18
drank Rouge Bourbon by Mariage Frères
911 tasting notes

Note to self: when endeavoring to get through large numbers of tea in a day, perhaps it is not the wisest course of action to use the 12oz cup. And if the 12oz cup is selected, perhaps second steeps should be avoided. And perhaps caffeinated teas should be alternated with decaffeinated teas. The alternative is shaky hands, twitching and a desire to dance like a Muppet.

I typically save rooibos for nighttime but for some reason, it seemed like a good idea to try this one now. I’m still on the hunt for rooibos that I enjoy and Doulton was nice enough to send me a sample of this one to try. Which is awesome because I would have hated to have actually purchased this as I conducted my search. Because this? Is like concentrated rooibos. The smell is sweet and faintly vanilla-y and fully rooibos-y. But when I take a sip is when it really shows of the rooibos-ness. I think it is the sweetness of the vanilla that accentuates the taste of the rooibos because it pretty much beats me over the head with rooibos ickiness. Even with the aftertaste, it is still beating me while yelling, “DIE! DIE! I AM ROOIBOS, FEAR ME! DIE!”

Okay, maybe I’m being a tad bit dramatic (let’s blame all of the caffeine today, shall we?) but still, this is so freaking rooibos. It’s a floof of vanilla on top of concentrated rooibos. It is the essence of rooibos. It is the epitomy of all the things about rooibos I don’t like. Sweet, sour wood. From smell to aftertaste. For someone that doesn’t like rooibos (that’d be me), this is not fun.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 5 min, 0 sec
Doulton

Why do you think I was trying to get rid of it? Evil stuff. I’ve learned that I am not and probably never will be a rooibos drinker. I don’t think it belongs in the same category as tea. It’s like putting Moxie and Royal Crown in the same category as milk. And why does 52teas have such an addiction to rooibos?

Auggy

Hahah! Well, I’m glad I got to experience and you got to get rid of a bit of it! I’m still convinced that somewhere out there is tasty rooibos – Samovar’s Ocean of Wisdom really wasn’t bad at all – so the search will continue. At least until I become totally disillusioned! :)

AmazonV

aww poor rooibos, and poor you! that is a lot of caffeine!

__Morgana__

alt.rooibos.evil.die.die.die?

Auggy

AmazonV, Yes on all counts! I really know better than to have that much caffeine but then I should also know better than to try rooibos. Hehe.
Morgana, I would support that newsgroup in a minute!

AmazonV

i’ll protect you all from the rooibos by drinking it all myself ;P

Lori

I am begining to dislike rooibos but I LOVE Ocean of Wisdom. In fact, the rooibos is not noticeable at all in Ocean of Wisdom….

Stephanie

Eww to sweet sour wood! :)

Auggy

AmazonV – Ha! That sounds like a great plan!
Lori – Ocean of Wisdom is probably the only full rooibos tea that I’ve had that I could see myself actually buying. Have you had their Scarlet Sable? It’s a rooibos/black tea blend and it is one of my favorite teas. Samovar is the only proof I have that rooibos does not equal evil! (Or at least, when in the right hands.)
Stephanie, that’s pretty much how I read any rooibos and I think the vanilla in this one just made it worse. But I do think that someone that is a fan of plain rooibos might actually find this a lightly flavored rooibos in a good way.

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Comments

Doulton

Why do you think I was trying to get rid of it? Evil stuff. I’ve learned that I am not and probably never will be a rooibos drinker. I don’t think it belongs in the same category as tea. It’s like putting Moxie and Royal Crown in the same category as milk. And why does 52teas have such an addiction to rooibos?

Auggy

Hahah! Well, I’m glad I got to experience and you got to get rid of a bit of it! I’m still convinced that somewhere out there is tasty rooibos – Samovar’s Ocean of Wisdom really wasn’t bad at all – so the search will continue. At least until I become totally disillusioned! :)

AmazonV

aww poor rooibos, and poor you! that is a lot of caffeine!

__Morgana__

alt.rooibos.evil.die.die.die?

Auggy

AmazonV, Yes on all counts! I really know better than to have that much caffeine but then I should also know better than to try rooibos. Hehe.
Morgana, I would support that newsgroup in a minute!

AmazonV

i’ll protect you all from the rooibos by drinking it all myself ;P

Lori

I am begining to dislike rooibos but I LOVE Ocean of Wisdom. In fact, the rooibos is not noticeable at all in Ocean of Wisdom….

Stephanie

Eww to sweet sour wood! :)

Auggy

AmazonV – Ha! That sounds like a great plan!
Lori – Ocean of Wisdom is probably the only full rooibos tea that I’ve had that I could see myself actually buying. Have you had their Scarlet Sable? It’s a rooibos/black tea blend and it is one of my favorite teas. Samovar is the only proof I have that rooibos does not equal evil! (Or at least, when in the right hands.)
Stephanie, that’s pretty much how I read any rooibos and I think the vanilla in this one just made it worse. But I do think that someone that is a fan of plain rooibos might actually find this a lightly flavored rooibos in a good way.

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Profile

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.

Location

Texas

Website

http://pinkness.danzimmermann...

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