70

Didn’t know what I wanted on this grump-tastic day. This came in the mail so I figured, sure, why the heck not.

1.8g in this tea bag. ROT’s bag size doesn’t thrilled me. But whatever. It smells good though. Exactly like chocolate covered strawberries. But once it starts brewing, the sour wood smell of rooibos is apparent. Meh. Whatever, we’ll give it a go. Maybe the sourness will blend well with the tart, fresh strawberry smell which I hope translates to taste.

Okay, my 18-year old arthritic and not-so-steady-on-her-feet kitty just traversed a table, two chairs, and a chasm between a chair and the couch to get to me for love so at this point, this could be the worst tea ever and my day has gotten pretty awesome. That was quite a feat for her! (She had to go via such a route because she physically can’t jump up to the couch directly and her stairs up are up to the chair on the other side of the living room).

Well, the good news is, this tea is not horrible. Nowhere near as cool as my kitty, but then what really is? (Nothing. Just in case you were curious. Nothing is.) It tastes pretty sweet but there is a little tart, too. Sort of like fresh strawberries with a dash of strawberry jam. The chocolate comes in mostly on the aftertaste for me but it is distinctively chocolate.. I can taste some ick from the rooibos hiding underneath everything, but eh. It’s not that bad. A little like moldy wood but not as obvious as I feared based on the smell. Easy enough to acknowledge and then attempt to ignore.

I could almost see myself buying this. Of course when I imagine it, most of the scenarios I come up with end with me giving it to my mom and just having a cup every so often when I visit. But still, that’s a lot better than I was expecting. A lot. Hordes. I don’t totally trust it though. I almost feel that I like it so much because it wasn’t disgusting and I was expecting to be disgusted. This tea and GM’s White Licorice tie for the ‘Weird Tea I Thought I’d Hate But Ended Up Liking But Maybe I Just Like It Because I Didn’t Hate It’ tea award. I kind of want to own about 5 servings of this so I can give it a proper taste run.

Preparation
Boiling 7 min, 0 sec
Cofftea

I’m not thrilled w/ their weight, but I am surprised at the strength of them (I’ve only tried two though) considering the weight.

Fred

The moldy wood part is what turns me off!

takgoti

I’d like to see you get the trophies get engraved for that award. Maybe ones with a little bowling figure on top or something equally appropriate.

Ricky

At least it sounds better than Comfort and Joy. A few weeks ago I thought cats only lived to ten. Ahhh, silly kitty (4.5yrs) is pawing me at the moment because she wants to play (except for the fact she doesn’t realize the claws on her paw actually hurt). I thought they only lived till ten cause she’s been in surgery twice already =(

Auggy

@Fred, I’m generally not a rooibos fan but this was actually pretty good. The moldy wood was there but it was pretty easy for me to ignore so I consider it a win.
@takgoti, I’m so incredibly tempted to try to find trophies that would be tea-appropriate. Do they make hot dog eating champion trophies? Because it’s kinda the same genre of competition, right?
@Ricky, Most things are better than Comfort and Joy. :) Also, I’ve read somewhere that the average age of a free-roaming cat is 3yo and the average for an inside cat is about 15. My 18 year old has had a few health scares (she now lives in the master bathroom most of the time because of her last one) but for her age she’s doing really great.

LENA

Ooh, I guess I can expect a new RoT catalog soon. I never order anything, but I always look forward to receiving their lone teabag, which usually sucks. Easily amused, I guess.
Since meeting my husband (who is a cat man) I’ve mostly converted to being a cat lover. Before that, I was all about dogs. I guess it takes a special cat to bring a person around.

Cofftea

@LENA, another one? I just got mine before Christmas!

Angrboda

Hey, I just realised that apparently I can have a catalogue sent all the way over here, so we’re trying that out. They can’t put VAT and customs fees on that, can they?

Fred

@Auggy The only rooibos I have tried was from the samples when you go into Teavana….which by the way is very overpriced for the quality. They tasted ok i guess sort of like cough syrupy flavor as far as i remember. Maybe it was just the particular blend that day. They like to mix two types together there.

takgoti

@Auggy http://bit.ly/7rhZ9a [Wow…that looks incredibly inappropriate. My inner adolescent is giggling uncontrollably.]

