This rooibos smelled delicious in leaf form – not medicinal at all, with bright orange notes that seemed very fresh! The look of the loose tea was, as is usual with ESP Emporium teas, disappointing when compared to the picture. There were fewer oranges than pictured, and the ones that were there were 2-3 times the size of the pictured ones… the size makes it difficult to scoop, and unless you break them into smaller bits yourself, its unlikely that you’ll get an orange piece in each cup. Can’t complain about the carrots, though – they were numerous and seemed well dispersed among the bagged leaves.
The taste is okay, for a rooibos. A little overly sweet, even at one Stevia packet per liter, but the floral rooibos flavor is pretty muted. The orange tastes pretty artifical, but its not a deal breaker for me. I’m not sure what the carrots add outside of making the spent tea leaves look like they’ve been sprinkled with cheddar shreds, but they’re certainly not a detriment. This is one of the better rooibos teas I’ve had.
