Chocolate Orange

Hello rooibos my old friend [?], I’ve come to talk with you again. Ugh. Now I have Simon and Garfunkel rattling around inside my head.

One thing I think I can say with certainty is that as much as I haven’t cared for the Necessiteas flavored greens and have even had a strike out with one of their flavored blacks, they do rooibos blends pretty well. I am hardly an expert on the point, but I suspect that rooibos is pretty forgiving when it comes to being a base for blends. Still, I’ve had ones that were too noisy, so it’s obviously not a foolproof base. Or perhaps some people just like noisy rooibos and find those blends successful and the ones I like the disasters instead.

Be that as it may, this one did remind me more than usual of the covering of the bottom of a hamster cage, but I think it is because of the huge honking hunks of orange peel in the mix that make the rooibos look so backgroundy. And the chocolate poking up from underneath. Which as it turns out, is an accurate visual representation of the taste.

The aroma, though, is somewhat orange-medicinal, like a kids’ liquid medicine.

The flavor is a strong orange flavor that isn’t sweet, rich, or candy like as the orange flavors I’ve particularly enjoyed are. This one is slightly tart and a tiny bit bitter, but not in an entirely bad way. It basically has the character of orange peel, which is to say it tastes like what it is. No surprise there. Behind the orange is the rooibos, an appley note that stands between the orange and the chocolate which isn’t really much more than a warm cocoa undercurrent. Sometimes the rooibos and the chocolate change places. It’s not consistent, though.

The aftertaste is pretty strong on the rooibos. Which is not the best way to end.

I preferred the Peppermint Pattie, but this isn’t bad if you like flavored rooibos.

Steep Information:
Amount: 2 tsp
Water: 2 zarafina cups filtered water
Tool: Zarafina herbal-loose-strong
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: exactly like “Terry’s Milk Chocolate Orange Ball”
Steeped Tea Smell: exactly like “Terry’s Milk Chocolate Orange Ball”
Flavor: orange, hints of rooibos and chocolate
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: hints of sweet chocolate
Liquor: translucent dark orange-brown

Oh my did the tiny rooibos chips make a mess inside the zarafina! They escaped the mesh basket and got everywhere.

On the other hand this is a delicious caffeine free dessert tea.

Resteep: zarafina herbal-loose-strong
Orange colored water, this is not resteepable – at least at whatever time the zarafina uses for strong.

Images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/04/thenecessiteas-loose-leaf-rooibos-tea.html