Carrot Cake Rooibos

Now that I’ve decided I don’t hate rooibos after all I thought it was time to try this blend because carrot cake is one of my favorite desserts. This was steeped for around 8 minutes at 208 F.

First off, this smells amazing in the cup as I am sitting here, it’s like maple heaven! With my first sip I’m getting the traditional carrot cake spices like cinnamon and maple. I am picking up on a touch of clove and ginger as well as a slight raisin element. I added soymilk to mine which definitely has upped the creaminess factor. I did not feel this needed sugar at all. The base of this tea is a honeybush/rooibos blend which works well here, I think. The aftertaste here is very “clove” which I don’t mind at all.

I did not pick up on a lot of carrot or coconut but no matter, this is pretty yummy. I would definitely drink often this as a dessert tea, as it’s a bit one the sweeter side even without added sugar. It is certainly a bonus that this tea has no sour aromas that I so often associate with rooibos.

I think I’ve discovered a new favorite vendor for herbal blends. Not a dud in the bunch so far with Fusion Tea Room, I’m excited to try the others I got!

My first selection from Tea Sipper’s Here’s Hoping Traveling Tea Box!

It truly has carrot cake qualities. The spice, the gentle sweetness, even some cake-ness! I drank my cup in a flash. My husband found this one to be excellent, too. Not only have I never had a carrot cake tea, but I’ve never sampled a tea from Fusion Teas yet, so this was a double treat I most likely would not have had if it wasn’t for the traveling tea box. So glad to be a part of it!

Here is a picture I took of everything in the box as it was sent to me. There are so many teas I couldn’t even fit them in the photo!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jackiemania/8599265002/

!!!

Wow, Uniquity, thanks for the sample! This is good. It’s nutty and spicy and desserty. It’s got a weird hint of sourness, but it may be because I literally steeped it for 45 mins while I had dinner. I think it could use a bit of vanilla to smooth out the flavors and make it feel even more dessert like. A bit of rock sugar makes it special.

There is that woodiness that often accompanies a rooibos, but I’m really getting used to it. I pretty take it for granted, which allows me to enjoy the flavors on top. I glad I tried this tonight instead of the chai I was considering. :)
It would make a good liquid for cake or pudding or something. Or a cocktail. I’m sleepy. Good night Steepster!

I was waffling over making another cup of tea last night as it was midnight, but I was still yelling at my microeconomics homework, claiming it had calculus when it did not. So this being a rooibos, it made sense.

I honestly do not know why I even made this. Carrot cake is the only cake I would ever turn down, except in cases where I really want cake then it doesn’t matter. I’m not sure why I thought carrot cake tea might be better.

It. Was. Not.

First I knew we were going to be having problems because the smell of red rooibos was overpoweringly medicinal in this one. And now I can’t remember if I was doing well with dessert rooiboses or not…I think I was. So I had thought I’d be fine.

And then I took a sip. And it was just too much grossness for me. It first tasted like it’d be good but I don’t know where we went wrong. I could only take that sip and then I made a mad dash for the sink.

That one that comes up with a green rooibos base sounds like something I could do, this one will be returning to a tea box as it is not for me.

Fusion gets my vote for having the most inspired and well-thought out blends! I mean, look at that ingredient list! It’s a bunch of the things you would actually find in a carrot cake! I love a nice piece of carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. I tried to shake up my sample pouch, but I think I got more of the bigger things in my infuser than the actual rooibos. Infused, the color is the most orange I have ever seen a cup of tea! Of course it should be orange! The scent and flavor is JUST like carrot cake! The right amount of spicey and delicious! I think the maple brittle (!) acted as the frosting… because it even seemed like I was getting a frosting flavor there. I think I was even sort of chewing a bit while I was drinking this! Fusion is amazing, as usual!

Tea #23 from the ‘Here’s Hoping’ teabox.

Backlogging.

I had to try this tea just because of the name. I figured I would not be a fan since it’s rooibos based, but it was actually pretty good. Lots of spices mixed in with the carrot, walnut and raisins. Very tasty. I love the sweetness (which I assume is from the maple brittle) because it was just the right amount of sweet for the tea. Not too much, but no need to add sugar. Every now and then the rooibos flavor was stronger than I would have liked, but all in all a great herbal blend!

