Monstrositea - Batch Three

[calissa]

Just one more batch after this one and I will be all caught up. Until the next one arrives (which should be in the next week or two)!



I'm a big fan of rooibos, so I was pretty excited to try this one. I found this green rooibos lighter than the more oxidised red (which I usually drink with vanilla pieces), but had a similar flavour. I can really see why people compare it to green tea--it is to red rooibos as green tea is to black.

Incidentally, I've been drinking a lot of red rooibos recently. I find it cuts through the hay fever headaches I get from bushfire smoke like nothing else does. I really need to get some more soon.



This was a much lighter-tasting tea than I was expecting from the colour. Apparently, it cold brews nicely, though I haven't yet tried that.



Although I like tart foods, I generally find hibiscus to have an overwhelming flavour. A couple of sips of the cup in the picture quickly reinforced this. However, one of the serving suggestions was adding a star anise & a cinnamon quill. These balanced out the flavour nicely.



This was a great summer tea. The chilli is nicely understated, offering just a hint of warmth. The tea tastes a little bland at first but the mango comes through strongly at the end for a tangy aftertaste. I shared this with the boys of my Dungeon World gaming group (who are both fond of tea) and they very much enjoyed it as well.

Comments

[nanila]

Mango chilli black tea sounds delicious! Mmmm!

[raze]

Ooh. I never thought to put anise and cinnamon with hibiscus. I like floral tasting things generally - my tastebuds think "floral" and "bitter" are two of the very BEST tastes - but sometimes I just get bored with hibiscus since it is such a simple and dominant flavor. Must try this...

[alee_grrl]

I hadn't thought of using star anise and cinnamon with hibiscus, but that does sound lovely. I usually blend hibiscus with ginger as that reminds me fondly of a similar drink served around Christmas time in Jamaica.

ETA: Jamaican sorel (the hibiscus and ginger drink) is usually served cold with added sugar and sometimes added white rum. I find I like it just fine without the sugar and rum, and that it tastes nice warm or iced.

[calissa]

It was pretty tasty!

[calissa]

Hibiscus does tend to overwhelm other flavours (much the same as rosehips and lemongrass) but the cinnamon and anise are strong enough to balance it out nicely IMO. I'd love to hear what you think!

[calissa]

Ooo... thank you! I drink a lot of ginger, so I shall definitely give this a try (without the rum and possibly without the sugar).

[darakat]

We so should have a huge tea party of some kind soon!

[calissa]

We certainly should! I was going to have one over the Canberra Day long weekend, but I had a few things come up.

[calissa]

I tried your suggestion and it was wonderfully tasty! I suspect the rest of the hibiscus is going to disappear quickly this way.

[alee_grrl]

:D I love it because it keeps both flavors from being overpowering.