Tea’s version. Definitely worth trying if you’re looking for a more bodied flavour.

Decupboarding this tea. Iced is the way to go. A little honey adds a better finish to it, and a lot of ice waters down the Apple Pucker feel. Drank so much iced hibiscus tea while in Las Vegas that I had to make something similar when I got home. This hits the spot for now, but I really want to try Swedish Berries from Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf with my own steeping parameters. Hope to place an order with them soon. Only 10-12 more teas to finish before I order again.

Wow…can you say Sour Apple Punch (remember the pink straws coated with sour sugar sold in a pink and white wrapped box like licorice)? This tisane totally reminds me of that flavor. It is so sour it makes my mouth pucker. But I LIKE it. Weird, but it’s sweet in it’s own way, and it reminds me of candy my younger brother and I would always get (he’d get the blue I’d get the pink). Yum! I doubt this would be a tea I crave often, but I do love the tartness it has.

SOUR APPLE. Plain and simple. It’s the only thing I can taste. I suppose it would be ok iced…just can’t get past the hibiscus. It will seriously be the death of me. I wish I liked it because it’s very good for you…but…sigh…

It could be worse. Yeah…I should say at least I am drinking it…I under infused and used less of the amount. Still fruity, tarty, herbal…no actual tea.

Drinking this again. It’s a pretty forgiving tea, I steeped it for much longer than 2 minutes (got distracted by my many facebook games) and it still tastes fine.

I think the ginger taste sort of overpowers the green tea taste in this cup, I was looking for more of a green tea taste when I decided to drink this one. I think overall this tea is just a little too sweet in a way that I’m not a fan of. Still have a tiny bit left for a small final cup next time I go to drink this (:

Another sample from Meghann M. I didn’t realize getting random tea samples is so much fun. Just felt like after having a huge dinner, and really getting sort of tired of doing homework, green tea would be the best pick me up.

used 1.5~2tsp for 5ish oz. no sugar. Not really quite sure what temperature or length I steeped it for, but I guesstimated. This is why I rarely get green teas. I don’t have any type of thermometer and dealing with heating water in a microwave is very tricky.

The color is very light green, it’s been a while since I’ve had a tea this color, and it makes me excited. Can’t really smell much of anything though. Hmm, I’m wondering if I steeped this long enough. The taste is very very subtle, I can barely taste it. Let me apply newton’s law of cooling and maybe I’ll taste some more flavors! (The fact that that was the first thing that popped into my mind, makes me think I need to take more breaks inbetween doing homework…)

That helped, as it cools down I’m tasting some hints of green tea and even some ginger, but it’s really not strong at all. If i go for a resteep I will try to make it longer to get more flavor out.

ETA: second steep I added some rock sugar and steeped it a little longer with hotter water. Much more flavor in this cup, and the ginger adds such a nice kick to the tea! The mix of ginger and green is such a good one! If only my first steep had caught all this flavor!

Having a cuppa before sending off to a friend…not bad at all! I prefer it iced tho!

I was cleaning my kitchen tonight and noticed a few tea notes laying around that I forgot to log…so…here goes…

I made this and ICED it…it’s MUCH better iced! I drank it for 4 nights with dinner ICED. Very nice. PLUS A FEW POINTS for rating based on iced…

Meghann M, thanks for this!!! It smells like…POM juice! :P
Then – of course – Rooibos. YES, I believe Rooibos has a Rooibossy smell to it. Very identifiable. :)

The aroma of this flavored Rooibos is intense. It’s juicy and refreshing and a good ‘even steven’ fruity taste. I, still, can taste that regular rooibos taste. Next time I am going to try this one ICED as well…I’m think I will like it a lot better as it’s tarty but not over the top or hibiscus-esque.

Get your TISANE on…woot ( sorry end of the word day and I can’t wait to leave )

This time I put a little more tea in the infuse and steeped it for a bit longer. This caused a bit more of the mango flavors to surface. It steeped dark brown. I can barely see the bottom of my mug. As expected, the flavors are stronger, a little better than the last time I brewed it.

