The Republic of Tea, Mrs. Patmore's Pudding Tea

The Republic of Tea Description:
This decadent dessert tea has the homemade flavors of vanilla sponge cake drizzled with rich caramel sauce. The full-bodied base of premium black tea lends itself well to a splash of milk, making it a perfect afternoon tea to partner with puddings, scones and shortbread.

Ingredients:
Black tea, sweet blackberry leaves, carob bits, natural caramel and vanilla flavor

My Review:
First, I have to admit I have never seen a single scene from any Downton Abbey episode. I realize it has a cult like following. I just happen to lean way more sci-fi than Downtown.

Second, I am often hesitant to try Republic of Tea offerings. I really like their tins and per cup they aren't out of line with similar teas. This one retails for $12.99/36 bags or roughly $0.36/per cup. My hesitation centers around the size of the bag and the lack of string.

The bags are unbleached paper and round. They lack a string and tag - to reduce waste I assume. If you leave the bag in the cup, which you really shouldn't do, you won't mind. If you properly remove the bag, you have to fish it out. I'm easily annoyed, yes, but I want a string and tag - or better, give me loose leaf.

I only have one tea bag of this so I cannot confirm the amount of leaf in each bag. I also can't find this information on the Republic of Tea website, Amazon, or anywhere else. I am not going to guess but will say it does not look like enough leaf for a mug.

I did find one mention in my web searching to use a 6 oz cup. Rather than quibble over whether a cup is 6 oz or 8 oz (it doesn't really matter as a proper mug is 12 oz!), I heated the water to boiling and poured 6 oz over the bag. The steep time was 3 minutes.

The dry aroma is similar to the steep aroma. I had trouble deciding what notes I was catching. It reminds me of the kind of teas my wife enjoys. It made me think of Superberry by Townshend or a brambleberry tea she liked.

I read the company description and my reaction isn't even close to what they stated. I'm a fat boy, I know what sponge cake and caramel sauce taste like. I am not fooled.

I looked at the ingredient list and would have never guessed blackberry, caramel, and vanilla. Although now that I know, I can catch glimpses of each one. While the blackberry is the strongest, it is the vanilla that I can most recognize. I can't taste the black tea at all.

I added Splenda to see if it separated the flavors and it really didn't, in fact, the tea is naturally sweet enough the addition was kind of in the way.

I've read many reviews from fans of this tea. I am not joining the club today. I don't hate this by any means. I've previously admitted my bias with the brand, that is not the issue here. I personally am not a fan of teas flavored similar to this one. If the ingredient list sounds lovely to you - then it probably is a lovely tea, in your home (humor intended here).

The Republic of Tea, Mango Ceylon

The Republic of Tea Description:
Metabolic Frolic Tea - This favored tea is light, sweet & intoxicatingly fragrant. Mango & sunflower blossoms are blended with superior Black tea leaves to produce an uplifting cup. A favorite retreat for coffee lovers. Wonderful served hot or over ice.

My Review:
This was purchased as an individually wrapped tea bag and not in the tin pictured here. The bag is round and tagless. I heated the water to boiling and mug steeped this for 3 minutes. It produced a dark fragrant brew.

I checked the ingredient list while steeping: Fine black tea, natural mango flavor and sunflowers.

Interesting. I don't recall ever having sunflower as an ingredient.

The sip is light and kind of reminds me of a cross between apple, peach, pear and pine. I can't really tell if the sunflower actually adds anything to the cup. I also just barely taste the black tea. That is a shame. I kind of like this, but...

Once again Republic of Teas refusal to fill the bag with 2g of tea hurts them. Why don't I just use a smaller cup or two bags? Because, I am preparing this the way people in America drink tea - one bag and a mug. This is supposed to be a light tea but it seems a little muted. There is also a little paper taste in this. I drink a lot of bagged teas, so that comment is not me being a snob.

My thought on this one is if you have the loose leaf version where you can control the amount of leaf this would probably be a pretty nice cup. In the bag its drinkable but leaves me wanting more.  It does gain a little more flavor as it cools.

I need to add that I have no idea how long this bag was on the shelf. It is possible the black tea has plenty of flavor and I just didn't get it with this bag. I kind of hope that is the case.

The Republic of Tea, Acai Green Tea

The Republic of Tea Description:
One of the most nutritious fruits in the world, the Açaí (ah-sigh-ee) berry, has the rich flavors of concord grape and ripe blueberries. Combined with the crisp flavors of green tea this delicious duo offers a one-two punch of antioxidants. Sip your way to good health with this green tea blend.

