Zamalek

Is this my RTD of the summer!? I don’t know, maybe. I keep buying cans with the intention of mixing them with lemonades or other fruit juices, but then I finish off all the cans in my fridge just on their own before I get the chance to try and do fun mixology stuff. I feel like that says something about how nice this pure, bright and tart tasting fizzy hibiscus drink is all on its lonesome.

I’ve been slowly sipping on a really icy cold can of this while writing tasting notes tonight, and that tart berry-like flavour is really hitting the spot for me today. It’s punchy and bright, and not overly sweet which I’ve not been in much of a mood for today. Definitely appreciating the easiness of not having to brew something cold – especially now that I’ve lost all my fancy ice privileges that I had at my accommodations the last few days.

Usually I get the iced tea version of Zamalek, but this time I decided on a whim to get the sparkling hibiscus instead. I mean, they’re both hibiscus based beverages – but this is just more pure hibiscus instead of having the mint/lemon inclusions.

It’s definitely tart. Like, really tart. I think it would make such a fabulous mixer, but on its own I think that intense berry-like flavour feels a lot more situational for me. Something I have to really be in the mood for. In this case, I liked the first half of the can but then took ages to finish the last half because I was feeling a bit fatigued with the tartness/acidity. It was almost flat by the time I’d actually finished it.

It’s not bad by any stretch though – just really strong and one of those flavours that I personally don’t gravitate towards quite as organically compared to others.

Just logging that I finished off the last can of this that I’d picked up for my end of summer RTD haul. It was delicious and refreshingly minty like bright and fruity. I’ll definitely be revisiting this one again come next summer!

Just logging that I had another of these. It’s always helpful for me to see the tally of RTDs I’m drinking so I can keep that in mind when it comes to repeat purchases/grocery shopping/etc…

Summer has definitely come to an end and this for sure feels like a very “summery” drink that you might crack open to sip on the patio, but I just couldn’t resist doing a bit of a restock and grabbing some more to have as a little refreshing treat when I come home after a long day. Brisk, minty and citrusy in such a classic yet distinct feeling way. Definitely one of my favourite RTD discoveries from this year.

Just finished another can of this so quickly logging the note – but I’ll keep it vague since I literally just wrote another tasting note for this tea not even a few hours ago. I’ll probably be restocking soon to have more cold iced teas on hand for the summer, though!

More RTD taste tests!

Zamalek is a Montreal brand that makes canned hibiscus drinks. I haven’t reviewed them here in the past because they don’t really position themselves as a tea beverage despite the fact hibiscus is so commonly associated with tea/tisanes. I mean, “hibiscus tea” is a whole thing.

However, the place where I buy them from recently just started stocking this flavour which, within the Zamalek product line, is specifically called out as being tea. That’s surely because the base is black tea and not hibiscus, even though there’s still hibiscus in the drink. I don’t actually think this is a new product in their assortment though – I think it’s just new to the grocery store I get them at.

Anyway, I’ve been really enjoying this! It’s brisk and refreshing with a light citrusy edge, a hint of cooling mint, and just a bit of that hibiscus tartness and berry-like undertones. It sort of feels like an elevated take on a Southern Sweet tea style beverage but not excessively sugary or too lemon forward. You really taste the black tea. Also, very restrained amount of hibiscus compared to their usual drinks so I fin that kind of interesting from a brand stance.