First of all, a name like this– Romancing the Beach? So fancy, you guys. Also maybe a little risqué, no?
Sassy name or not, this one had a lot of promise for me, a blend of red rooibos with strawberry and cacao, a touch of hibiscus and rose. Brewed, it’s a beautiful pink (hello, hibiscus!) and smells like a light, floral rooibos. I’ll admit– I had HIGH hopes for the flavor. Cacao? Strawberries? GIMME. But it fell a tiny bit flat on the complexity for me. It was a great rooibos blend, none of that medicinal ick that sometimes is all too present in a red rooibos. But I think I was expecting something more reminiscent of chocolate-covered-strawberries, but I mostly just got a tart, floral rooibos from this cup.
That being said– if I were to make this one again, I think it would be a STELLAR iced tea. Perfect for sipping on a beach– while romancing the beach, even? I’ll defer to Beach House’s expertise on this one.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Beach House Teas
Description
Romancing the Beach is 100% organic loose leaf tea blended with red rooibos tea, Oregon Hood Strawberries, hibiscus, rose petals, rose hips and cocoa nibs because love is always in the air at the beach! This blissful tea is a profusion of hibiscus, exalted by scrumptious strawberries and enveloped with delicious rose petals notes. A delight you will return to over and over again.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Lemon Chiffon from The Love Tea Company. . . . #teaitforward
I got this tea as a surprise! It came in a “Tea It Forward” box, which is a program where you buy a box of 3 teas as a surprise for a friend, and the proceeds go to charity. The wonderful Cuppageek sent this to me as a gift for my general awesomeness! Here’s a pic of what I received.
Tonight’s pick is Lemon Chiffon. This rooibos/honeybush blend allegedly tastes like my grandmother’s cake. Since I didn’t have grandmothers that made this dish, I’m going to just have to wing this.
The lemon in this is strong, and a tiny bit bitter in a way that tastes “authentic.” It doesn’t have a fake sugar-lemon flavor. There’s also some lavender and pomegranate mixed in here, which lives it a little bit of a berry/flower kick.
I doubt that a grandmother would have mixed in pomegranate. But she should have; it’s a cool idea.
Overall, I think this blend is a tiny bit too tart for my tastes, but I think with a little bit of milk/honey, it’d be perfect. Give it a try!
Or help charity out and “Tea It Forward” to a friend who needs a pick-me-up!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: The Love Tea Company
Description
There’s a reason why we call this a brilliant blend. Remember that Lemon Chiffon cake that Grandma made? It’s like that, without the cleanup or pinches to your cheek. A rooibos blend that smells like you could eat it straight out of the jar. Since it has no caffeine, it’s the perfect compliment to any after dinner treat.
Caffeine Level: None
Steep 2 teaspoons @ 195° for 3 – 5 minutes
Luxury Ingredients: rooibos, rooibus tea, honeybush, lemon myrtle, lavender flowers, marigold petals, natural lemon and pomegranate flavor.
Allergens: None
**Priced for purpose means we cost-average our overall inventory and charge a single price per size for our fine quality teas. Our pricing is entirely based upon our mission to donate 25% of net profit to The Flagg Foundation for Mental Wellness. Due to the density of teas, weighted amounts vary from jar to jar. Every purchase of Love Tea is a direct donation to improving human health and happiness.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Roasted Almond Chai from Fava Tea Company . . . .
Snowy days always make me want to curl up on the couch with a cup of hot chai and a really good movie. Come to think of it, every day makes me want to do that i’m not going to lie. So even though there is a raging blizzard outside, not much has changed I suppose. Tea, Harry Potter, and Lord of the Rings is my favorite way to relax when I’m not chasing after my 7 month old daughter! So what better way to use my free time than to dig into the awesome tea swap blends that I received the other day?
I used to like chai a lot more than I do today. I used to order chai lattes like they were going out of style! Its interesting how your tastes change, especially when you are constantly trying new flavors when it comes to tea. The reason why I am no longer a huge fan of chai at this point in my tea-journey is because I don’t really like things to be spicy or hot. You know those red cinnamon candies? Yeah, I hate those. I don’t like hot cinnamon and I feel like a lot of chai’s taste this way, they just are too spiced. So in order to “wow” me by your chai blend, it cant be too overpowering.
When I received my first ever tea swap package and I saw Roasted Almond Chai by Fava Tea Company, I was intrigued. I love anything with nuts, especially almond. Ive never had a nut chai before. Ive had cinnamon chai and vanilla chai…but not almond chai. I could imagine that it is pretty delicious though, cinnamon and almond tend to go very well together. So, I opened up the sample bag and could smell the delicious sweet and nutty almond and chai spices. Yum! This stuff smells like Christmas. I brewed up a cup and took a sip. Not going to lie, the chai spices are very present. However, the sweet almond tones them down so they really aren’t overpowering. Fava did a great job with the almond flavor in this one. It isn’t artificial, it is sweet and nutty.
