Wow look at those curls of fresh coconut! There’s more flaky, white goodness in this tea blend than all the snow we have had in this New England winter. Teana Colada is a simple blend with a cute name and quality ingredients: red rooibos tea and coconut chips. Brewed hot, there is so much coconut, the buttery blend is almost savory, like butter on toast. As it cools, the tropical notes of the coconut shine through and mingle with the nutty red rooibos. This isn’t a true pina colada blend, as there isn’t any pineapple or fruity flavors, but it is a coconut dream tea.
As a cold brew, the rooibos comes through more strongly, making the blend taste like a creamy, vanilla rooibos tea. On its own, the cold brew is a little one-note, but it might be a winning secret ingredient in a tropical iced tea summer blend. The upside of a rooibos blend is that it is naturally caffeine-free, so you can steep a cup of this blend at any time in your schedule.
This is a tea for nutty coconut fans, or someone who is looking for an exceptionally creamy, buttery rooibos blend. If you really want to take this tropical theme to its height, drink Teana Colada out of a tiki mug with a big wedge of pineapple on the side!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Tea Geek’ery
Description:
This herbal tea is naturally sweet with hints of cream & nuts. Phenomenal blended with ice & your favorite coconuttie adult beverage.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Winter Almond Rooibos from Tea Sparrow. . . . .
Well…it’s Winter. It took a while to get here in the snow belt…but I’m NOT complaining! I found it fitting to review Winter Almond Rooibos from Tea Sparrow to get into the wintery spirit.
Winter Almond Rooibos is an herbal tisane that is full of aroma and flavor! I didn’t see any dairy in the list of ingredients so I thought I would try it. Ingredients listed were Redbush Tea, Almond Pieces, Chocolate Pieces (that were made up of sugar, cocoa powder/mass, almond flavor, and sunflower blossoms.
I was expecting this to be an almond and chocolate flavored red rooibos but it ended up being more than that. It was much like a Chocolate Almond Cookie in a cup! It was delicious! The Red Rooibos wasn’t as stereotypical as you think it would be which leads me to believe the amount of almond and chocolate flavoring was pretty top notch!
This was part of the December Tea Sparrow teas that were shipped. I’m VERY excited and grateful I was able to try it. If you are into non-dairy dessert teas and tisanes this is one I would keep an eye out for next time it’s available! It’s sure to please!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Tea Sparrrow
Description
Find out more about all Tea Sparrow has to offer below!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Mother’s Love from Culinary Teas. . . . . .
I think I’ve mentioned before that while my fiancé and I love to share a good pot of tea (in fact, hot beverages pre-bedtime are kind of our thing), it’s rare that we find teas that we both a) like and b) are craving at the same time c) are not crazy caffeinated (card-carrying member of the “can’t handle her caffeine” club over here while my dude can drink coffee until 1 AM). So when this interesting blend from Culinary Teas found its way into my cabinet, I thought it miiiight just be crazy to pique both of our interests.
And on the surface, ‘crazy’ isn’t such an overstatement on the description of this blend. In a good way, of course. A base of green tea and red rooibos, this tea brings together flavors of papaya, chocolate, strawberries and peppermint. I’ve gotta say– I had no idea how this one was going to brew up. But it was straight-up delightful! I can’t say I could pick out any of the aforementioned flavors specifically, other than a hint of fruit here and a touch of herbs there, may a slight chocolate aftertaste– but it all worked together surprisingly well. And for my hearty-tea-loving partner, it was just robust enough to satisfy his cravings without being overdone. And of course, a necessity for me– none of that trademarked medicinal aftertaste that I always fear might linger in a rooibos.
There may only be a few teas that my dude and I love to share together, but that list is now one tea longer with the addition of this blend from Culinary Teas. Yum!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos & Green blend
Where to Buy: Culinary Teas
Description
Here is an unusual but delicious combination celebrating mothers, the arrival of spring, and giving us an exotic lift with the flavors of rooibos and papaya.
We created this blend thinking of a Mom who always dreamed of traveling to distant tropical places but never had the opportunity. She loves green tea, strawberry, mint, and chocolate. So why not blend all of these together? To surprise her we added the rooibos and papaya pieces round out the blend.
This tea is low in caffeine and refreshing, taken hot or cold. It is perfect tea to enjoy while spending time with your Mom watching a late afternoon sunset. The light will intensify the rich color of the brew.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
A Calming Decaf Cup to put you on Cloud Nine from Autumn Bear Herbals
Smooth vanilla rooibos tea is a regular caffeine alternative of mine, though I will admit that red rooibos can be an acquired taste.
If overstepped, it can have medicine-like tones, but in a best case scenario, the rooibos has notes of caramel and nuts. Cloud Nine from Autumn Bear Herbals is driven by its vanilla rooibos base, though the ingredient list boasts a larger variety of flavors: sour jujube seeds, fragrant rose petals, lush chrysanthemum blossoms, and more.
The dry leaf is strongly scented with vanilla and rooibos, and looks bright and beautiful in the bag with rose petals and giant chrysanthemum blossoms. Brewed, the blend is still dominated by vanilla rooibos, though as the tea cools, more of the sour fruit and floral flavors are able to shine through.
This herbal blend will be a favorite for lovers of rooibos or when you need a decaf vanilla cup for a calming evening.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Autumn Bear Herbals
Description:
An uplifting organic herbal tea designed to enhance mood, soothe the nerves, and lift depression. Drink this blend to balance your Mood & elevate your Spirit!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Rooibos Masala Chai from Blue Lotus Chai
“Ready to savor in a moment” says the packaging, and it’s true: this tea is in a finely ground powder form, just mix it in your mug with hot water or milk and it’s ready to drink. I used the recommended ratio on the packaging, using a teaspoon of sweetener, and 50/50 hot water and hot (almond) milk. I used a stronger serving of the tea powder because I like my chai extra spicy. The powder is a rich, dark brown, smelling strongly of cloves and cinnamon. In the hot brew, the ginger brings its trademark heat and cardamom adds a pop of herbal warmth. It’s everything I want from a chai: the warm and spicy Christmas flavors, and since it’s rooibos, it’s decaf so I can drink it any time of day.
For future brewing, I would treat this like I do matcha, sifting the powder first for the smoothest blend, and whisking it to add a bit of foam on top. I always feel like it’s a challenge to get a chai spicy enough for my tastes, and this powdered tea style makes it easy to bring the heat. I might give this a try with hot water, no milk, and a slice of orange as an alternative brewing style. I just got a sample size of this tea to try it out, but I’ll have to order a full bag of rooibos masala chai from a Blue Lotus Chai sometime soon!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Red Rooibos (ground)
Where to Buy: Blue Lotus Chai
Description:
100% Certified organic and caffeine-free, our Rooibos Masala Chai appeals to a broad cross-section of customers. It has a similar taste profile to our Traditional Masala Chai, but with the delightful base of naturally sweet and nutty rooibos. Those who cannot or wish to not drink a caffeinated chai, can freely indulge in their favorite BLC drink.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!