Organic African Nectar

The first thing I noticed about this tea, right when I took it out of the packaging, was its scent. It was robustly rooibos, with a little extra hidden in there. My nose is not so keen, so I can’t fully explain it. I really liked the filterbags the tea comes in. They’re quite interesting, and I would actually prefer this kind to the conventional ones.

The flavor is nice, and the aftertaste even better. It’s warm and soothing, but at the back of the mouth, very cooling at the same time. It makes my mouth feel a bit refreshed. Definitely flowery and woody. I can’t say I’m completely wowed, but it is quite nice and relaxing to drink. I wouldn’t say it’s very sweet on its own (as I didn’t add sugar), but it’s not bitter either, more neutral.

Overall impression: Very woody, flowery taste. Nice scent. Cooling but warm.

Yes. I just received my order from Mighty Leaf this week and am slowly going through all of my selection. Most of the teas I ordered are black base, so it will take me a long while to get to trying them all.

This tea is divine. I suggest letting the water cool a wee bit after it boils before adding it to the tea to prevent the rooibos bitterness happening. The flavour is deep, earthy, rich, with a good jolt of citrus and something a bit sweet and rose-flavoured. Also, the flavour is nice as it cools. I will be keeping this tea handy.

This is a tasty rooibos with a tropical, woody scent. I would caution, however, that one really needs to steep this longer in order to balance out the flavors. With a short steep I found this to be too floral and sour.

For me the color and aroma really shine, helping to make this a more pleasant experience, even if I get a bit tired of the tea by the time I finish the cup—there’s something cumulative about the astringency here, and by the end it’s detectably metallic.

It seems like most of the reviews of this tea are from people who don’t like rooibos, so I don’t think it’s been given a fair shake.
This is a nice tea. Perfectly balanced, fruity but not cloying, very high quality. I taste mango, peach, and papaya. Nice woodsy finish from the rooibos.
Also worth noting is the amount of labor that must go into producing these tea sachets! They’re sewn with string, almost like embroidery work along the edges.

I love the way Rooibos tastes and many flavored varieties are too strongly flavored but this one is very gentle.

Upon opening the paper package that the tea bag came in I can immediately smell the tea; unfortunately it smelled like strong cough syrup to me. The silk tea pouch with sewn edges looked very nice though, it definitely adds to the experience.

Once hot water is added the heated smell is less like cough syrup and and more pleasant like fruit and flowers, and I could identify the mangos. I checked the ingredient list and saw no mangos, but just a second later realized it was in the “natural flavours”. It was an odd moment expecting to see mango in the list but didn’t, perhaps it would help to list it in brackets.

The tea is mild and thin-bodied, reddish orange liquor, and does not have a lot of depth, but I could smell the fruit while I drink it. It leaves a minty kind of aftertaste in the mouth that reminds me of peppermint, and sometimes at the very end a whiff of honey. It will probably not go well with milk as it does not have the astringency (being a rooibos) to offset the milk. It needs more character for my taste, but I can see it go well with fruit pieces as an iced tea.

For a bagged tea, this is pretty good. Rooibos has grown on me over time. I don’t find this one too overbearing in flavor and the slightly sweet tropical flavors were a nice complement to the tea.

As an indication of my true feelings about rooibos, this Organic African Nectar is one of the last varieties left to try in my MIghty Leaf sampler box! I see from the company’s description that rooibos is said to be good for us: packed with antioxidants and all that jazz. Good to know that it has some redeeming qualities.

This is not bad, mind you, but it is essentially rooibos. The brew is bright orange-red and tastes primarily of rooibos. Are there connoisseurs who distinguish fine grades of rooibos? Or is comparing rooibos infusions rather like comparing types of light beer?

I’m sure that this is fine for those who like rooibos. I believe that I enjoyed the Palais des Thés rooibos blends a bit more, because I could really taste some of the other flavors. Here I don’t detect the marigold and don’t even really notice the hibiscus. I would not say that this blend is unpleasant, but it’s definitely not something for which I anticipate a craving in the future.

(Blazing New Rating #40)

Great Canadian TTB

First of all, this is my first travelling teabox and this thing is seriously packed full of goodies. I am so grateful to be apart of it so thank you to everyone involved. I was so excited to just dive right in.

This tea was close to the top and in a teabag which meant easy brewing. I really didn’t expect much beyond a rooibosy flavor and that is what I am getting. However, it is a very nice rooibos, neither medicinal nor woodsy. Just smooth and sweet and really quite nice. With that said, I don’t think I would buy it myself as it is really sort of nondescript and forgettable. Though it is nice to try. Thanks Dexter3657 for including it in the box :)

I bought a couple of the Mighty Leaf Master Samplers just after Christmas because I knew I’d be doing a lot of events this year. However much I like my loose tea, tea bags are far more convenient when I’m running around away from my desk, and they mean I can get in my daily tea without feeling too guilty about it. As tea bags go, these are pretty good. They’re huge, for a start, and I love the way they’re sewn round the outside — it’s too cute! The tea inside is almost loose quality, too, so I’ve no real complaints.

My first choice this morning was Organic African Nectar. As rooibos goes, it’s one of the nicest I’ve tried. The tropical fruit flavours and the hint of vanilla are the standouts here, and the rooibos keeps itself to itself in the background. I can taste mango, primariy — juicy yet slightly peppery — maybe a hint of pineapple? It’s a great, tasty mid-morning treat, and it did make me feel marginally less grumpy about spending Saturday at work. So there you go. Tea really does make everything better!