San Francisco Herb & Natural Food Co.

This smells absolutely heavenly—could stand its own as potpourri—but is tart (oh, hibiscus, you are such a nuisance). So I experiment and half-and-halved it with SpecialTeas Blueberry Cocktail. Ended up with a sort of warm fruitie slush suicide. Not bad; nothing I’d serve to anybody I was trying to impress, but a nice evening wind-down.

Oversteeped this one and the hibiscus was so tart it made my eyes water. However, drinking the rest of the cup with a sugar cube lodged under my tongue was actually kind of pleasant. Still very bright and citrusy (even though apricot isn’t a citrus, is it?).

Stuck my nose in a bin of this at my favorite herb & health food place and it just smelled too good not to try. (I’m all for cheap luxury!) The dry mix looks like meadow-gold potpourri with a wonderful peachy-apricot whiffle.

The apricot-itude disappears a little once it’s steeped about 3 minutes. Yellowy as it is, it turns surprisingly dark red—there’s the hibiscus in action—but the other ingredients cut the tartness down to just a hint. (Which is good; I’m generally not a hibiscus fan.)

Hey, for a mere $1.50 an ounce locally, it made for a nice springy “vacation” from a cold, dreary day.

Up way too early on a Sunday morning, bitter cold wind chills…called for hunting socks and something with a little heft to it. Husband and I were discussing the fact that, although most hot teas are served with a temperature variation of no more than 20 degrees, when you’re cold down to the bones, you crave dark, stout, thick teas. They just make you warmer.

Good for a chilly morning. Reminding me a little of PG Tips in consistency—ground fine, but a little less tang to it, more earthy and still a little sweetness dancing around in the background.

Bought this in bulk, so I don’t have a label to refer to … may not have the title quite correct. Tiny little grains that steep up a little dark, a teeny bit earthy, and sweet. Nice.

Mmm… the nearly intoxicating (but pleasant!) scent led me to purchase this one. The dark red color after infusion is certainly wine-like. The taste is juicy, sweet, and a little tart. Cherry is front and center. The hibiscus does not overwhelm (which in my opinion is a wonderful thing!). And I do love the lemony cranberry flavors as well, after it cools a little I notice them more. It’s almost hard to distinguish if this is juice or tea, and I have yet to decide if I like that aspect.