Hot Apple Cider [duplicate]

I don’t have a whole lot to say about this one… I had it at a day long meditation class on Saturday. It was better than I thought it would be but might have needed two teabags, it has a very light apple taste and also seems very cinnamon-y. Might be worth buying if you didn’t have to use two teabags because that would make this a pretty expensive tisane.

I haven’t had this tea for a few years, according to my last tasting note of this tea. Even though I wasn’t terribly impressed with it then… I thought a nice apple cider herbal blend would be great for fall. Plus, it’s a limited edition and any fall/holiday limited edition is special to me. Sometimes I depend on herbal teas just as much as rooibos when I don’t want caffeine. Herbals are a bit more tricky with my tastebuds, though. There’s more room for certain additions that I don’t really like.

This blend smells very tasty and comforting. I definitely smell apples, cinnamon, maybe a hint of sugar — it’s quite similar to an apple pie filling without the crust. Sipping… I’m tasting a really strange sweet note that quickly turns bitter. The sweetness reminds me of that gross character that licorice has, but it isn’t as bad. What’s really strange is the bitter note.. I don’t remember this from before. It’s reminiscent of the bad, tough core of an apple — the part that you don’t really want to eat. I do taste a little bit of apple towards the end of the sip, but it’s so light that I wouldn’t really call this a cider tea. I like that it’s not overwhelmed with spices..but I’m greedy and still want more apple.

I will finish the tin of this tea and will likely rotate it with some of my other fall teas, but won’t go crazy buying more tins to last me another year.

And this is another with 2 entries!! Funny how I keep finding those. vanilla_bookworm sent me a few bags of this. I had it last holiday season and couldn’t remember if I wanted to get more or not…thanks for letting me have a few bags to decide!!

It steeped for way over 10 minutes. Probably close to 20. I had an applicant come in to explain to me why she was the best candidate for my open position…which we’re interviewing for tomorrow, and she didn’t get an interview (she only found that out today). Oy vey. Time for tea!

So I remember this now. It’s bland. Weak. It’s like a boring blind date one of my guy friends tried to set me up on: with someone who was described as “punctual and available most nights and weekends.” Translation: not much to look at, has no personality, and can pretty much just stare at you. This tea is that guy. No deep flavor, no personality…just kinda warm and there. I mean, if it were paying for dinner, sure, I’d like it a lot more. And after the meeting with that lady, it really ought to be much more comforting than it is.

I think I’ll pass on another tin. Want Apple Cider tea? Go get Bigelow’s.

This SMELLS like Hot Apple Cider – I will say that! The color of the water barely changes, tho. It really doesn’t taste like much. There is a bit of apple flavor and that’s really about it. Not overly impressive. If it only tasted like it smelled I would have no complaints. Oh well.

I picked up a canister of this tea last fall. The ingredients looked really good (it was an herbal tea!), it was caffeine free (I could have it before bed), and it smelled SO good when I opened up the canister (just like apple cider!).

However, after trying to steep it several different times, for various lengths of time, etc. I was not impressed. It just seemed to be very weak to me, even after trying to steep it with two tea bags. It just seemed like… something was missing from the taste.

Then I got the idea to try and steep this in some warm apple juice. I stuck a mug full of juice in the microwave for a few minutes, then added two teabags and let them steep for ten minutes and continued to let them steep as I was drinking the tea. Mmmm… Fall and apple cider-y deliciousness in a mug. I found this to be a much better way to drink this tea.

I don’t think that I would purchase this tea again for the sole purpose of making apple cider with it, but I will probably finish up what I have because it is a nice fall treat.

Served: Hot

Notes: i wanted a more apple based flavor, i found it too light. i think i will try two bags per cup and longer brewing times?

Smell: cinnamon, apple, brings to mind apple pie and mulled apple cider
Flavor: cinnamon
Body: light
Aftertaste: cinnamon

Rating: 2/3

TeaboxB! I haven’t really had much luck with the few Republic of Teas that I’ve tried. Even though I expected a black tea, this one is nice! I guess I forget about chamomile especially with so many amazing blends out there. I almost used two bags since there looked like there was barely any tea in this one, but the cup was perfect. Brewing, there is a sweet apple fragrance I can’t wait to try. Chamomile naturally tastes like apple but the apple flavor added was great too. Very nice!

Wonderfully flavored fall tea. I really enjoy this tea.

Ohhhh Republic of Tea. You got the scent game down in your harvest season blends. I wanna know where da flava at?

Dry bag smells just like mulled apple cider and even the aroma of the tea which is even more tart and pungent. It smells real. But there is so little flavor — a little tart watery apple and cinnamon — and no depth to this it’s ridiculous. This just makes me feel nostalgic for apple season in Ohio and upset that I can’t even come close to nursing my aroma-induced longing with a hot cup.

Boo.

It was a light tea. I was expecting something more intense and would next time increase the amount of tea I used so that next time it was stronger. I still enjoyed it, would just change how I made it next time.