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“Opened my sample packet of this a couple of nights ago, when I was tired but desparately in need of a last (caffiene free) drink before bed. I’ve not been a huge fan of Adagio’s rooibos blends thus...” Read full tasting note
“This smells much better than the mango rooibos I tried last night. Still more piney than I am used to, but not bad. This tastes much better than the mango blend too! It’s still not quite my...” Read full tasting note
“When I first started drinking “loose leaf tea” (this is neither tea nor leaf, but… whatever) I had been strictly caffeine-free for years. The rooibos in my Adagio herbal sampler was a real...” Read full tasting note
“Smells of wood, something wet but fresh cut, not oak, Alder maybe. It has been too long since my forestry lab class for me to identify trees from the smell after they have been cut. In addition you...” Read full tasting note
Rooibos, colloquially known as Red Tea, is an herbal plant that grows in South Africa. Rooibos is a flavorful, caffeine-free alternative to tea for those seeking to eliminate caffeine intake. Ours is a top-grade, organic African tea.
Ingredients: Red rooibos herbal infusion
Steeping Instructions: Steep at 212° for 5 minutes.
Adagio Teas has become one of the most popular destinations for tea online. Its products are available online at www.adagio.com and in many gourmet and health food stores.
With the nights getting a little cooler…Ok it’s more like chillier. I refuse to turn the furnace on unless it get to bone chilling level…
Focus now, lets talk about tea. With fall in the air I have been reaching for more warm things to drink in the evening. Rooibos seems to fit the bill. Being caffeine free I do not have any sleepless nights.
Usually I reach for the flavored Rooibos, but last night I found a sample of Rooibos in my cupboard, decided to give it a try. Boy was I surprized, this is one of my favorites.
When the hot water hit the leaves the aroma was one of a fresh cut hay field. The sweet grassy aroma took me back in time.
The taste was even better, (it didn’t taste like hay) it was sweet and fruity . A pleasure to drink. Tried it without agave first, then later added it to compare. With or without it was still good.
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.
Brewed as directed, alongside green rooibos for comparison. Nauseating. Tastes like dill mixed with cedarwood sawdust and cured kalamata olives. And, oddly, strongly of coffee; I love good coffee, but the notes in red rooibos are, to me, more akin to yesterday’s spent, sour, wet grounds from a stale, cheap generic. YUCK! Exactly as anticipated, based on a blend from another vendor, so I don’t blame Adagio. This is the worst beverage I’ve had in my life. Rate 1 and not recommended. Disclaimer: my tastes vary from the typical, for example stevia tastes unsweet and bitter to me, which I understand to be a genetic thing, similar to how some people dislike cilantro or asparagus. So your impressions of red rooibos may differ from mine!
Flavors: Cedar, Coffee, Decayed Wood, Dill, Sawdust
Absolutely agree. Red rooibos is awful. Have you had honeybush? It’s a related plant. I find it much more pleasant. I wish it were more popular for commercial blending as I vastly prefer it.
Yes, in fact, at the suggestion of other sippers here! I was initially put off rooibos by a blend from Harney & Sons. But recently I received a pouch of Adagio’s Honeybush Banana Nut and loved it! Consequently it was suggested to try some green rooibos blends.
http://steepster.com/TeaEarleGreyHot/posts/458730
So now I’m giving a variety of Adagio Honeybush blends a try, along with green rooibos blends. I realized I needed to try the unblended bases so that I could parse the flavors, hence my green/red trial today. Thanks for raising the question!
One of my favorite teas of all time and an excellent product from Adagio. Warm and naturally sweet with notes of caramel, vanilla, earth, and just liquid warmth.
Flavors: Caramel, Earth, Vanilla
