Maple Apple Cider

Sipdown #24

The dry leaf aroma is interesting because I feel like I can smell every ingredient in the list: sickly sweet rooibos, maple, caramel, apple, cinnamon, and nutmeg. I didn’t realize this tea was a rooibos blend when I picked up a sample teabag. I’m not really a fan of its medicinal taste. But I’m willing to give it another chance!

The flavor is VERY strongly rooibos. The apple and maple notes are about equal. The cinnamon and nutmeg are surprisingly absent. If apple cider and rooibos tea had a kid, this cup is what that kid would taste like. Okay, that came off a little more cannibalistic than I had intended. :P

If you love rooibos, this is probably a stellar tea for you! But I’m sadly still not a fan of this red bush tea. So feel free to ignore my low rating and grab a sample of this to see for yourself!

I received a sample of this from MirandaGou in our swap. Thank you!

I had this today at work. I somehow missed the maple apple part. When I was sipping it I kept thinking man this taste a little nutty. Although nutty doesn’t really hint at the maple. This was nice. Very juicy Not something I need to drink again, but I was glad I got to try it. Thank you!

I am using this sample teabag to fulfill a prompt for the October sipdown challenge – a decaf/caffeine free tea.

I almost didn’t try this but decided to give it a go because I didn’t even know anyone who would be glad to have it. I figured if I made a mug to go with lunch, I could tolerate it.

The smell of the blend straight out of the packaging was strong maple, followed immediately by a big hit of rooibos. I don’t care for red rooibos. The flavor of the steeped tea is mostly a sticky sweet maple and that annoying, medicinal rooibos flavor bullying its way through. I didn’t pick up lots of hibiscus but it may have contributed a little apple-like tartness which is no doubt the reason it is in this blend at all. It was fine with my food, but I would not ever purchase this. It might be good if they swapped out the rooibos and put…almost anything. Black tea, puerh, maybe even honeybush.

That’s another sample gone. Hurray! Since I don’t add samples or small swap amounts to my cupboard, this doesn’t reduce my numbers but it does signal progress in getting rid of all these sample teabags! I’ll take that.

Snagged another bag of this one from an office tea selection. I’ll write more next time but I like this one. The hibiscus doesn’t take over or make it overly tart. It’s woody but also reminiscent of oatmeal more so than a mug of cider. I think of cider as being sweeter and sometimes spice heavy. This tea reminded me more of a maple apple cinnamon crisp or oatmeal. Definitely, very rooibos heavy in terms of taste once it goes cold though. This is one I enjoy snagging a bag of every now and then but don’t crave it enough to buy a box.

Sipdown! (61 | 335)

Yay, another box of teabags finished off! I’ve been trying to make an effort to sip through some teabags lately, because I feel like they tend to get forgotten about in my cupboard, probably because of where I keep them. So I’ve been keeping a box or two out on the countertop where I’ll remember to drink them. Seems to be working so far!

Anyway, this tea. I’ve been enjoying it quite a bit in the afternoon and evening. It reminds me of apple cinnamon and maple brown sugar instant oatmeal, which is such a nostalgic flavor for me. And then there’s the hibiscus which, combined with the apple, makes me think of those green caramel apple lollipops. Obviously it’s not the most natural-tasting tea, but I like the balance of the tart hibiscus, it gives the apple more dimension and keeps this from being a cloyingly sweet dessert tea.

Perfect for fall! I would consider buying this one again for the fall and winter seasons.

This was part of a package sent by a friend. It sounded so good! Didn’t enjoy it much. It smelled okay. I could smell the maple and the apple, and I thought it would be a nice after supper tea to enjoy while I knitted. But the flavor was flat. There just wasn’t anything super appealing about it. Maybe it was old. it is not one I will go out of my way to have again.

Steeped my last bag, and I don’t think I’m particularly sorry to see it go. I’m sure age had something to do with it (the tea, not me. Or maybe both), but the apple was AWOL. Nice maple scent, but without a little fruit to provide a good buffer, it didn’t mesh well with the rooibos. On to bigger and better things.

The smell of maple was overwhelming (almost sickening) and only aromatic, I didn’t taste much maple in the tea. Overall it wasn’t very good. I’ll be giving the rest of it away.

Woody, sweet rooibos base. Flavours of maple syrup, brown sugar, green apple, cinnamon/mulling spice, wood.

It’s like tea made of cinnamon apple oatmeal. So good!!