I have decided that there are three types of people who drink tea: 1) those who drink it for health related benefits 2) those who drink it because they like the taste 3) those who drink it because they like the taste of tea itself. The first category might be content sticking to lipton green bags all their life (like my dad). I think its quite bitter, gross and strong, but he claims to like the slice and dice green, so I don't antagonize him... anymore. The second and third category might seem to be one and the same at first glance, look again. Someone who likes tea taste likes the plant camellia sinensis and variations on its base flavour are acceptable. Someone who likes tea for taste likes the more "fruity" side of things. It's kind of like the difference between liking mixed drinks versus scotch or bourbon. My husband likes tea for taste (2) and I am more of a tea for tea (3) person with a generous leaning towards taste as well.

That being said- Tim- the husband- really likes Sangria de Seville, but so do I. I fault the company for the title because they did not distinctly say "oranges" in their ingredient line-up, and that is, after all, the fruit for which Seville Sangria is famed. I'm nearly sure that it is part of the unspecified "dried fruit." If much thought is given to the name your palate might be expecting a little flavour of wine, or at least grape juice. It's much more like assorted berry juice when hot.

I brewed this tea in the Breville Tea Maker and it recommended for an herbal (which is where I decided to classify this tea because the black tea was far outnumbered by all of the other ingredients and rooibos) at 212 Fahrenheit for 5 minutes. I made two cups and one went into the fridge. Not quite the 'proper' way of making iced tea, but it will work out for rooibos blends more oft than not. The hot and cold tea have distinctly different flavour profiles. The hot presents as a more ruddy mulling of berries and citrus. The cold is much more fitting to the name because of the high points of fruit and the puckery flavour of the body. I like it both ways really, I'm just not thinking "sangria" while sipping it hot.

— To purchase Empire Tea Services Sangria de Seville, or for more specific information on ingredients or the story behind this particular tea, click here to go directly to the manufacturer's web site.

Chelsy Teaviews.com Reviewer » Read more about this reviewer on Chelsy's profile page. » Find a list of recent posts by Chelsy.

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