7 Tasting Notes
Months ago this was my first Rooibos, and I’m just returning to it again. I remember finding it overpowering and woody in flavor, but chalk that up to poor memory, because I can’t attribute any of those qualities to the cup I am sipping today.
This time I only used 1 tsp for 8 oz. This resulted in a very mellow flavor with subtle red qualities. It’s just a plain Rooibos but in my opinion there is a lot going on in the flavor here. It actually reminds me of a Jasmine tea without any of the sweetness, and an earthy background to it.
Rooibos seems to be something that can be varied to each taster. Just increase the amount used or infusion time if you want a more intense flavor, or back off for a more subtle start that won’t overpower you.
Preparation
First off, this tea probably shouldn’t be sold loose. The tea isn’t whole leaf, instead there are a bunch of very small pellets of tea in the tin. I thought maybe they were just rolled leaves, but when I measure out a teaspoon I get a lot of fine tea-dust (to clog up whatever I steep in). I put the tea in a tea-ball and shook the ball and I got about 1/4 teaspoon of tea-dust falling out of it.
The aroma is quite nice before but the final taste leaves a lot to be desired. The tea is rather bitter, almost sour, and not a lot else. I was expecting more flavor from the smell, but there’s really nothing else going on here.
