Hibiscus Customer Reviews

JUNE 29, 2023: Color me surprised, whatever color that might be! Most tea blends that include hibiscus are too tart for me, even when cold brewed. However, I would say that this is a decent black tea with just a hint of hibiscus in the background, which made it enjoyable for me. I brewed it at 175 for 3 minutes. That’s the closest I could get to other reviewers’ recommendations of 180 with my travel kettle. It was very drinkable for me. Perhaps if you like a strong hibiscus taste, you might want to add additional hibiscus to the brew but for me, it was fine.

9 helpful votes

If you love hibiscus tea... then you will enjoy this hibiscus and black tea blend. I prefer stronger hibiscus flavor. I enjoy without sweetener

11 helpful votes

I’m not a big fan of florals so this tea wasn’t for me. Too much rose.

6 helpful votes

I was really expecting the worst on this one, but hello; black tea to the rescue! The black tea overpowered the hibiscus flavor to the point where all I tasted was a hint of something floral in the cup. Oddly enough, as others have mentioned, I began to taste chocolate on the cool down. The tea was decent, I drank the whole cup. No sourness, no bitterness. I still don't like hibiscus, but they found a way to disguise it!

8 helpful votes

I was actually pleasantly surprised...I expected very tart tea, but for whatever reason, it was not the bright, tart flavor you usually associate with hibiscus. Somewhat closer to a rose tea, it's definitely floral. It does have a hint of bitterness to it (Mary likened it to dark chocolate and I can totally see that). It's really not for me, mostly because I am not big on powerful floral like rose,I tend to go more for milder floral like chamomile. However, if you like floral but are hesitant to try the hibiscus because you're afraid it might be too tart, give it a go, you might just like it!

4 helpful votes

Loved this tea, the tangy pop reminds me a bit of butterfly pea flower tea. A nice floral note in there.

9 helpful votes

I don’t always like hibiscus so my review is probably pretty biased. The hibiscus is pretty muted in this cup. It comes across more creamy than tangy and I actually prefer that. However, if you are a fan of bold hibiscus flavor, this tea is not the one you’re looking for. If you’re looking for a black tea with notes of floral fruitiness that complements rather than takes center stage, that’s basically what you’ve got here.

3 helpful votes

I am not sure what I think of this one. I picked up sone floral flavors is this from the hibiscus flavoring?

4 helpful votes

This tea is ok cold, but I don't like it hot at all. It's very astringent!

2 helpful votes

This tea is really good cold I enjoyed my tea of the day

6 helpful votes

I really enjoyed this hibiscus tea! The description explained it well when it stated it has a 'fruity-spicy' flavor. I couldn't agree more. I don't mind the tart flavor of hibiscus like some tend to do. I sweetened mine so maybe that tamed it down a bit but the end result had that spicy fruit quality. I know its a floral but it doesn't remind me of one.

7 helpful votes

I love hibiscus and black tea, but I was really worried they wouldn't be good together. I'm glad I tried it, it's great! Added a little raw sugar. I'll be adding this to my wish list.

9 helpful votes

Today's communiTEA sample was very nice. The black tea was flavorful with a little astringency but wasn't bitter at all. Very much improved! I enjoyed the fruity, tart flavor of the hibiscus which was added at just the right ratio to make a tasty cup with an enticing aroma.

8/15/21 - The black tea was flavorful but quite bitter. The hibiscus flavor was too weak for me. I prefer hibiscus with other herbal ingredients I guess.

20 helpful votes

A fantastic iced tea for Summer! Brewed 195° for 3 mins...Then Iced! Its smooth, satisfying and flavorful!

15 helpful votes

This was a wonderful tasting tea. I really enjoyed it today.

6 helpful votes

I find hibiscus to be an overpowering flavor in teas, so no surprise that this isn't my cuppa. That said, it's all right with milk and sugar.

4 helpful votes

I’m drinking the hibiscus tea hot today. This tea is neither tart nor sweet. It’s a pleasant flavorful tea to drink..

7 helpful votes

I can see why some have issues with hibiscus, unsweetened it is quite tart.

