Picked up some of this yesterday from the London Tea Room (99% sure that their non-tea room created blends are Rishi). I’m a sucker for anything orange or orange-related so I HAD to try this. I’ve had no tea today and so I need something but I feel like it’s about 9pm (even though it’s not) so the thought of having something caffeinated makes me sad. Conveniently, I have this!
OMG, I hope this tastes like it smells. It smells like a just peeled a tangerine (I should know – I’ve been working my way through a 3lb bag of them the past week and a half). Honestly though, it’s an herbal. I don’t EXPECT to like this.
The herbal juice is a dusky rose/brown – which is good because I always end up with the bright red herbals and those taste like cough syrup. There’s a touch of warmth that I think is the ginger in the smell but looks like this won’t be too overpowering. We are on the right track!
Hmm. Well, after taking sip I check out what Rishi says is in this. Yep, hibiscus. That’s pretty much the cough syrup taste I fear from herbals. This has a slight hint of it but it is right on the front end – it hits the tip of my tongue. So enough that I know it is there but not enough that it makes this icky. Mmm, though taking a larger sip I get more tangerine taste. The ginger is warming and cuddly but not like eating pickled ginger or anything. And as it cools I don’t know if I’m ignoring the hibiscus or it’s fading but I’m pretty much fully on board with tangerine ginger now.
For an herbal this is pretty darn good. I can’t say I’m totally in love with it but I do like it and think it is good. I’d probably even buy more. It does make me want to experiment a little with blending this with a mild black because I think if I could get this flavor into a real tea plus the added depth of actual tea taste, we might have a winner.
ETA: 2nd steep @ 5:30. The tangerine is pretty much gone, but so is the hibiscus. Now this has a lovely candied ginger taste.
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Interesting… I LOVE ginger!
Not hibiscus! Whenever I see hibiscus in the list of ingredients, it actually makes me feel sad. Just because I am starting to loathe its omnipotence!
I know! Especially since it seems to give things the cough syrup/TheraFlu taste I hate so. But this was pretty light, not overwhelming at all. So I can deal. And enjoy even!
@Auggy, Haha that’s funny… I had TheraFlu only once and actually liked it.
We should start a Hibiscus Haters Club or something. :D
I try to avoid hibiscus as well, it is rarely done right and makes most teas taste so sour…
Of any tea I’ve had with hibiscus in it, this was the happiest. Very faint, just a little poke on the tip of my tongue at the front of the sip. So I’m okay with it in this one. But yes, most are SO overly strong with hibiscus. Yuck!
@Auggy, since you’re an orange lover, did you try 52teas’s mandrin matcha?
No, I have yet to anything from 52teas. I’m not a big matcha girl – it’s too heavily associated with the Japanese tea ceremony for me to really want to drink it casually. Just a mental block I have on it.
Ok, just thought I’d suggest it.:) I’m exactly the opposite. I like to bring something special/fancy to every day life. It’s very calming and relaxing for me. Not to mention I get to drink from a bowl hehe.
*yet to TRY anything
No worries. If I liked matcha as a causal thing, I’d be interested in that one, I’m sure. But tea is special enough for me and is relaxing while matcha just carries too many heavy memories to me a normal thing for me. I think I’d be totally emo if I had matcha regularly!
It’s a shame that so many vendors abuse hibiscus. It does have the potential to be lovely.
Hahaha, emo. You’d have to put smudged eyeliner and a tight sweater on your monkey picture.
Interesting… I LOVE ginger!
Not hibiscus! Whenever I see hibiscus in the list of ingredients, it actually makes me feel sad. Just because I am starting to loathe its omnipotence!
I know! Especially since it seems to give things the cough syrup/TheraFlu taste I hate so. But this was pretty light, not overwhelming at all. So I can deal. And enjoy even!
@Auggy, Haha that’s funny… I had TheraFlu only once and actually liked it.
We should start a Hibiscus Haters Club or something. :D
I try to avoid hibiscus as well, it is rarely done right and makes most teas taste so sour…
Of any tea I’ve had with hibiscus in it, this was the happiest. Very faint, just a little poke on the tip of my tongue at the front of the sip. So I’m okay with it in this one. But yes, most are SO overly strong with hibiscus. Yuck!
@Auggy, since you’re an orange lover, did you try 52teas’s mandrin matcha?
No, I have yet to anything from 52teas. I’m not a big matcha girl – it’s too heavily associated with the Japanese tea ceremony for me to really want to drink it casually. Just a mental block I have on it.
Ok, just thought I’d suggest it.:) I’m exactly the opposite. I like to bring something special/fancy to every day life. It’s very calming and relaxing for me. Not to mention I get to drink from a bowl hehe.
*yet to TRY anything
No worries. If I liked matcha as a causal thing, I’d be interested in that one, I’m sure. But tea is special enough for me and is relaxing while matcha just carries too many heavy memories to me a normal thing for me. I think I’d be totally emo if I had matcha regularly!
It’s a shame that so many vendors abuse hibiscus. It does have the potential to be lovely.
Hahaha, emo. You’d have to put smudged eyeliner and a tight sweater on your monkey picture.