My Review:
This is a round tagless tea bag that was individually wrapped in a large square envelope. It was bought as a single sample and did not come in the RoT round tin like pictured. I mention this because it may affect my review. I have no idea how long the envelope was on the shelf or how much heat and light it might have been over-exposed to over time. If my results don't match yours, this may be the explanation.

I opened the envelope and immediately was assaulted by a strong medicinal odor. It smelled fake and was not pleasant. Once I poured water heated to steaming over the bag, the aroma changed to a very nice fruity scent. Yeah!

While it was steeping I looked at the ingredient list printed on the envelope: Fine China green tea, hibiscus, natural flavors, and acai berry bits. Nothing fake listed.

The steep was 2 minutes. The color is kind of bronze purple.

Doing the math based on the Republic of Tea picture - there is 75g of tea in 50 bags, that means one tea bag holds 1.5g. Most American companies use 2g per bag. Often I feel the taste of RoT suffers for this reason. Let's see how this one fares.

There is plenty of flavor, though I cannot taste the green tea. What I do taste is the tartness of hibiscus blending the the fruity flavor of the acai. It is by no means horrible. It does suffer from tasting muffled, whether from the bag, storage, or age I cannot say. It has kind of a paper taste halfway in the sip. The tartness lingers in the aftertaste. Sorry not a fan.

I wish I could be kinder in my review of The Republic of Tea. This is a very popular brand. I just seldom enjoy their offerings. If you do, then simply ignore me and enjoy.

The Republic of Tea, Good Hope Vanilla

The Republic of Tea Description:

Tea for Inspiration - Naturally caffeine-free Rooibos is indigenous to the cape region of South Africa, which includes The Cape of Good Hope. We offer you Good Hope Vanilla, a blend of rooibos and sweet, fragrant vanilla beans. This caffeine-free infusion is sweet, satisfying and “good” all day long.

My Review:

I sipped this one as the last cup of the day. This is the bagged version. Technically this is not tea - being a rooibos it is an herbal or tisane (the terms are interchangeable). Rooibos is a South African bush that is dried and oxidized similar to black tea. It is caffeine free.

The taste of rooibos (pronounced roy bus - according to my sources) is really difficult to explain. I asked on Steepster how others describe the taste. Gmathis said, "A little fruity without the fruit flavor? Sharp, sweet roots? You’re right. It’s hard to categorize." JacquelineM added, "I always think of rooibos as “depth” or “heft” or “body” — I have been drinking it flavored these past few years and I’m having a hard time thinking of adjectives to describe it plain (sweet wood?)!" So obviously I am not the only one having a hard time finding words. To me it seems kind of spicy but sweet. The sip can have a harshness that makes me image tasting cedar sawdust (not that I ever have).

So there you have it. Now that you know exactly what rooibos tastes like (ha!) let's see how this version by Republic of Tea fares.

Republic of Tea packages their individual bags in these huge square and colorful envelopes. When you remove the bag it is tagless, round, and flat. They always look disappointingly thin because they contain 1/3 less leaf than most American tea bags. I used just off boiling water and steeped for 4-5 minutes.

What did I think? It is a little strange to say, but apparently my favorite cup from Republic of Tea so far, is not a tea but a rooibos. I don’t drink a lot of rooibos but this one I thought was really pretty good. The tiny bag just maybe did it a favor. The vanilla is not very strong but hits at the perfect amount to take the harsh edge off the late sip and add just enough flavor to be pleasing. This sells for about $10/36 bags, or $0.27/cup. I know it is less than half a can of Coke, but compared to many teas I drink it seems a little high.  If they would cut their prices, I might be tempted to keep this around. If you can buy this locally at a fair price, it is a very nice red tea that you can enjoy late night without worrying about it keeping you awake.

Republic Of Tea, Earl Greyer

Republic Of Tea Description:
More of a Good Thing Tea - Our exceptional Earl Greyer blend combines the lush flavor and exquisite fragrance of the Bergamot Orange, native to Southern Italy, with a lovely Ceylon black tea leaf from Sri Lanka. Recognized as the best tasting Earl Grey available.

My Review:
The 'best tasting Earl Grey available' - seriously? That is a mighty big claim. Let's see if it can even come close to the marketing hype.