3 mins @ 195

I took a sip hot, w/o sweetener, to determine how much to use. Well, I used more than I typically do, so this won't become a staple in my tea pantry. No, I see myself buying hibiscus petals and adding a few at a time to my tea for the pleasant amount of tartness they can provide rather than the overwhelming floral this one is providing.

After sweetening, I tasted again and it was much better, but still, I prefer hibiscus cold. So I didn't divide the tea into two samples this time, I just put the entire 9 oz in the fridge to chill.

Even cold this tastes too floral/soapy to me. I prefer my hibiscus with fruit tisanes, not stranded by itself in a black tea.

14 helpful votes

Update on 6/29/23 - Brewing this tea at 190 degrees for 3 minutes made a huge difference for me in enjoying it so I am upgrading my review from 3 to 4 stars! Original review- The CT packet gave off a lovely floral fruity aroma when opened. The tea tasted quite tart before I added honey and then the flavor became more pleasant. I wish I had steeped this for less than 4 minutes and maybe at a lower temperature than 200 degrees because I was bothered by bitterness, which I usually don’t have. I hope that I get a chance to try this again sometime.

19 helpful votes

I have mixed feelings about hibiscus in teas but this one is good. Not too bitter, floral, tropical mix Lifesaver candy with a dose of black tea. Not my favorite Adagio black tea but good.

11 helpful votes

pretty tasty but could have used more hibiscus flavor

4 helpful votes

This tea is fantastic. I was worried as hibiscus can be so tart. I steeped it at a bit of a lower temp to avoid the bitterness others got and I made sure to only steep for 3 min. This is going on my favorites list!

11 helpful votes

In the bag: The packet is almost entirely black tea. A few strands of hibiscus.

On the nose (pre-steep): Intense aroma. I smelled hibiscus the instant I opened my packet. The scent is clear with just a touch of sugar.

On the nose (post-steep): Faint hibiscus scent. Not sweet or sour.

On the tongue (pre-sweetener): An even, mild blend of hibiscus and unsweetened cocoa. Some astringency.

On the tongue (post-sweetener): Sweetener helps to cut down the bitterness. Hibiscus is just a touch stronger.

Opinion: A meh tea. I'm not a big fan of hibiscus, but am of flavored blacks. The two flavors don't work well together, however. Hibiscus is too sharp and floral to complement the cocoa of black tea.

Preparation: First steep 3 min, second steep 6 min. Both @ 195 ℉. ½ teaspoon monk fruit sweetener.

12 helpful votes

The mighty hibiscus has been tamed! In this blend, it gives the Ceylon a pleasant bit of unexpected sweetness. Try it with a chocolate doughnut for a mind blowing experience. You will taste strawberry. Lol!

27 helpful votes

Updating my review because I finally cold brewed this overnight - wow! So much better with the tartness tamed. The hibiscus has a natural fruity quality, but it’s not too sweet. Works perfectly with black tea. Highly recommend if you cold steep it!

16 helpful votes

A light floral taste which is a nice summer treat with a little honey. I also steeped some in milk and used it in frosting for a vanilla cake. Very delicious!

1 helpful votes

One of my favorite teas with a not too strong taste

3 min steep · 212°F · 1 helpful votes

This might be one of my new favorite teas. It smells wonderful and isn't bitter or tart at all. It's more of a floral accent then overpoweringly floral.

1 helpful votes

I love this tea!! It is rich and flavorful. Not too flowery. If you're wanting to try something a little different, I recommend this one!

3 min steep · 212°F · 1 helpful votes

This was more bitter and hardly any hibiscus flavor came through

3 min steep · 212°F

It's more black tea than Hibiscus . Doesn't taste very good. Doesn't have the tart Hibiscus flavor

1 helpful votes

not my favorite had to add sweetness to it but a good tea if you want something light.

3 min steep · 212°F

I love hibiscus and was really looking forward to the tanginess of hibiscus in a black tea. Unfortunately, the cup lacked tanginess and instead was on the bitter side. I will try steeping for less time (made iced and overnight) to see if there is a difference.

Didn't care for it very much, can't really say why. I like hibiscus as an additive in other teas, so I figured it made sense on its own.

Rich and complex flavors. I like to use hibiscus for health purposes and am going to be adding this product to my regime.

