This is the best flavored rooibos I’ve tasted. This and Ocean of Wisdom. Except OoW is way more grown-up and sophisticated than this. They fit different niches.
ANYWAY, that Strawberry Chocolate let me down earlier today, and I wanted to end the evening on a somewhat better note. With a bit of trepidation, I decided to do this one by Art of Tea. The lovely Jon gave me this as part of my Christmas present, but I hadn’t tried it. The rooibos blend is very pretty, with the marigold blossoms and the bits of apples, offset by the red rooibos. It smells ridiculously of pear. Not even joking. I feel that pear is such a hard thing to nail. It’s one of my favorite fruits, but fake pear tastes are pretty gross. Luckily enough, this smells fresh and juicy and even a bit candied.
So I steeped it up for a bit longer than required, and the smell emanating from the infusion was pure pear. Almost like the aroma equivalent of Jelly Belly’s Juicy Pear flavor (which is amazing if you’re a pear freak). I took the first sip, a bit afraid of what I was going to encounter… and okay, all doubts have pretty much vanished.
This is a caramelized pear tea, and it tastes like a caramelized pear tea. If you’re not a fan of rooibos, the rooibos taste is barely noticeable. At all. I can’t even really detect it. What I am getting is succulent, wonderful pear all the way through. It’s in the top note, the end note, the everything note. The caramel comes through only extremely slightly in the end taste, and in the scent, but it’s definitely not the star. And there’s a wonderful sweetness. A fresh fruit sweetness that lingers on your tongue after every sip.
Needless to say, I’m pretty damned impressed with this one by Art of Tea. It’s very light and compulsively drinkable. I could see sticking this in the fridge and coming out with a delicious sort of iced tea. Now this is what I call a dessert tea!
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Definitely going on my shopping list. My only experience w/ pear tea was Adagio’s white pear which was disappointing. Thanks for bringing this one to my attention!:)
Adagio. Flavored. No. No. No. I’ve never had great experiences with Adagio’s flavored tea. I’m glad some were included in GM’s basket, otherwise, I’d think all flavored teas tasted like Adagios’.
I think there was something I wanted to say. Oh yeah, YAY, a rooibos that you enjoyed =]
I am not the biggest fan of that weird back-of-throat tickle I get from rooibos. Since you don’t mention it, I’m guessing it’s not there. It sounds promising! :9
@Ricky, Valentines, Sweet Potatoe Pie, and, Sesame, are the only black based flavors I like of their’s. I’m actually quite impressed w/ their oolong, green, and whites. But then again I’m not a black tea fan in general.
I don’t really like rooibos much, but this sounds like something I might like. Caramelized pears, that sounds like something that kinda ought to be a little bit illegal… Now I want caramel. And pears.
Sweetened w/ just a touch of caramel ice cream topping… yummm…
Yay someone else who loves Jelly Bellies! I swear I’m adicted to them. XD
Have you tried Revolution’s White Pear tea? I really enjoy it and I find it tastes quite authentic.
@Jillian, I’m addicted to jelly bellies too but just the buttered pop corn and jalapeno ones:)
Jillian, Jelly Bellies are amazing and awesome! And I haven’t tried Revolution’s White Tea! I’ll have to give it a try very soon, since pear is so hard to get right. And this one hits the nail squarely on the head.
The husband and I are also huge Jelly Belly fans. I find the pear ones delish.
Definitely going on my shopping list. My only experience w/ pear tea was Adagio’s white pear which was disappointing. Thanks for bringing this one to my attention!:)
Adagio. Flavored. No. No. No. I’ve never had great experiences with Adagio’s flavored tea. I’m glad some were included in GM’s basket, otherwise, I’d think all flavored teas tasted like Adagios’.
I think there was something I wanted to say. Oh yeah, YAY, a rooibos that you enjoyed =]
I am not the biggest fan of that weird back-of-throat tickle I get from rooibos. Since you don’t mention it, I’m guessing it’s not there. It sounds promising! :9
@Ricky, Valentines, Sweet Potatoe Pie, and, Sesame, are the only black based flavors I like of their’s. I’m actually quite impressed w/ their oolong, green, and whites. But then again I’m not a black tea fan in general.
I don’t really like rooibos much, but this sounds like something I might like. Caramelized pears, that sounds like something that kinda ought to be a little bit illegal… Now I want caramel. And pears.
Sweetened w/ just a touch of caramel ice cream topping… yummm…
Yay someone else who loves Jelly Bellies! I swear I’m adicted to them. XD
Have you tried Revolution’s White Pear tea? I really enjoy it and I find it tastes quite authentic.
@Jillian, I’m addicted to jelly bellies too but just the buttered pop corn and jalapeno ones:)
Jillian, Jelly Bellies are amazing and awesome! And I haven’t tried Revolution’s White Tea! I’ll have to give it a try very soon, since pear is so hard to get right. And this one hits the nail squarely on the head.
The husband and I are also huge Jelly Belly fans. I find the pear ones delish.