Rishi lists the ingredients of this tea as including organic cinnamon, organic Fair Trade Certified™ hibiscus, organic currants, organic licorice root and natural plum flavor. The dry leaves were a potpourri of colors and textures with an intoxicating aroma. I steeped this tea in my Breville One-Touch Tea Maker with 212 degree water for five minutes. The liquor was an incredibly deep and vibrant red color that reminded me of Kool-aid.
When I first tried this tea it was way too tart. I found it to be overly sweet and couldn’t taste the cinnamon. I’ve seen so many good reviews of this tea that I felt it deserved another chance. I tried it again, this time steeping it for only three minutes. What a difference those two minutes made! Instead of being overpowering it was pleasantly sweet with just a hint of spice. It almost reminded me of a mulled cider. I would definitely recommend this tea.
I often find herbal teas containing hibiscus to be too tart for me. But I've also found that the method of brewing really influences how sour the final cup is.
Often, I find that a brief "rinse" of the leaves, a few second steeping which is discarded, also removes more sourness than it does flavor. I use that technique on a number of herbal blends that are too sour for me.