Auggy

@Fred, as a general rule in my world (no clue about yours), Teavana samples are evil. The cough syrupy flavor though would probably be some noxious fruit tea plus honey. Not that I feel one way or another about Teavana or anything.

@takgoti, OMG. Are you sure that’s for hot dog eating???

Fred

@Auggy Haha. In my world Teavana is evil. I go in there just to take a look at the teapots but then get bombarded by people trying to sell me tea who know less about tea than I do. Plus I realized that my main tea supplier tea trekker has way better quality tea which is a lot cheaper per oz.

Jillian

@Takgoti: Ahahahaha! I wonder if the winner is compensating for ‘something’ with the size of that trophy…. XDDD

LENA

I’m trying to think of something witty to say about that trophy….nothing coming to mind other than BahahHAHAHA!

Shanti

Aww, good job kitty! On a tea-related note, I have still not tried rooibos tea yet…the descriptions of “sour wood” are scaring me!

takgoti

@Shanti If I told you that rooibos reads as sweet and woody to me would that help? I don’t know whose you have vendor wise, but I wouldn’t call rooibos a shocking, holy-shizz-spit-it-out kind of taste. I consider it a mild taste. Then again, I like it. Can anyone who doesn’t like rooibos confirm or deny?

Angrboda

I don’t care much for rooibos, but I’d go with sour rather than sweet. Bit like unripe berries. I agree about the woody, though.

Auggy

I would agree takgoti’s statement, too. Overall it is a mild woody taste which you may or may not like (and I think can probably vary, too, with how well it works with the other flavors in there… though straight I kinda think it tastes particle board).

teaplz

Rooibos to me is woodsy sweet. In a weird way, sort of like if pencil sharpener shavings actually tasted good.

Okay, that sounds unappetizing, but… I’ve only had rooibos mixed with stuff or flavored. Never alone. So I can’t speak for its unaltered taste. But it’s pretty mild.

Pamela Dean

I made a cup of plain rooibos right next to a cup of plain honeybush. (i like both, btw) To me, they are both woodsy, but the rooibos has a bit of a tanginess whereas the honeybush is sweeter (no tang). Next I will be comparing the green, unfermented versions of both of these. I reckon the rooibos acquires the tang (or sourness) during fermentation.

Pamela Dean

Aw gee, I miss my kitties :( The asthma and arthritis have made them absent from my apartment. But I sure enjoy giving a friendly kitty a rub when I go out, after which I come home and wash hands, sigh. Please keep ‘em inside for long hair-on-the-cushions life, and enjoy them while ya’ got ’em!

Auggy

I’d agree with the rooibos/honeybush comparison. I’m not in love with either of them but have had more success with honeybush. I haven’t seen a green version of it though. If you find/know one, let me know because I’d be interested to try it, too!

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Comments

Cofftea

I’m not thrilled w/ their weight, but I am surprised at the strength of them (I’ve only tried two though) considering the weight.

Fred

The moldy wood part is what turns me off!

takgoti

I’d like to see you get the trophies get engraved for that award. Maybe ones with a little bowling figure on top or something equally appropriate.

Ricky

At least it sounds better than Comfort and Joy. A few weeks ago I thought cats only lived to ten. Ahhh, silly kitty (4.5yrs) is pawing me at the moment because she wants to play (except for the fact she doesn’t realize the claws on her paw actually hurt). I thought they only lived till ten cause she’s been in surgery twice already =(

Auggy

@Fred, I’m generally not a rooibos fan but this was actually pretty good. The moldy wood was there but it was pretty easy for me to ignore so I consider it a win.
@takgoti, I’m so incredibly tempted to try to find trophies that would be tea-appropriate. Do they make hot dog eating champion trophies? Because it’s kinda the same genre of competition, right?
@Ricky, Most things are better than Comfort and Joy. :) Also, I’ve read somewhere that the average age of a free-roaming cat is 3yo and the average for an inside cat is about 15. My 18 year old has had a few health scares (she now lives in the master bathroom most of the time because of her last one) but for her age she’s doing really great.

LENA

Ooh, I guess I can expect a new RoT catalog soon. I never order anything, but I always look forward to receiving their lone teabag, which usually sucks. Easily amused, I guess.
Since meeting my husband (who is a cat man) I’ve mostly converted to being a cat lover. Before that, I was all about dogs. I guess it takes a special cat to bring a person around.