First off, apologies to Fusion tea room for taking so long to review this generous sample. I mean to finish the last few off a few weeks back but things went sideways after my paternal grandfather passed away. But here I am with a mug of Carrot Cake in front of me. Honestly, I am worried about this one as I get more cinnamon than I would smell in the dry ‘leaves’. Steeped, the liquor is very dark but really does smell like Carrot Cake once you get past the dry cinnamon smell.

Here goes! First sips are very sweet (candied sugar sweet) then I get a hint of smokey flavour and an aftertaste of cinnamon sugar. Once I am done sipping, it is definitely true to carrot cake taste – not so much in the sip itself but in the lingering tastes. Honestly, this cup is a bit sweeter than I can stand, likely because of the hunks of dried fruit I saw in my infuser. This level of sweetness is a bit much for me so I think I will try it again another time, after checking the components in my infuser!

As it cools it is losing some of that over-bearing sweetness and is more of a cinnamon sugar flavour, with echos of raisins and icing. Still over the top but probably ideal for a dessert or sweet tea lover.

What a creative blend of flavors! The aroma and taste are what you would expect for a Carrot Cake Flavored ANYTHING :)

The Maple Brittle seems to enhance all of the other flavors. This is very sweet and I really don’t think any additional sweetener is required.

The Ginger, Cinnamon, Cloves aren’t prominent flavors but certainly contribute to the overall taste. The Walnut, Carrots, Raisins, Coconut, and Maple Brittle flavors are more in the fore-front. The Rooibos and Honeybush are well covered from their stereotypical taste for those who tend to shy away from it – they may want to give this one a whirl.

This is very aromatic and very flavorful! Very well done.

Steeped per instructions printed on label. I don’t remember the last time I had rooibus. I have never had honeybush before, which is also in here. I looked at the dry leaf and wondered, am I supposed to drink this or eat it? Whole walnuts, raisins, pieces of carrot in the mix. The leaf (bark, whatever rooibus and honeybush are) looks kind of like redwood chips. The steeping pot smells awesome. This would make a great potpourri if it isn’t tasty.

In the pot this is murky, reddish brown, and mysterious. The cup smells kind of rooibus but with the spices it takes on more of a cherry aroma. I steep 9 minutes and there is no bitterness, and nothing harsh. No one flavor really jumps out. All of this mixes together really well. The rooibus is tamed, so it is not the horse stall straw taste I normally associate it with. I can’t say anything in this makes me think carrot cake other than the label. That being said, the aroma is wonderful. The taste is solid and well thought out. Normally when there is this many ingredients (11 listed) I find it over done, but that isn’t the case here. This is an excellently flavored rooibus. Hey, and the after cup aroma is amazing as well. The second cup was just as tasty as the first.

A serious thank you TeaEqualsBliss for sharing this sample. I can’t believe I am about to give a rooibus a 90+ rating.

This smells intoxicating – walnuts and spices. The taste is the same, but with an added sweetness that makes it more cake-y. DELICIOUS!

This is my #5 sample from the TTB-A.
The flavors are very rich & buttery, almost overly so. It’s been years since I had carrot cake, due to my inability to eat Dairy & gluten, so I can’t say for sure if this mimics the taste or not, but it’s spicey & tasty, that’s for sure. I’ve been wanting to try more rooibos blends, mainly to wean myself from drinking caffeine all the way into the evening. My teas of choice tend to be straight whole leaf teas. This TTB is filled with dessert teas of all kinds, including quite a few rooibos blends. The interesting thing is that drinking dessert teas tends to make me want a stout Black tea to have with my ‘dessert’!

I’m loving this Rooibos. Thank you Fusion for satisfying my sweet craving for Carrot Cake in a healthier beverage. It’s a smooth drink with the authentic taste of carrot cake…hints of cinnamon, walnuts & maple in the background? I did add a little organic sugar to brighten it up a bit. It smells great right out of the bag & it brews a great orange-earthy color
This Carrot Cake Rooibos was the 1st reason that attracted me to Fusion Tea Room, but once I saw the selection I was impressed by the variety…I’m now looking forward to all the other selections and trying all the generous samples that were included in my order.