This smells kind of like coffee at a hotel that’s been sitting on the burner at the breakfast buffet since 6am… and it’s almost noon. So yeah, a strong coffee smell. But there’s also a wee bit of chocolate and a fair amount of woody rooibos that is balancing on that icky sour edge.
The flavor is very similar to tiramisu without the creamy and cake taste – so basically it is very coffee-like. It’s strong and bold and surprising but kinda nifty. The one concern is the post-swallow aftertaste that seems very woody (though thankfully not sour), but that decreases as continuous sipping causes the coffee and cocoa tastes to build. So good.
It’s not the best rooibos I’ve ever had but it’s pretty good. The flavoring covers up the rooibos well (versus working with it) so I find it very drinkable. Not sure if I’ll crave it but this one can go into the lineup when I need something decaf.