This is a rooibos blend, so the woodiness from the rooibos mingles well with nutty almond and chai spices. It is a delectable cup that is great for a snowy evening! I wish they made a black tea version so that I could drink it throughout the day for a caffeine boost, but it is just as good as an after-dinner dessert tea. If you like Forever Nuts by DAVIDsTEA and if you like chai, you will definitely like this blend. It honestly tastes like a chai and Forever Nuts had a baby and that baby was named Roasted Almond Chai! I definitely suggest you check this out.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Fava Tea Company
Description
This is the sweet taste of almond magically blended with rooibos and chai spices. Smooth, delightful and a perfect compliment with dessert. Or in place of dessert! Either way, enjoy! Blends well with Yoga, Toasted Caramel Rooibos, Chocolate Cream Rock Sugar.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Oh Canada from DAVIDsTea. . . .
This rooibos “taste of Canada” tastes so much like maple syrup you could probably dunk waffles in it. And if I hadn’t given up processed carbs for Lent, I would absolutely do this and get back to you with how it went. Because I think this would work.
It’s a super-rich, super-realistic flavor with lots of rooibos sweetness layered with it. There are also hilarious maple leaf sprinkles. They’re like Canadian fruity pebbles of overbearing Great White North patriotism.
You’d drink this tea in a giant flannel before going out to construct log cabins by hand. You’d shave in the morning and a have collarbone-length beard by mid-afternoon. You’d ride a moose to your neighbor’s house, eat elk-meat burgers, and come home to sleep the 10 hours necessary to maintain all that Canadian ruggedness.
However, the best part of this tea (maple syrup!!!!) is also the tea’s main drawback (maple syrup????). As much as I love maple syrup, I don’t know if I want to drink a huge mug of it, you know?
If Oh Canada were an outfit, Tim Gunn would describe it as “a lot of look.”
I think of this blend almost as a “concept album.” Like that time Christina Aguilera released her sci-fi album, “Bionic“: Or The Flaming Lips’ “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots.” Or that time Garth Brooks was Chris Gaines for a while.
David’s Tea wanted to explore what Peak Canada could possibly be. This is their result.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: DAVIDsTea
Description
This super patriotic rooibos blend tastes just like maple syrup. Sweet!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Rooibos Apple Tea Recipe courtesey of Rooi Life
I have to be honest and start this review off with a disclaimer. I’ve never been a fan of red rooibos. I’ve tried so many different varieties and different brands, hoping to find the right red rooibos that will work with my taste buds. To me, red rooibos has this distinct medicinal woodsy flavor that I just can’t get past or can really describe very well. I have yet to find that perfect red rooibos blend that works for me.
What is kind of funny is that green rooibos and I are best buds. We hang out all the time and really enjoy each other’s company. I seek out green rooibos blends all the time and have to restrain myself for buying them all up and having a primarily green rooibos tea stash.
So when our samples for Rooi Life Red Rooibos arrived at my door, I thought I would put on my big girl pants and try again. I took a whiff of the blend itself and just couldn’t bring myself to brew the tea up straight. Took another moment to gather myself and sat down to check out their website to learn more about Rooi Life. As I was looking at all of the information they offer about red rooibos- I noticed they had a link for their blog with red rooibos iced tea recipes. I started to wonder if maybe that was the ticket for me liking red rooibos. So I brewed up their tea using their Rooibos Apple Tea Recipe.
Basically, the recipe is incredibly easy.
Mix the following ingredients in a large pitcher:
2 cups of Rooi Life Red Rooibos brewed & chilled. (I cold brewed mine)
1 cup apple juice
1/2 lemon, thinly sliced
Fresh Mint Leaves
2 apples thinly sliced
After mixing all the ingredients, I put the pitcher back in the fridge and allowed the concoction to develop the flavors for a bit. About an hour later, I again, put on my big girl pants yet again and poured myself and my husband a glass of this iced tea.
My husband really enjoyed the beverage and I have to admit, as red rooibos teas go, this one isn’t too bad. What I love is that the apple juice, apples, mint, and lemon notes do wonders to mute the red rooibos medicinal woodsy like flavor that I am not a fan of. I’m wondering if maybe I added in a bit more apple juice or hadn’t cold brewed the tea to begin with- if I wouldn’t have been happier with the blend.
All in all, I’m happy with how the brew turned out. Not sure if this is something I would make all the time or just on occasion, but it is always nice to change things up in your tea drinking routine every now and again. I never would have thought about adding in different fruits or juices to help make the red rooibos herb a bit more pleasing to my taste buds. Now I’m sure excited to see what other fun iced teas I can possible brew up and enjoy poolside this summer.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Red Rooibos
Where to Buy: Rooi Life
Description
We sell Organic South African Rooibos Tea. Rooibos is a natural herb that is full of health! It is caffeine-free and low in tannin. It contains no additives or artificial preservatives. It contains a high concentration of anti-oxidants, minerals and vitamins, with several health benefits to it.
