Cameron B. select Send Message

347 Followers / 243 Following

Not Recommended

Cameron B. drank Raspberry Herbal by Harney & Sons

4286 tasting notes

I brought a couple of tea bags home from the brunch restaurant this morning (don’t tell!) and this was one of them. The dry tea bag smelled pleasant enough, tart raspberry with some mint notes. I brewed it for 5 minutes.

As soon as I smelled the brewed tea, I knew I was going to hate this. It smells and tastes like almost pure hibiscus and it’s extremely tart to the point of being unpleasant. I can also taste rosehips and a little mint. The raspberry is probably in there somewhere but I think it’s being masked by the hibiscus since they’re a bit similar in flavor. I drank this instead of dumping it, but I had to add an inordinate amount of sweetener for it to even be drinkable. Gross. >.<

Flavors: Hibiscus, Mint, Rosehips

Preparation

205 °F / 96 °C 5 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

I Like This

13 likes

2 comments

TheTeaFairy
Delete

Their orange fruit tisane has exacly the same problem: hibiscus!

Cameron B.
Delete

EVIL OVERLORD OF SOURLAND!

People who liked this

Comments

TheTeaFairy
Delete

Their orange fruit tisane has exacly the same problem: hibiscus!

Cameron B.
Delete

EVIL OVERLORD OF SOURLAND!

Profile

Bio

Hi, I’m Cameron!

I’m a 30-something software engineer currently living in Austin, Texas with my husband and our two pugs, Gobo and Ume. I tend to cycle between my different hobbies, and they include piano, knitting, video games, board games, miniature painting, planners, bento, Korean skincare, and – of course – TEA! But really, what I’m best at is “collecting” hobby-related things… ;)

~ 2024 SIPDOWN CHALLENGE! ~
- December sipdowns: 1
- Total 2024 sipdowns: 157

I prefer my tea lukewarm or at room temperature and without milk or sugar. I steep Western style, and fluctuate between using big mugs or small teapots depending on the season.

I am always up for a swap! Just let me know if you’d like to try something in my cupboard.

Tea Preferences:
I enjoy both flavored and unflavored teas in many forms. These days, I drink mostly flavored teas, and I tend to gravitate most toward black, green, oolong, and herbal varieties. I do have a special fondness for straight Japanese green teas, however.

I do not sweeten my teas, and pre-sweetened teas are usually too sweet for me. I also do not enjoy stevia (or monkfruit, etc.).

I tend to reach for fruitier flavors rather than desserty ones these days, but I do have favorites from both categories. Willing to try anything once! There are a few ingredients/flavors that aren’t generally my jam, such as coconut, rose, lavender, and chocolate flavoring. But I also have teas that I love with some of those things, too! :)

Favorite Companies:
3 Leaf
Bird & Blend
Dammann Frères
Harney & Sons
Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms
Lupicia
Old Barrel Tea Co
Simpson & Vail
Taiwan Tea Crafts
TeaVivre

Tea Rating Scale:
90-100: Outstanding! Permanent cupboard resident
80-89: Great – a possible staple
70-79: Good, but I wouldn’t buy it
60-69: It’s decent
50-59: Meh… I may or may not have finished the cup
40-49: Ick. Couldn’t finish it.
00-39: Repulsive, I spat it out

I will sometimes refrain from rating a tea if I feel I’m too biased due to my personal dislikes, or if I suspect the sample has been compromised by age or scent contamination.

Cupboard Spreadsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZEuKf1-ppR-VXajO4vV39zU1N3zjFJteEPAynqD2yl0/edit?usp=sharing