Country of Origin: South Africa
Leaf Appearance: varied shades of brown, peppercorns added a nice punch of color
Ingredients: rooibos, coconut, cinnamon, ginger root, cardamom, cloves, pink peppercorns, artificial and natural flavoring
Steep time: 5 minutes
Water Temperature: 205 degrees
Preparation Method: ceramic teacup and mesh infuser
Liquor: cloudy red
I sampled this tea as part of my David’s Teas 24 Days of Tea advent calendar. The aroma of the dry leaves and liquor was very strong. It filled my kitchen with the smell of festive spices. It tasted exactly like Big Red chewing gum. That is not necessarily a bad thing. I used to be a pretty big fan of cinnamon gum. However, this herbal blend didn’t quite live up to its name. It was all woodsy sweetness and cinnamon. I couldn’t even taste the coconut beyond a sweetness in the finish of each sip. When I think chai, I expect to have a bit more of a kick and I want to be able to taste all of the spices. That did not happen here. If this tea was named differently I might have liked it a lot more. Since it is rooibos based, this would make a decent before bed sip. I can’t explain why but I just love the way pink peppercorns in look in tea. They don’t seem to add much as far as flavor but they do lend a nice punch of color.
You can find out more about this tea here.
I find that teas with sugary ingredients taste less sophisticated, perhaps, than the types that taste like the leaves of the plant. Teavana teas are good, but very sweet.
Thanks for commenting Todd! Although I have a sweet tooth, I prefer tea without sugary ingredients.