Strawberry Coconut Honeybush-Rooibos

I had a sample of this sent to me a while back courtesy of Sororitea Sisters and I thought I transferred my review here but I can’t find it. So, just so I don’t forget how much I enjoyed this tea (I mean I called the smoothie I made with this “a mason jar full of liquid dessert”), I figured I would post it now. Check out the full review here: http://sororiteasisters.com/2016/11/23/strawberry-coconut-honeybush-rooibos-blends-52teas/

Before steeping, this smelled amazing like the yummy coconut you’d come across on a beach trip or in a tropical drink. While steeping, the strawberry aroma was most present. My husband claimed he could smell it from across the house! Unfortunately for me, the only flavor I actually tasted after taking my first sip was the rooibos. I like rooibos, but this cup was strong and definitely overpowered the other flavors. I would say perhaps they faded over time, but they were so prominent in dry blend and while steeping so I’m not sure what happened.

This was another sample from my swap with Inkling, and my first taste of a new 52Teas blend. Weirdly, I didn’t get much in the way of coconut from it. What I did get was some pleasantly smooth rooibos and honeybush—woodsy, for sure, but not tobacco-y or medicinal—and a mild sort of strawberry syrup flavor. This wasn’t a wow, but it was very pleasant. I wouldn’t mind having this again, and it certainly made me that much more interested in finally placing an order from the new 52Teas.

Sipdown (214)!

Finished this one off iced at work yesterday;

I didn’t mind this one iced but I do think I prefer it hot. As an iced tea, I found the coconut to be really strong. I do enjoy coconut a lot, but I thought it kind of dominated the cup and about half way through it was starting to take on a bit of a lotion-y quality just from all the flavour build up. Icing this all seems to bring out the natural woody/honey qualities of the rooibos/honeybush a little more as well. Neither tasted bad or too strong for my tastes, but it was a step up from the hot cup and I think would have been too intense for someone who dislikes rooibos already. The strawberry was great! Really lush and fruity with just a whisp of tartness. Only criticism there is that I just wanted more of it.

FINALLY a sipdown. It is so flavourful that I only use 1/2 tsp or 1 tsp for several brews, and it feels like a waste not to resteep it. Anyway, this made a nice honeybush and creamy coconut coldbrew. Thick, sweet (but natural honeybush/rooibos sweetness, not artificial added sweetness), a tiny bit of maple (from the honeybush) and honey (from the rooibos). The coconut is creamy, but also smooth and tropical. The strawberry isn’t very discernible (probably because the bottom of the bag has fewer large freeze-dried strawberries), but I wouldn’t have been opposed to more strawberry in this blend. Regardless, a pleasant cup and a feeling of accomplishment from thinning my tea cupboard a bit (I’m over 280 teas! Yikes, I need to cut down).

This one really worked for me this evening. Both flavours peeked through the base in good proportion. Nice. A good way to come down a bit after spending much of the day out in the rain.

I received a taster pouch of this in my recent Mystery Grab Bag and it has become my go-to bedtime tea! The strawberry and coconut flavors blend perfectly: the sweetness of the strawberry is a lovely counterpoint to the rich creaminess of the coconut. And the honeybush-rooibos blend is mild and sweet and supports the flavorings without overwhelming them or adding any unpleasant aftertastes. I would definitely consider ordering more of this one!

This is interesting. It’s mildly flavored on a mild blend of honeybush and rooibos. The strawberry is sweet-tart, the coconut is nutty-creamy and the honeybush and rooibos are a faint sweet woodiness. The coconut is a bit artificial, but not at all soapy or chemical like many coconut blends. Not quite as good as the real thing, but pleasant. It pairs well with the strawberry. I definitely want to play with this one to see if I can make it amazing, but I like it reasonably well as is.

I generally like teas that combine strawberries and coconut so I thought I’d give this a go. Unfortunately, for me, it’s a miss. I just don’t love the base. To be fair I’m not a big fan of honeybush or rooibos teas. The strawberry and coconut really compliment each other well in this blend. The honeybush adds its usual sweet, honeyed flavor. There’s something slightly creamy about this tea too. It’s nice if you enjoyed fruity honeybush/rooibos blends, but I don’t like it enough to keep my sample-sized bag.