Hornimans

Don´t ask me where I got this tea sample from, as I cannot remember.
I only recently had the courage ;-) to try it, and unfortunately I must say it confirmed my hesitation. I guess it´s really worthwhile to commercialize foods including turmeric these days, as it´s considered a “superfood” and people seem to think it´s all you need to feel wonderful (again)…well, I prefer to have a good pu erh anytime!!!
The wonderful thing of steepster is that it´s easy to compare with previous experiences of similar teas, and so I noticed I had the “cúrcuma” tea by Hornimans 3 years ago. That one was a rooibos based turmeric and peach tea, which I believe is a far better combination than this one with a matcha base. Although the spices add in strength, the body stays quite weak, while that was the rooibos based tea´s strong point imho.

This is another teabag I picked up somewhere during a hotel stay, and I only try now.
Once in a while I like to drink a rooibos infusion, and I do enjoy its typical taste…which I cannot find in this drink! Easy and light enough, without hibiscus or rosehip overwhelming in taste (definitely a good point), but unfortunately without the boost of red fruit or the strength of rooibos.

When I´m in a hotel with a water kettle, I like to drink some tea before going to bed. I know it´s not always the best tea available, but it´s nice to have a cuppa to relax after a busy day. However, last time I was in UK (in other countries there is rarely a water kettle in the room), I was busy moving, and I just didn´t fancy having a cup of tea.
But I do fancy trying the tea later on, so I took the bags and tried them…now! Mmm, I think these tea bags might have come from another hotel stay in Spain, as the label is Spanish. Maybe from our stay in Toledo in May, when my brother came over? I think the hotel not only provided a water kettle, but also a nespresso machine, and whenever there is non instant coffee available in the room, I prefer to have a coffee.
This is certainly not the best pu erh tea I have had, but even lacking character this teabag makes a decent cup. I always associated Hornimans with herbal teas, but this sure makes a difference, a positive one as far as I am concerned.

This is a vegetable infusion which was launched some time last year, I think. Cúrcuma=turmeric which seems to be the new power food, so it was a question of time before an infusion would be made with it, I guess. I got a sample tea bag somewhere recently, so I decided to give it a go. Honestly, I thought it might be worse than it actually is (it´s OK as a drink, I think), but when drinking it, I wasn´t really linking it to tea, as simple as that. It even seems to have more body than a normal infusion likely is to have.
People drinking the vegetable juices might think this infusion to be lovely, though.

Not as overpowering as the initial cinnamon-y smell. It’s got a slight spice and milder aftertaste but it goes down very well. Goes easy on the tummy too! Could probably steep it longer for a stronger brew. I’m not too fond of cinnamon myself but I found myself actually wanting to drink this tea.

I think this is the one I tried… the packet was red, but I know it was black tea so who knows. Either way, it was a great experience. Big thank you to Ninavampi for sharing this tea with me!!
I’m having trouble placing it… I think I need to try it again, and with a shorter steep time before rating.
It’s a rather deep tea, and reminds me somewhat of a Darjeeling in that muscatel wine like sortof way, but also more earthy at the same time. I wonder if there is some mate mixed in here, even though it says Black tea on the package. It’s possible, this is a blend after all, I believe!
Curious, I also mixed the second half of my cup with some milk… and it oddly didn’t change the profile much at all. It was almost the same flavour!
Not in a bad way mind you. I quite enjoyed it, and yep, it gave me a nice buzz to!
Next time I’ll see what adding some agave or honey does. Oh yes that would go nicely I think!!

Thanks to Ninavampi for the sample!!
This was… interesting. Hot, it didn’t taste like much so I kept the bag in a little too long, hoping to eke some flavour out. It got a tad bitter, but not overly so. Apparently it’s a Genmaicha? something faintly ricey going on. Hmmm. Now that I think about it, the bag did have bits of white in it. Must have been the kernels!
Anyhow, I had another tea on the go as well, so this was cooler than I normally like by the time I go to my cuppa.
However, it changed profiles as it chilled! Somehow, it became more floral than any Genmaicha I’ve ever had. Not bad!!
Of course, this now means I inadvertently had two Gens in one day. shrugs

On a side note, I am off to organize my cupboard! yay! this is gonna take awhile.

Big thanks to Ninavampi for sharing this with me!! It’s lovely!!! but I’m not sure what kind of tea it is? I’m guessing it’s mate, or plain black but I couldn’t find it online anywhere so let me know if I am off base :)
Anyhow, the tea itself is a little earthy, which is why I think it’s a mate. The flavouring is rather mild, compared… brought out some by the agave I added. I wish there was more of a strawberry punch, though it does emerge more as the cup cools. As for the cherry, I felt as if there was some cherry when super hot, but then it faded and the jammy berriness took over.
Nonetheless, I quite enjoyed the cup. MMmmmm my mug still smells like berry goodness! :)

Steep to taste. This tea is fine steeped for less than a minute if you’re in a rush, or as long as you like when you’re lazy and leave the bag in the cup (though i would recommend 1-3 minutes, as steeping it too long gives it a bitter note). Great with or without sugar or milk. Spicy and sweet and absolutely fabulous. 100 rating; one of my favorite teas. I could only get mine in Peru but I’m sure you can get it at Latin American groceries.