Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Eteaket
Product Description:
Handle our Chilli Rooibos with care! The chilli highlights are built on a base of classic Rooibos tea and vivid wild cherries, rosebuds, safflower petals, peony petals and carrot flakes. This tea has serious attitude.
Taster’s Review:
This tisane was so unexpected! When I first read the label – “Chili Rooibos” – I had thought it would just be a combination of rooibos and chili peppers (which you can SEE in the blend!) but I wasn’t ready for the other flavors.
The cherry reveals itself from the beginning and maintains its presence throughout the sip. The aroma is sweet cherries, chili peppers, and that distinctive, woody note from rooibos. Once brewed, the tisane takes on a more mellowed, unified fragrance.
But it’s the flavor that really surprised me. At the very start, I can taste a hint of carrot. It’s such a delicate note and is quickly masked by the strong flavor of cherry. The carrot flavor seems to last for less than a moment, and if you’re not paying attention, you’ll miss it – because at the very next moment, the cherry springs into action, imparting such a sweet, fruity flavor that lasts well into the aftertaste.
The chili pepper weaves its way in and out throughout the sip and also lingers into the aftertaste. It imparts a “burning” sensation on the back of the tongue. But it isn’t a bad burn – it’s really very intriguing. I really LOVE the contrasts here between sweet and spicy. The sweet dominates over the spicy just a little bit, making this a tolerable spiciness.
The rooibos flavor is barely there… as in, I am having a hard time finding any rooibos flavor. I don’t get that funky rooibos sweetness, I don’t get that woody note, and I get only a little of the nutty undertone from the rooibos.
I, for one, really like this tea’s “attitude!” If you like sweet-spicy cuisines and/or teas, you should really give this one a try.
