I’m cultivating a cold at the moment, so now isn’t the best time for me to be trying new teas. There’s plenty of this to go around, though, and I know it’ll cheer me up, so I’m going to do it anyway.
I actually ordered this just before christmas, but have only just got around to trying it. On opening the caddy, I can immediately smell a warm, clementine-scented, slightly spicy aroma. I know it’s March now, but it does make me feel surprisingly christmassy. At the same time, it’s very fresh and clean smelling, probably thanks to the orange, so I’m not too sad to have missed the christmas boat and be drinking this in early spring. It’s actually snowing right now, so I guess I’m just splitting hairs really.
Dry, this tea is actually quite pretty. I don’t usually think that about rooibos, but it’s true here. There’s the reddy-brown rooibos, the pieces of orange, and the fine red strands of safflower. It looks really appealing. Brewed, it develops a deep red-brown liquor, and a scent that is earthy and orangey in equal measure. I added milk on this occasion, because I’m hoping it’ll add a slight creaminess. I often find rooibos quite harsh in flavour, so I’m hoping this will soften that aspect and let the orange and cinnamon shine.
The predominant taste here is orange, along with an earthy robustness from the rooibos. I can’t really detect any cinnamon or spice, except perhaps as a very slight warmth in the aftertaste. It seems a little flat, but the orange is very juicy and pleasant. The scent is actually almost like kia-ora, although the taste is, thankfully, closer to fresh clementine.
For a rooibos blend, this isn’t half bad. I was expecting to only really be able to taste the base tea, but the orange here is surprisingly strong. This is one I’m definietly going to enjoy having around for a while yet!
