89

Ok, so I was pretty skeptical of this tea. Mostly because bleh, hibiscus. But hey, it’s supposed to be Strawberry Rhubarb, so the tartness should be appropriate, and I like teas with the creaminess of yogurt, so all hope is not lost!

The dry tea smells, to me, exactly like a strawberry Campino candy! Delicious delicious DELICIOUS! I’m so excited! Although guaranteed it won’t taste quite like that since there is hibiscus, but if the strawberry and yogurt come through…!

Steeped, it smells a bit more like realistic strawberries and some tartness, but as it’s cold, there’s not a ton of aroma.

I was very conservative with the infusion time so as not to end up with a mouthful of blechy hibiscus (it worked earlier today for me – I had quite a lovely cup of Paradise Found, which I apparently neglected to log)… and I think I was successful! There are lots of little yogurty floaties, a consequence of the tea cooling, but I can deal with that. I am quite shocked at how well the hibiscus works here though! The tartness pairs perfectly with the very much realistic strawberry flavour, and with the creaminess, I can actually imagine myself to be eating, say, plain yogurt with a lightly sweetened topping of strawberries/rhubarb! Delicious! I imagine that this tea would be absolutely glorious sweetened, but I shan’t ruin it for myself by doing that.

Add another to the potential re-buy list… this one’s pretty good!

ETA: I’m impressed! I re-steeped this one in half the water, and paid no real attention to infusion time, and actually got quite a nice second cup! Surprising because of both the hibiscus and the fact that it’s a herbal! Again, it was a tart drink, but fresh strawberry tart, not hibiscus tart. Not as creamy, of course, but I’d make the effort to use these leaves a second time. Also, I’m kind of sad that pretty much all the new teas were misses for me, or at least, not teas that I’ll miss when the season’s out. Luckily, this one’s the TOTM and I think therefore staying on as permanent, which is awesome!

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 0 sec
tigress_al

That is good to know that the hibiscus isn’t too overpowering. I might pick some of this up now that I know that. Thanks!

Kittenna

Don’t get me wrong, it’s tart. But it works here, and you can definitely taste the strawberry and creaminess, not just hibiscus. It came off moreso to me as an unsweetened fresh fruit sort of tart.

Daniel Scott

You had the same reaction as me! THIS is how you blend hibiscus! It really works with rhubarb and a genuine tart strawberry flavour.

I too have been conservative with the steeping times on this one. Even at 4 minutes, I found it slightly tarter than the one they gave me in the store, which really makes me wonder either a) how much agave they put in mine, or b) if they’re only giving it 3 minutes in the store, despite the steeping directions on it.

Raritea

I just wanted to add that I agree about how the hibiscus was blended. I was incredibly surprised at how balanced all the flavours are in this tea!

Sil

This is the only tea dt’s has had recently that I’d like to try…. Hmmmm

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Comments

tigress_al

That is good to know that the hibiscus isn’t too overpowering. I might pick some of this up now that I know that. Thanks!

Kittenna

Don’t get me wrong, it’s tart. But it works here, and you can definitely taste the strawberry and creaminess, not just hibiscus. It came off moreso to me as an unsweetened fresh fruit sort of tart.

Daniel Scott

You had the same reaction as me! THIS is how you blend hibiscus! It really works with rhubarb and a genuine tart strawberry flavour.

I too have been conservative with the steeping times on this one. Even at 4 minutes, I found it slightly tarter than the one they gave me in the store, which really makes me wonder either a) how much agave they put in mine, or b) if they’re only giving it 3 minutes in the store, despite the steeping directions on it.

Raritea

I just wanted to add that I agree about how the hibiscus was blended. I was incredibly surprised at how balanced all the flavours are in this tea!

Sil

This is the only tea dt’s has had recently that I’d like to try…. Hmmmm

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Bio

I have always been a tea fan (primarily herbals and Japanese greens/oolongs) but in the last year or so, tea has become increasingly more appealing as not only a delicious, calming drink, but as a relatively cheap, healthy reward or treat to give myself when I deserve something. I should clarify that, however; the reward is expanding my tea cupboard, not drinking tea – I place no restrictions on myself in terms of drinking anything from my cupboard as that would defeat my many goals!

My DavidsTea addiction was born in late 2011, despite having spent nearly a year intentionally avoiding their local mall location (but apparently it was just avoiding the inevitable!). I seem to have some desire to try every tea they’ve ever had, so much of my stash is from there, although I’ve recently branched out and ordered from numerous other companies.

I like to try and drink all my teas unaltered, as one of the main reasons I’m drinking tea other than for the flavour is to be healthy and increase my water intake without adding too many calories! I’ve found that the trick in this regard is to be very careful about steeping time, as most teas are quite pleasant to drink straight as long as they haven’t been oversteeped. However, I tend to be forgetful (particularly at work) when I don’t set a timer, resulting in a few horrors (The Earl’s Garden is not so pleasant after, say, 7+ minutes of steeping).

I’m currently trying to figure out which types of teas are my favourites. Herbals are no longer at the top; oolongs have thoroughly taken over that spot, with greens a reasonably close second. My preference is for straight versions of both, but I do love a good flavoured oolong (flavoured greens are really hit or miss for me). Herbals I do love iced/cold-brewed, but I drink few routinely (Mulberry Magic from DavidsTea being a notable exception). I’m learning to like straight black teas thanks to the chocolatey, malty, delicious Laoshan Black from Verdant Tea, and malty, caramelly flavoured blacks work for me, but I’m pretty picky about anything with astringency. Lately I’ve found red rooibos to be rather medicinal, which I dislike, but green rooibos and honeybush blends are tolerable. I haven’t explored pu’erh, mate, or guayasa a great deal (although I have a few options in my cupboard).

I’ve decided to institute a rating system so my ratings will be more consistent. Following the smiley/frowny faces Steepster gives us:

100: This tea is amazing and I will go out of my way to keep it in stock.

85-99: My core collection (or a tea that would be, if I was allowing myself to restock everything!) Teas I get cravings for, and drink often.

75-84: Good but not amazing; I might keep these in stock sparingly depending on current preferences.

67-74: Not bad, I’ll happily finish what I have but probably won’t ever buy it again as there’s likely something rated more highly that I prefer.

51-66: Drinkable and maybe has some aspect that I like, but not really worth picking up again.

34-50: Not for me, but I can see why others might like it. I’ll make it through the cup and maybe experiment with the rest to get rid of it.

0-33: It’s a struggle to get through the cup, if I do at all. I will not willingly consume this one again, and will attempt to get rid of the rest of the tea if I have any left.

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