A simple black tea with mild mango undertones. Soothing, but a little boring. Herbal flavors are stronger than the fruity mango flavors.

After lurking in the Take it Away discussion thread, I finally posted and got this tea from the wonderful Meghann M today!

Studying and doing homework all day I was waiting so eagerly to get home and make some of this! Used 2tsp for 8oz. The smell is so fruity and pomegranate, but it smells super strong! The tea is so dark, a very brown red color.

Okay, I think it’s finally cooled down enough for me to drink, here goes! nope, still too hot. I can’t taste anything besides hot water….

Okay, it’s cooling down, and its still not tasting like much. I definitely taste some hints of pomegranate but mainly it just has a generic rooibos taste to it. Not quite sure how to describe it. It’s got a little tang to it, but I’m still not tasting any pomegranate flavors. After it smelling so strongly, I’m a little surprised. I think next time I make this I’ll steep with some rock sugar, I think a little sweetness will help the flavor of this tea.

It’s a very relaxing tea though. I like the little kick of flavor it has, but at the same time the strong is so smell it almost makes me expect more of a strong flavor (and I’m kind of glad its not!)

The aroma of the dry tea is powerful and full of Apple. It kind of reminds me of artificial tangy apple gum. Running hot water through the infuser brings on a wave of pink and purple in my mug. The color of this tea is beautiful! The flavor is pretty well blended between hibiscus and apple. It tastes fruity and tangy, but fades quickly leaving a faint apple cider taste.

I loved the amount of ginger in this! There are pieces of candied ginger mixed in with the leaves and the taste is lightly sweet and spicy with ginger. I really enjoy the green tea base they use in this. I know it’s NOT sencha, but that’s about all I can tell with my lack of green tea experience. I didn’t do a 2nd steep yet, but I saved the leaves, so if I get around to it this afternoon I’ll let you know. I am craving black tea now that it is lunchtime.

I missed the hint of lemon in this, will try harder to find it next time!

I love the almost-tangy smell of this tea before it steeps. After steeping, it smells sweeter- like warm honey. Steep it longer and some pungent ginger undertones emerge. How does it taste? A little flavorless, though It leaves a pleasant black tea aftertaste in your mouth.

I was surprised by this one. I was expecting a much more spicy flavor from the currants, but was instead greeted with the refreshing sweet mate taste. This is a delicious subtle mate with a little kick!

I tried a large (20oz) brew of this this am while waiting to board my 6am flight to MN. This is one caffeinated cuppa. Halfway through i could feel a strong tea buzz coming on. I didn’t get anything exciting flavor wise from this tea, it was a run of the mill breakfast tea. I may buy a pouch just because it gave me such a great caffiene jolt it is worth having again

Felt a little under the weather today, this tea made for a great pick me up. This tea has a nice calming quality to it. It is refreshing and smooth which makes this a great tea to help you relax. This tea is very aromatic with scents of pomegranate and peony. I found that steeping the tea for longer than directed on the bag allow the delicate aromas to develop (I would recommend 6-7 minutes increasing the times for the following brews). And if you do this at a lower temperature it really helps bring out the flavors of this tea without the bitterness of steeping at higher temps. The taste is smooth and buttery, with slight floral notes that have a sweetness to them. The tastes get stronger and more complex with each time you steep this. I definitely will get more of this when I run out of the current supply that I have. I highly recommend this tea.

I am enjoying a hot cuppa in my winter china tea cup. It’s just fun. It’s warming me heart and body. I went home for the weekend and had very little tea. It’s always good to go home, but it’s nice to be home. Now, if only the cleaning fairy had come whilst I was away.

Oh, yea, the tea. Besides the fact that I think it’s about time for a new steeper as I continue to get far more leaves in my cup than I prefer. The smell of both the dry leaves and the steeped cup is well, wintery spicy. The smell and taste that is the strongest is cinnamon, which I love and the tea’s taste is mild. It’s a nice way to finish off the day.