Hibiscus Bliss

If you told me five years ago that I’d intentionally buy something called Hibiscus Bliss, I would have said you were living in an alternate reality.

I am not sure exactly when I turned the corner on hibiscus. I used to think it was evil, and made everything it touched intolerably bitter. But somewhere along the line, I think during a very hot summer day when I desperately wanted something cold and flavored and happened to be in a Starbucks, I ordered whatever they had without caffeine that was iced, and it was a hibiscus drink. At that moment, I got religion.

Most of the time hibiscus doesn’t bother me now, and sometimes I even crave it. My taste buds have adapted, or changed, or something so that now the bitterness (if present) just tastes earthy, like a root vegetable.

This smells generically fruity in the bag. A little like grape, a little like cherry. There’s the characteristic hibiscus aroma, too. I can see the lemongrass, but I don’t really smell it.

After steeping, this is a dark, wine red and quite pretty. Steeped, it smells pretty much like it smelled unsteeped.

Flavor wise, it has a lot in common with other tropical blends that have hibiscus in them. I’m reminded of Tazo Passion and Teavana Caribbean Breeze both of which I like quite a bit, but both of which pale in comparison to the amazing complexity of this.

The hibiscus in this is not at all bitter. It may be that the pineapple and natural sweetness of the rooibos is counteracting any tendency in that direction. The flavor has a creamy vanilla overtone that is likely from the rooibos and otherwise has a gentle warm fruit punch aspect.

Somehow the master blenders at Samovar have managed to make something with lemongrass and licorice root not taste like either, but be reminiscent of both. Samovar’s blends always taste to me as though they’re made with very high quality ingredients, and this one is no exception.

A really awesome rooibos I will definitely restock as long as they make it available.

ETA: The licorice root comes out as the tea cools and then I start to like this less. Note to self: drink while hot. Cool, I’d give this more like an 85.