Hari's Treasure

Backlog:

I wasn’t all that thrilled to try a Hibiscus tisane, to be honest with you. Then again, hibiscus rarely thrills or excites me. I can’t really think of a time when I got excited over hibiscus being in a tea or tisane.

But the mint seemed promising. Maybe.

I do like that the minty tones offset the tart, heavy flavor of the hibiscus. There’s a nice balance here. Not my favorite tisane, but I didn’t hate it either. Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/04/18/new-sensation-tisane-from-hari-tea/

This tisane was sent to me by the Hari Tea folks, and I wasn’t sure what to expect, because I love mint but I’m always leery of floral teas. I’m not a big fan of the acidity usually found in floral tisanes. This usually isn’t an issue for floral or fruit-based tisane fans who add sugar to their tea, as is often how those tisanes are enjoyed, but I don’t like to sweeten my teas.

I steeped this at boiling for the maximum six minutes and still didn’t find the acidity to be overwhelmeing. I could definitely taste the hibiscus, rose hips, apple, and rose petals, but the resulting acidity was minimal. Even the black pepper managed to balance itself with both the floral elements and the mints, which I found to be quite tasty.

Didn’t catch any of the cinnamon listed as an ingredient, but I think a bit of the lingering sweetness in the aftertaste can probably be attributed to the coconut. I almost thought there would be licorice root because at times the aftertaste is so tangibly sweet to my taste buds, but it must be either the coconut or something else.

Overall, this is a very light tisane that doesn’t hit too hard with flavor, but also doesn’t have that weak “am I just drinking hot water?” factor. It’s perfectly fine hot, but I kept sipping as it cooled and it’s actually sweeter and more flavorful as it cools. I didn’t try it on ice, but I have appreciation for a tea that’s still drinkable (if not more drinkable) after I’ve left it in another room and forgotten about it for an hour. This isn’t an unforgettable tea that will necessarily become a necessary staple in my tea cupboard, but I’ll definitely continue drinking it in the evenings and with the pretty packaging and the cotton tea bags, it’s nice quality tea that would make a lovely gift for someone who enjoys these flavors.

-Small cotton teabag.
-Teabag smells of earthy florals with a hint of mint. Tea liquor aroma is of minty florals.
-Tea liquor is a dark ruby red color.
-Vegetal flavor with very little mint. Peppery, vegetal finish.
-Best with sweetener.
-Poor tea. Tastes like vegetables, although sweetener dulls this flavor. Hardly any taste of mint.