Good Hope Vanilla (Red)

Teabag sipdown take 3… This also came as a free sample with the RoT catalogue, although I can’t remember how long ago, but I’m pretty sure this is 2-3 years old.

Four years ago I drank the heck out of this tea at work, although it took me a long time to acquire a taste for it. I loved it because it was pretty much impossible to over-steep which is great for when I got caught on the phone and forgot about my tea. I generally understeep it a bit so the vanilla flavor stays strong and I don’t taste as much of the rooibos. Just a personal preference, I’m still trying to acquire a taste for rooibos, even all these years later. Even when steeped properly this is heavy on the vanilla and really sweet.

This does remain one of my favorites from RoT, but isn’t one I’ve had in a long time. It was nice to revisit an old favorite and see just how my tastes have changed over the years.

This was last nights cup. It is a little strange, but apparently my favorite cup from Republic of Tea so far, is not a tea but an herbal or is it a tisane? What’s the difference? I don’t drink a lot of rooibos but this one I thought was really pretty good. The tiny bag just maybe did it a favor. The vanilla is not very strong but hits at the perfect amount to take the harsh edge off the late sip and add just enough flavor to be pleasing. If they would cut their prices in half I might be tempted to keep this around.

Asking seriously – how do you describe the taste of straight rooibos? To me it seems kind of spicy but sweet. The sip can have a harshness that makes me image tasting cedar sawdust (not that I ever have). I am at a loss to put it into words. My blog covers a lot of bagged tea for those looking for a review of grocery store teas along with my loose leaf journey. Help me out and if I use your description I will credit you on my review of this one.

Just a short note before dashing off to work they were serving tea at my meditation group last night and I got to try some of this, I was pleasantly surprised that one teabag in my cup seemed to provide enough flavor and the vanilla added a nice touch to the roobois. Did not hate it as much as I thought I might but will probably stick to the Celestial seasonings brand due to the price.

I haven’t had this one in a long while. It’s satisfying enough but I never get an overly vanilla type taste from it. The Rooibos is a good tasting rooibos for a bagged one, anyhow!

Wow, a RoT sample that’s actually drinkable! Enjoyable, even! (I think I threw the last 3 out ofter one sip!).

Celestial Seasonings (I know, I know…) Madagascar Vanilla Red is my go-to easy, serviceable rooibos in a bag, but I think this will supplant it next time I buy. It has a deeper, richer, rounder rooibos flavor and definitely seems fresher. The vanilla is stronger (especially in scent) and tastes more natural.

I got this as a sample with RoT’s latest catalog. I figured I’d try it before bed tonight. I’m smelling a LOT of cream and vanilla as this steeps. Added a little silk creamer to cool it down a little. It isn’t half bad. But I’m glad they gave me the sample. I don’t think it’s one I would buy on a regular basis. Mostly because I’m not tasting what I was smelling – I was really looking forward to that.

I received this as a free sample with the Republic of Tea catalog. This is a decent vanilla flavored rooibos, but I’m not tasting any cream flavor in it. It’s not any better or worse than other vanilla rooibos teas that I’ve had. I’ll probably stick with Adagio’s Vanilla Rooibos, since it’s very similar and cheaper. Prepared with stevia.

I’m trying out all the teas from The Republic of Tea Experience Sampler Cube. This one is delicious. The vanilla stands out more in this blend than it does in Adagio’s. I like it. It smells just like Adagio’s too. I like this one.

I haven’t been drinking too much hot tea lately because of the hot weather, but today was just a little bit cooler. I wanted a tea without caffeine as I have an early morning tomorrow and this one seemed like a good choice. I think that this is my favorite basic vanilla rooibos tea. It’s very easy to find at the store and I don’t have to pay any expensive shipping as a result. A good cup!

My husband gave me this tea for Christmas and I finally got around to having a cup (and then another) of this tea today.
I steeped it with 202* F water out of my Kuerig coffee maker and forgot about it. The good news is that although I steeped for over 10 minutes, the flavor was not too strong and there was no bitterness.
The first sip I took was sweet and had a nice vanilla flavor. I personally like very sweet and flavorful teas, but I would be able to drink this one straight if I had no honey and milk available.
I added about a teaspoon of honey and a french vanilla coffee creamer to bring out the vanilla flavor. It was pretty tasty.
I don’t think I would buy it again, only because I have several other teas that are similar in flavor, but if it was gifted to me or if it was available at a friends house, I would drink it for sure.