Nil Rouge

A friend gave me a cup of this, and I was a bit suspicious at first. I don’t normally like rooibos tea, but this particular type was a winner! It was a bit citrusy, a bit spicy, and a bit floral, but not too much of any of those. I don’t really know what else to say but if you (like me) generally avoid rooibos, this one is worth a try!

Not at all sure what to expect from this one, but it seems appropriate for my bedtime tea before my trip to be from MF. Thanks, cteresa, for this sample!

Brewed at 90 degrees for about 4 minutes (didn’t have the patience for the full 5), it smells wonderful, full and spicy, which will be interesting as I’ve not encounterec a rooibos with only spice in it before. It’s very refreshing – and I can’t help but wonder if I should have brewed this for the full time after all! The spice is definitely there, and the floral tones are subtle, but I think I’m missing something here as not even the pungent rooibos is coming through very clearly. It seems to me like this might taste better on a hot day nearer the Nile, rather than a freezing night in England…

Sadly as I’m doing this from a tablet computer I can’t use the sliding scores, so I’ll leave that for when I next try this very promising tea :)

cteresa kindly sent me a sample of this, and I was very excited to try it, especially as we seem to share rooibos tastes and Mariage Freres teas are not easy to get over here! Glad to say we still seem to share tastes of rooibos(es?) – er, rooibos blends, as I liked this one a lot. Not quite as much as Yumchaa’s Chilli Chilli Bang Bang, but I’d have been sad if I had preferred it to the Yumchaa, for reasons of unavailability mentioned above.

I brewed up the whole sample in my Cha Cult (which cteresa and I both also happened to get from Yumchaa and which works perfectly for rooibos) last night and then shared out big cups between Cara and myself. I liked the rooibos base a lot – it has that good woody taste, that isn’t at all dusty or bitter but has a hint of vanilla I think – and the citrus flavours were lovely. Like others, I didn’t even know what I should be looking out for in the “Oriental spices”, and, perhaps for that reason, didn’t get much spicyness, but it was so flavourful I didn’t mind that.

Thanks again for the sample, cteresa!

Definitely one of my favorites rooibos
The blend is both subtle (much more than Rouge Rushka) and not so subtle (less than Marco Polo Rouge). The citrus scent can be very easily identified but it’s nicely blended with other flavors that do not make the citrusy taste overwhelming. I’m currently drinking the second half of my second box of this tea. I’m not sure I will replenish this supply at Christmas, but I know for sure I’ll buy it again in the next years.
Depending on the moments, I tend to prefer Rouge Bourbon when I’m in the mood for a sweet sugary-feeling vanilla taste, or Marco Polo Rouge, when I’m in the mood for a very mellow evening drink, or this Nil Rouge, when I feel like having a drink feeling slightly more refreshing.

Nice, so nice, now a staple for me. Though admittedly I also love the original Thé sur le Nil. Description is rooibos with citrus, lemongrass, “oriental” spices and marigold petals. I am not so sure I detect the spices or any flavour from the petals, so a citrusy lemongrass-y good rooibos. Very good and pleasant, I love rooibos with citrus and this is so very good.

This is a very good red tea – not as powerful as Surabaya, but still very yummy. There is a pervasive but not overpowering citrus, plus hints of sweet spiciness that I haven’t fully identified yet, because they are interwoven with the natural sweetness of the rooibos. I prefer this one without milk and sugar; just my preference for teas with a citrus base.

I found this tea on my first trip to Paris. I was looking for a decaf tea that had a little citrus flavor and this was the first tea that was suggested. It smelled delicious, citrus-y and a tiny bit floral. I am also not a fan of rooibis but I love this tea and buy it when either I return to Paris or a friend goes :-)