Tisane Information:

Leaf Type:  Rooibos

Where to Buy:  Della Terra Teas

Tea Description:

This unique blend will take you to the rainforest with the taste of sweet chili and orange.  This tea is blended from an ancient South American recipe and has orange peels, chili pepper bits, red peppercorns, coconut and pure cinnamon.  Perfect for a night time treat.

Learn more about this tisane here.

Taster’s Review:

I’m enjoying this much more than I expected I would.  I don’t know that I had any real “expectations” … but, as I’ve mentioned before, I have this sort of automatic repellant response toward rooibos.  And it really isn’t very fair.  Most of the rooibos blends that I’ve tried in the last two or three years have been enjoyable enough, and some were actually really good.  It all goes back to my first few times trying rooibos – plain, conventionally-grown rooibos at that – that causes that response.  Like I said, it’s not fair.  There are a lot of really tasty rooibos blends out there.

And I’m really enjoying this rooibos blend from Della Terra Teas.  The first couple of sips, I noticed the woody and nutty tones of the rooibos coming through strongly, but they seemed to meld quite nicely with the flavor of orange and cinnamon.  The orange is bright and juicy tasting, and the cinnamon shows us the sweeter side of cinnamon, allowing the chili pepper to handle the spicy notes.

At first, I didn’t really taste much from the chili pepper, but now that I’m about halfway finished with the cup, the spicy notes from the chili are coming through.  But they never become super-spicy hot … they are more like a warm spiciness that stays with you throughout the sip, and then imparts an enjoyable burn on the palate in the aftertaste, reminding you of the delicious warmth of the tisane.

The coconut is also something that I didn’t notice at the start.  But after the first couple of sips, I began to notice a slight creaminess that arrived toward the tail end of the sip.  It isn’t a strong flavor, and never really becomes a strong flavor, but it does develop slowly as I continue to sip.  It doesn’t offer that distinct “coconut” flavor, but, it does add a sweet, creamy note that contrasts nicely with the sunny orange and sweet and hot flavors of the spices.

Overall, I found this to be an extremely enjoyable cuppa.  Something I’d enjoy keeping on hand to enjoy once or twice a week, when I want something spicy yet sweet for those late-night cravings!