Berry Rooibos

I used 3 tsp tisane and 20 oz water, scant tsp tupelo honey in each cup.

WOW! This is the most interesting and delicious rooibos I have ever had the pleasure of drinking! First things first – not for the hibiscus haters. Even though it’s extremely berry tasting, particularly blueberries to my palate, it definitely has the tart hibiscus thing going on. Honey tempers it into a delicious sweet tart flavor. I tasted a dried almost candied fruit flavor, and the rooibos just brought everything down to earth. I didn’t find this tea woody at all. I loved it!! It was a revelation.

I also have to take special note of the tin Samovar used for this! It has a lid, and then has ANOTHER lid inside that lid to keep the tisane extra fresh and I assume keep the aroma of the extremely fragrant berries from filling your entire tea cabinet! I don’t know if they use this style tin for all of their teas, but it’s brilliant design!

I might have to spend a little bit more time with this tea to properly peg it. The dry not-leaves and even the brewed tea smell like these (really tasty) fruit gummies I get at Costco. Oh, sure, they are called ‘fruit mini-bites’ but they are gummies. http://www.sunrypeusa.com/viewproduct_us.php?line=9&group=1 And that’s what this tea smells like. Which is pretty awesome.

The taste was much more… exotic, however. Not as sweet and with a woody follow up (hello rooibos!). The rooibos in this isn’t bad though – it’s not sickeningly sweet like so many rooibos. This one just tastes of dry, clean, nicely sanded wood planks. Covered in berry preserves. There’s a tang that isn’t quite tartness but it really brings to mind the taste of dark berries. Boysenberries, blueberries, grapes, blackcurrants…

I was missing the sweetness from the smell though so I tried it with a little sugar. The woody rooibos pretty much disappeared but the berry flavor was much more… normal. Kind of dull, like any old herbal tea and I think the sugar accentuated the tartness a little. So I tried at second steep (7 minutes) with no sugar.

I think the second steep was my favorite. Still berry-y and a tiny, minuscule hint of wood, but it wasn’t as overpoweringly flavored as the first cup, which was so strong it made me thirsty for some good ole water. I’m going to have to revisit this tea before I can fully judge it, perhaps with a slightly shorter steep time on the first steep. Right now, though, I could see potentially picking some up to expand my painfully thin decaf tea selection.

This is really quite good. I was a little worried when I read the description of this tea because I’m not particularly fond of tart… but, this is “tart in a good way.” And what I mean by that is that it is not really pucker-y or sour, but more of a sweet-tart kind of tart… but without that candy taste.

The berry flavor is really pronounced here, and it overpowers the flavor of the rooibos, which is quite alright with me.

I found this to be rather enjoyable. A nice tea to sip in the evening.

Steep Information:
Amount: 4 tsp
Water: Boiling
Tool: Bee House Ceramic Round Teapot
Steep Time: a little over 5 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: berry, perfume, rooibos (woody), sweet
Steeped Tea Smell: strawberry, blueberry
Flavor: Strawberry, Blueberry
Body: medium
Aftertaste: woody (rooibos)
Liquor: translucent dark red-brown

Post-Steep Additives: 1 tsp honey, brought the berry out more as a sweet berry

Resteep: 10+ minutes, weaker, but still a good cup of tea

Recieved from JacquelineM in the Hoppitea swap

http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2011/05/samovar-loose-leaf-herbal-tisane-berry.html

Decided to brew this delicious herbal infusion after receiving it in my Diggnation “Hippie Glenn” Tea Set. The first thing that hit me about this tea is it’s amazing aroma. Hints of blueberry, orange, and hibiscus float gently off of this red, almost fruit punch looking brew. The flavor profile reminds me of blueberry pie, with a tart kick and creamy mellow finish that is dominated by the schizandra. Simply spectacular. As a less than frequent herbal drinker, I must say that this infusion may become a part of my daily routine.

Fantastic! – very berry – very fruity – very tasty … I had a sample pouch that I finally used this afternoon. I’m hooked and I will be buying a tin

I wasn’t sure about the smell when I first opened the tin, but the flavor has turned out to be delicious. Very tart, but with enough sweetness to balance it out.