Blueberry Hibiscus - Organic
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Commercial Description
Blueberry Hibiscus refreshes with the tangy-tart character of hibiscus, the sweet succulence of Great Lakes blueberries and the complex floral accents of wild-harvested schizandra berries. Known as the "five-flavor fruit," schizandra berry has a long history as a traditional East Asian tonic and anti-stress tea.
Ratings & Reviews
Page 1 of 1 page with 1 review
55 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 1/5Tchuggin' Okie (379 reviews) on Oct. 11th, 2023
This blend appears to be identical to Rishi's "Blueberry Rooibos" loose blend, based on its list of ingredients (organic: rooibos, hibiscus, elderberry, blueberry, schisandra berry). However, each serving is too small, packaged in about 1/4 of a typically sized pyramid sachet, then in turn, in a 2.5x3.5-inch plastic wrapper, which is much too large for the amount of actual tisane. Fifteen of these, in turn, are stacked in a box of about 2.5x2.5x3.5 inches. There's no need at all to use 15 separate plastic wrappers that are far larger than the sachets, which themselves are still much less than half-filled when wet. The box looks fat on the store shelf, though, which appears to be the marketing department's aim.
The packaging is excessive and inefficient, and makes it seem like you're getting more than you are, unless you look at the fine print. I've uploaded a photo of the entire setup as it now stands (including outer box with newer design than already posted, two inner wrappers, sachet, string, tag, and cup of brewed tea), from the company's website, and used a tape measure to confirm the wrapper dimensions. "Why did you buy it then, fool?", one might ask, reasonably. I got clearance for about $4 at an H-E-B, but have seen it for nearly $9 at Whole Foods and Sprouts. The normal price is in line with teas of comparable to better quality in 20-bag boxes that are smaller, so I'm penalizing the value score hard. You're mostly paying for a lot of packaging and very little product.
So let's assume you get this on sale, or from a buddy. Is it good? Sure. Could it be better? No question, and easily. I'd characterize this as what would happen if a Celestial Seasonings "True Blueberry" blended with a bag of plain rooibos tea, then divided itself into 1/3 of the total volume, leaving you with less content than you had in each bag to start. The aroma is surprisingly potent and fruity, setting expectations for taste much too high. The flavor is weak to moderate in strength, and less blueberry than rooibos and hibiscus, which is consistent with the order on the ingredients list. When reading the wrapper, I didn't know what schisandra berries taste like. I still don't, because drinking this, I only taste rooibos, hibiscus and just a little blueberry. It's a pleasing blend, but too modest and plain. Suggested solutions: double up on the same stuff in each sachet; there's plenty of room! Add more elder and schisandra berry if they're supposed to be noticed; otherwise be rid of 'em. And reduce the wrapper plastic a lot too.
Page 1 of 1 page with 1 review
More Herbal Tea Blends from Rishi Tea
Tropical Crimson (Tropical Hibiscus)
| Style: | Herbal Tea |
| Region: | Blend |
| Caffeine: | Caffeine Free |
| Leaf: | Sachet |
2 Ratings