1 helpful votes

This was a very good tea. I would recommend this to everyone to try

1 helpful votes

I'm a big fan of agua de jamaica so I was excited to try this. It's not as tangy/fresh as I was expecting, nor was it as vibrant in colour as i was expecting - it doesn't seem to have a ton of hibiscus pieces in it. It almost has a subtle spice to it (more reminiscent of the flavours in prepared sorrel beverage) which I personally didn't love although it does make sense with the tea. Next time I will just buy the dried hibiscus flowers on their own from the pantry section and mix in a black tea for something more to my liking.

CommuniTEA 2022: I remember skipping this one last year because so many summery fruit tisanes contain a significant amount of hibiscus for tartness and I wasn’t interested in another version of hibiscus at the time. For me, a small amount of hibiscus can go a long way. Reviews stating that the black tea helped temper some of the less desirable hibiscus qualities were encouraging so I was intrigued this year. I steeped this cup at 195F for 3min. The smell was unusual, like handbags next to the cosmetics counter in a department store, and as it cooled the scent and taste became increasingly floral. I’m sorry to say I dumped the last third of my cup when the perfume overwhelmed me. Generally I am a black tea fan so this is a surprise, but I actually prefer the too-tart tisanes.

7 helpful votes

Today's CommuniTea packet was hibiscus, made with black tea, hibiscus, and hibiscus flavor. This past week has beena cold-brew bonanza for CommuniTea, with many of the blends doing better for me cold. It was okay on it own, but I probably prefer hibisscus blended with fruit, making a lovely sweet-tart medley. Cold-brewed for eight hours in 12 ounces of water and then after I tasted it on its own, mixed in with some blood orange. Yum!

8 helpful votes

Update 5/23/22: I liked this one better this time around. I added a big pinch of extra hibiscus, steeped at 190° for 3 minutes, and added a pinch of rock sugar. I drank half my cup hot, then let it cool. This was pretty yummy cold, I might have to try it cold brewed. I added a star to last year’s review.

I was kind of on the fence with this one. If you’re looking for traditional hibiscus taste, this is not the tea for that. To me this was a black tea with a faint hint of hibiscus, or even almost a strawberry flavor. I had to add hibiscus to taste any. If all you want is a hint then this is a good choice. To avoid bitterness from the tea I steeped at 190° for 2.5 minutes.

17 helpful votes

I'm not really much of a hibiscus fan when it's mixed with other things so having it as the primary flavor is a definite no-go for me. That said, as an iced tea this wasn't too bad and was actually a little refreshing, but still not something I would choose to drink.

9 helpful votes

Warm and tart, hibiscus is an interesting flavor. I think I prefer it as an herbal tea personally, but this isn't bad either!

8 helpful votes

nice and tart! i added in a pinch of my own dried hibiscus i have on hand and it really helped brighten the flavor up

6 helpful votes

I really enjoy hibiscus tea and this was no exception. I added honey and lemon and drank it iced. Yummy!

10 helpful votes

I put off drinking this because I was not sure if I would like it but it had a pleasant taste. I would not buy for my stash but I did drink it all.

2 helpful votes

Is this hibiscus?
My tea tastes of black currants
Which i rather like?

3 helpful votes

This was a pleasantly flavored tea - not too strong or any bitterness/tang noted. I had 2.95g so I used 12 oz for 3 minutes. I am trying a 6 oz resteep for 4 minutes. We shall see! It was just as good!

15 helpful votes

This tea is excellent cold brewed. It’s slightly tart and very refreshing.

9 helpful votes

Love the concept of the tea and the pretty floral bits in the dried tea in my CommuniTea packet. Unfortunately the major taste I got was of black tea, with a slight floral tartiness, but could have been due to the mix in my sample packet.

14 helpful votes

This is a bold tea with a very dark liquor that would probably accommodate milk and sugar; although I did not add either to my cuppa. I am not a fan of Hibiscus and adding it to a delight Ceylon black tea does not appeal to my tea taste.

As the tea cooled the hibiscus flavor increased its tartness.

Steeping Notes — 195 degrees for 3-5 minutes.

6 helpful votes