Cofftea

@LENA, another one? I just got mine before Christmas!

Angrboda

Hey, I just realised that apparently I can have a catalogue sent all the way over here, so we’re trying that out. They can’t put VAT and customs fees on that, can they?

Fred

@Auggy The only rooibos I have tried was from the samples when you go into Teavana….which by the way is very overpriced for the quality. They tasted ok i guess sort of like cough syrupy flavor as far as i remember. Maybe it was just the particular blend that day. They like to mix two types together there.

takgoti

@Auggy http://bit.ly/7rhZ9a [Wow…that looks incredibly inappropriate. My inner adolescent is giggling uncontrollably.]

Auggy

@Fred, as a general rule in my world (no clue about yours), Teavana samples are evil. The cough syrupy flavor though would probably be some noxious fruit tea plus honey. Not that I feel one way or another about Teavana or anything.

@takgoti, OMG. Are you sure that’s for hot dog eating???

Fred

@Auggy Haha. In my world Teavana is evil. I go in there just to take a look at the teapots but then get bombarded by people trying to sell me tea who know less about tea than I do. Plus I realized that my main tea supplier tea trekker has way better quality tea which is a lot cheaper per oz.

Jillian

@Takgoti: Ahahahaha! I wonder if the winner is compensating for ‘something’ with the size of that trophy…. XDDD

LENA

I’m trying to think of something witty to say about that trophy….nothing coming to mind other than BahahHAHAHA!

Shanti

Aww, good job kitty! On a tea-related note, I have still not tried rooibos tea yet…the descriptions of “sour wood” are scaring me!

takgoti

@Shanti If I told you that rooibos reads as sweet and woody to me would that help? I don’t know whose you have vendor wise, but I wouldn’t call rooibos a shocking, holy-shizz-spit-it-out kind of taste. I consider it a mild taste. Then again, I like it. Can anyone who doesn’t like rooibos confirm or deny?

Angrboda

I don’t care much for rooibos, but I’d go with sour rather than sweet. Bit like unripe berries. I agree about the woody, though.

Auggy

I would agree takgoti’s statement, too. Overall it is a mild woody taste which you may or may not like (and I think can probably vary, too, with how well it works with the other flavors in there… though straight I kinda think it tastes particle board).

teaplz

Rooibos to me is woodsy sweet. In a weird way, sort of like if pencil sharpener shavings actually tasted good.

Okay, that sounds unappetizing, but… I’ve only had rooibos mixed with stuff or flavored. Never alone. So I can’t speak for its unaltered taste. But it’s pretty mild.

Pamela Dean

I made a cup of plain rooibos right next to a cup of plain honeybush. (i like both, btw) To me, they are both woodsy, but the rooibos has a bit of a tanginess whereas the honeybush is sweeter (no tang). Next I will be comparing the green, unfermented versions of both of these. I reckon the rooibos acquires the tang (or sourness) during fermentation.

Pamela Dean

Aw gee, I miss my kitties :( The asthma and arthritis have made them absent from my apartment. But I sure enjoy giving a friendly kitty a rub when I go out, after which I come home and wash hands, sigh. Please keep ‘em inside for long hair-on-the-cushions life, and enjoy them while ya’ got ’em!

Auggy

I’d agree with the rooibos/honeybush comparison. I’m not in love with either of them but have had more success with honeybush. I haven’t seen a green version of it though. If you find/know one, let me know because I’d be interested to try it, too!

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Bio

I’m trying to be a better tea logger and actually post semi-regularly again! I’ve let my tea tasting senses become too complacent – it’s time for some focused and attentive tea drinking!

Sometimes my notices for PMs and such have been questionable. Email me at your own risk at aug3zimm at gmail dot com.

1 – 10 – Bleck. Didn’t finish the cup.
11 – 25 – Drinkable. But don’t punish me by making me have it again.
26 – 40 – Meh. Most likely will see if the husband likes it iced.
41 – 60 – Okayish. Maybe one day I’ll kill off what I have in my pantry.
61 – 75 – Decent. I might pick some up if I needed tea.
76 – 85 – Nice. I’d probably buy but wouldn’t hunt it down.
86 – 100 – Yum! I will hunt down the vendor to get this tea!

Not that anyone but me particularly cares, but there it is.

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Texas

Website

http://pinkness.danzimmermann...

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