This is an individually wrapped round tea bag. Tearing open the envelope, I can smell bergamot before I even remove the bag. The contents of the bag is fine fannings. There is a mere 1.6g in each bag. That is rarely enough to make a good mug of tea. I added boiling water and steeped for 2 1/2 minutes.  Removing the bag shows it has not plump up tremendously, however the cup is sufficiently dark and bergamot scented.

Years ago I tried Green Earl Greyer. It was so heavy on bergamot and so light on tea I did not enjoy it at all. I ended up giving away almost the whole tin. This one is different. On the first sip the black tea is bitter and the bergamot is very light. Once the cup cooled the bitterness mostly disappeared. The bergamot is still too light for my tastes. Many people like a lighter touch on the bergamot so I can accept this may be appeal to some. The bigger issue is this tastes plastic. You know the flavor you sometimes get with milk in a plastic jug. Yeah, it's like that.

Certainly not the best Earl Grey I have had - actually not even close. I am glad I only have one bag of this. If this is a favorite of your's I apologize but this is not my Earl Grey of choice.

Republic Of Tea, Strawberry Chocolate

Ingredients: rooibos, carob, cocoa kernels, natural chocolate flavor, natural strawberry flavor, sweet blackberry leaves, and bourbon vanilla beans

I have to be honest, I went in to the tasting of this tea with a bad attitude. I am not a big fan of RoT. Generally speaking, I find the bag size is too small and the price tag is too high. Also when I think strawberry and chocolate, I think Neapolitan ice cream. I really don’t care for Neapolitan ice cream. This tea doesn’t stand a chance.

Steeped for 5 minutes. First taste was ok but a bit bland. Added sweetener (which is my usual habit). Sipped again. I have to say, this isn’t bad. In fact I kind of like it. Read the label and noticed this is rooibos. I tried but I can’t taste rooibos in this at all. It is just a pleasant mix of strawberry and chocolate actually more cocoa, with a hint of vanilla. It tastes natural to me, not fake or candy. It is rich enough to enjoy, yet not overbearing in the cup. This is not something I would drink everyday but it is a pleasant caffeine free calorie free desert drink. Glad I tried it.

The Republic of Tea Cranberry Blood Orange

I like that after the initial fruitiness, the black tea flavor comes through. I liked this it was tasty. But honestly Republic of Tea is simply too expensive for a fairly weak tea mixed with Kool-Aid. I really like Kool-Aid but I can buy it much cheaper and mix it myself. Your mileage may vary.

The Republic of Tea Blueberry Green

The smell of the leaf is really good. I can actually smell the tea for once. Brewed, the blueberry dominates but wonderfully so. The tea (which I can taste) blends well and changes the flavor to more blackberryish. It isn’t an in your face flavor, just pleasant. I would not want this every day but it is something I would enjoy on a regular basis. I know many of you won’t sweeten a green but I think you should try it once with this tea. Yum.

The Republic of Tea Ginger Peach (White)

Smells very peachy. So yummy. The color is a beautiful amber. The peach taste is way more subdued than the smell would have you expect. After the peach fades you are left with this cardboardy taste. This has been my experience with the three most recent RoT’s I have tried. I am not experiencing the tea. Maybe it isn’t cardboard so much as the taste of tea that has been steeped too many times, yet I only did each of these once. If you are going to use underfilled bags I would suggest Stash instead.

The Republic of Tea Pomegranate Green Tea

First the bad news – I could barely detect the green tea. Now the good news – this is a very pleasant drink. Hot it was soothing and fruity. Smells nice and looks pretty. I imagine this would make a great iced drink.

The Republic of Tea Blackberry Sage

Smells very strong of blackberry. Much more mellow taste but still the main flavor. Initial blast of berry quickly gives way to a rather bland tea/sage combo – not sure how that is possible. Then the the syrupy berry aftertaste kicks in and lingers and lingers.

The Republic of Tea Orange Blossom White Tea

This isn’t horrible. There just isn’t enough of it in the bag to make me care. The orange blossum and flavorings have a kind of candy taste to them and a lingering aftertaste. Rather bland at first but tasted far better as it cooled. The biggest problem with this brand is it is twice the cost and half the tea of other local available teas.

Republic of Tea Green Earl Greyer

I know nothing about this company and they seem to want it that way. It is too pricey and the packaging too gimmicky for my tastes.

At 3% there is way too much bergamot flavor for way too little tea (1.6g) to produce what I consider a good cup of tea. Smells nice.