Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Georgia Tea Company
Tisane Description:
Rooibos, which means Red Bush in Afrikaans, is only grown in South Africa and contains about 20 times more antioxidants than green tea. Caffeine free naturally.
Ingredients: honeybush, rooibos, flavoring, raspberries, sunflower blossoms.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is a tasty tisane. I love the base. I think that the combination of rooibos and honeybush together tastes so much better than either one on their own. The two seem to work harmoniously together to bring out the best in each other. And let’s not forget the real star of this cup: the raspberry! A strong, vibrant raspberry note. YUM!
The honey sweet flavor and nutty notes of the honeybush and rooibos base are not overpowered by the strong raspberry flavoring, but I like that the raspberry comes through loud and clear. And I like how the flavors of the honeybush and rooibos play with the sweet-tart notes of the raspberry. The herbals are a little earthy and sweet. They taste smooth and nutty. The raspberry tastes bright and sweet and tickles the tongue with a tart note at the finish.
I steeped this in my Breville One Touch tea maker. I used 3 bamboo scoops of tea to 500ml of water. Then I set the parameters as follows: 195°F for 10 minutes. With the honeybush/rooibos base, I don’t have to worry about bitterness. So steep it a little longer and get a rich, delicious flavor out of it!
This is good hot, but it is even better as it cools. It makes a really good, refreshing iced tea that is naturally caffeine free. This is one I can enjoy with my daughter – she loves it.
Rooibos Chocolate Coconut from Tea of Life
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Learn more about Tea of Life and Amazon Teas here.
Tisane Description:
South African Red Bush or Rooibos Tea is a pure and natural herbal blend. Freshly harvested and finely chopped rooibos goes through a process of oxidation with the aid of the oxygen from the atmosphere and subsequently dried int he sun to produce a deep mahogany red cup of which is one of the most popular and healthy herbal drinks today.
“Tea of Life” is proud to introduce five New Naturally Caffeine Free Rooibos Teas combined with Dark Chocolate with delicious natural fruit and mint flavors for your enjoyment – all day and into the evening.
Taster’s Review:
The scent that is coming out of my teacup right now is evoking thoughts of chocolate coconut cake! Yep, my mouth is watering right now, just thinking about chocolate and coconut! Mmm! Some of the most difficult moments of my life are those few minutes that I wait after I’ve brewed a cup of tea and I’m waiting for the cup to cool a little bit so that I can begin sipping. I mean, I don’t want to burn my tongue, but, this smells so yummy that I’m growing impatient.
But the flavor is worth the wait. As I’ve said on numerous occasions, I’m not big on rooibos, but, I’ve actually found quite a few that I enjoy. And I’ve really been enjoying these Dark Chocolate blends from Tea of Life. This one features luscious notes of Dark Chocolate and sweet and creamy notes of coconut. Yum!
As you’d expect, this is a sweet tisane. The chocolate notes are deep and rich and bittersweet. The coconut notes are a little more subdued than the chocolate, but, not by much. There is a pretty good balance of flavors between the two components here. Lots of chocolate and lots of coconut.
What I’m not getting lots of is rooibos flavor and that’s alright. I do get some warm, nutty tones from the rooibos and some of the sweetness of the cup I also attribute to the natural sweetness of the South African herb. But overall, there isn’t a strong rooibos flavor to this cup. This tisane is all about the chocolate and the coconut, and you won’t get any complaints about that here. Chocoholic: satisfied!
Rooibos Chocolate Vanilla from Tea for Life
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Learn more about Tea of Life and Amazon Teas here.
Tisane Description:
South African Red Bush or Rooibos Tea is a pure and natural herbal blend. Freshly harvested and finely chopped rooibos goes through a process of oxidation with the aid of the oxygen from the atmosphere and subsequently dried int he sun to produce a deep mahogany red cup of which is one of the most popular and healthy herbal drinks today.
“Tea of Life” is proud to introduce five New Naturally Caffeine Free Rooibos Teas combined with Dark Chocolate with delicious natural fruit and mint flavors for your enjoyment – all day and into the evening.
Taster’s Review:
These dark chocolate rooibos blends from Tea of Life are really good. The chocolate is rich and dark and there’s a good amount of chocolate flavor to the blend. I’m really enjoying this Rooibos Chocolate Vanilla blend – LOTS of chocolate flavor with a sweet, creamy vanilla undertone.
I taste hints of honeyed, nutty sweetness from the rooibos, but, I like that the flavor of the rooibos isn’t as pronounced as the dark chocolate notes and the notes of vanilla. Normally, I want the flavor of the “tea” to be the star of the cup, but, since this is rooibos and I’m not particularly a big rooibos fan, I like that I am only getting a little bit of the flavor of the rooibos.
Plus, we’re talking chocolate here, and when it comes to chocolate, more chocolate is always better. I really can’t think of any instance when that isn’t true. And this has a strong chocolate presence. The sweet notes of vanilla give this cup an almost “milk chocolate-y” sort of taste, and I like the way the two – chocolate and vanilla – meld together in this cup.
A really tasty cup.
Red Bush Chai from Fusion Teas
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Fusion Teas
Tisane Description:
By itself, chai is merely the generic word for “tea” in much of South Asia and many other parts of the world. In western society chai has become to imply a spiced version of tea. Traditionally a strong base is used so that the spices and sweeteners do not overpower it. Rooibos is perfect in this manner because of the bold almost nuttiness flavor that is present.
There are a wide variety of spices that can be used. When you think of chai you immediately think of “warm” spices. Any combination of the following can be used: cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, fennel seeds, peppercorn, cloves, ginger, and star anise. Cardamon being the most common added spice for its dominant characteristic while a combination of the others play a supplemental role. Our Red Bush Chai stays true to tradition with its boldness.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve sampled quite a few chai-inspired rooibos blends. Some I’ve liked, some I didn’t. I like this one. It is warm and spicy without being too spicy.
In many rooibos chai blends, I don’t taste much from the rooibos, and usually I’m quite happy with that. However, I do taste the rooibos here – I taste that distinct nutty flavor of rooibos – and I am finding myself really enjoying the taste. The sweet, nutty flavor of the rooibos melds nicely with warmth of the spices, adding a pleasant depth to this cup. Also nice is the bright flavor from the citrus peel. It isn’t a dominate flavor, but it adds a vibrant kiss of flavor to the drink.
I really like the blend of spices. A nice peppery kick – but not too powerful a kick. A hint of sweet, sassy licorice from the fennel and anise, but unlike some chai blends that add the fennel and/or anise with a heavy hand, here, the licorice tones are in the background, providing a gentle, welcome flavor. Warmth from the cardamom, cinnamon and cloves.
Really tasty, this Red Bush Chai from Fusion Tea Room!