Rhubarb & Custard

MmmMMmmm mushy cooked rhubarb tea. So delicious!
Uggg, I feel asif my fingertips have been sanded off from yarn. I’ve been crocheting all the time over the holiday weekend. The inlaws dropped that I should crochet a couple things for gifts to be mailed to family. At the same time, I got commissions coming in that need to be done for christmas. Waaah, busy time! Now that my hands had enough crocheting for the night, time to relax with some good tea.
Man, gravity hates this rooibos. The lighter petally bits keep floating to the top in the bag.

(if you haven’t seen my Oolong Owl tea blog review of this tea, http://oolongowl.com/rhubarb-custard-from-bluebird-tea-co-tea-review/

Sipdown (334)

So I remembered liking this so I even added it to my advent but I probably should have looked at my steepster reviews since I gave this a rating of 10. So that’s some incorrect remembering if I’ve ever seen it.

I don’t love it but it’s not disgusting thus not deserving of a 10 so we will be raising that. It’s actually not bad. It’s got rhubarb but not much custard. A slight egginess perhaps. I blame the base because it comes through for me which adds warmth but distracts from everything else. At least it is better.

I bought this one on impulse, along with Terry’s Orange. No regrets so far. I needed another rooibos because my sleepy-time tin had room in it! And we can’t have that! I want 20-30 types of non-caffeinated tea to choose from in the evenings so I don’t get bored!

It’s actually a little tart like real rhubarb! It’s very good. And I don’t really get custard but it does seem to be creamy, much like the mint chocolate that I’m sipping away from in my other Timolino, so I’m happy.

I’m not really sure what calendula is though, but I’ve seen that Bluebird used this in a few teas. I wonder if it’s related to marigold petals?

Here’s another one from the EU Travelling Teabox. This is a Take. I’ve been very much looking forward to tasting it. And also a little nervous. I very much fear I’m in for disappointment.

Rhubarb and custard? That’s a pretty classic mix! All we need here is some crumble and you’ve got one of my favourite desserts. Husband’s mum makes a better one than I do, although mind you, I’ve only ever made one. My crumble repertoire is far more apple-y than rhubarb-y. (I should make one soon. I find myself craving custard all of a sudden. I have to make my own custard from scratch though, since the proper stuff (Bird’s custard powder) is not available in Denmark. It’s not that hard to make custard, though. It’s just really boring because you have to heat it somewhat slowly and you can’t turn your back on the saucepan very much)

Anyway!

The first thing I notice is that this smells 95% like custard, 4% like rhubarb and only 1% like rooibos. As Husband so eloquently put it, “Bloody hell! How can you have a rooibos that smells like custard?” I cannot answer that question for him, but I can counter with one of my own,

How can something that smells SO MUCH like custard taste so little like it?

I have to admit there is a niggle of disappointment here, but this may entirely be due to the fact that I’ve really been working myself up for the custard at this point.

It’s not completely devoid of custard flavour, actually. It’s definitely there, the custard. When you sip, you first get some rooibos and some rhubarb flavour, more or less in equal measure. The rooibos and the rhubarb actually go very well together. It seems to be one of those universally eminent matches, like vanilla and assam or orange and puerh. The rooibos notes seem to really enhance the rhubarb notes and make it taste all juicy. The custard is there as a supplement, dotting the i, so to speak. The rooibos and rhubarb amalgamate seems to be sort of surrounded by sweet vanilla-y milk-y custard-y nuances, which is exactly like custard on a crumble should be like.

It’s easy, with custard, to succumb to greed and drown your dessert completely in the stuff, but I’ve found that it’s actually best if you manage to exert a bit of control over the custard compulsion so that you actually do end up having crumble with custard on it rather than custard with crumble in it. At the moment of pouring the custard this fact seems to be in direct defiance with logic, but it really is true!

And this is exactly what this blend has magically achieved. This is just fantastic. (And if I don’t get some real custard real soon I shall surely whither away entirely.)

In raw form you have a wonderful blend of brown/red Rooibos pieces with a generous scattering of yellow calendula petals, finely chopped green stevia leaves and some rough cut but small pink and white pieces of rhubarb.

As I opened the packet I was met with an amazingly strong aroma of rhubarb that has both sweet and sour tones but also an element of creaminess. It’s one of the best smelling teas I have ever experienced.

Brewing Method: Teapot with infuser

Water Temperature: Boiling

Steeping Time: 6 Minutes

Once steeped this tea is red/orange in colour with a pure rhubarb aroma that reminds me of the old penny sweets I used to have as a child.

The first few sips reveal a sweet yet creamy rhubarb taste that is mellow and oh so yummy! It not only smells like the penny sweets but also tastes like them and all in one low fat drink (estimated at just below 1 calorie per cup).

Suitable for those that are not a lover of rooibos, the rhubarb takes away the odd chemical taste that it naturally has and just leaves it’s sweet and light goodness.

It’s also clean and smooth tasting with just a touch of tartness from the rhubarb that blends in very well amongst the sweet elements.

The more I drink the more I find myself falling in love with this unique tea and the smile on my face is beaming. It’s also a hit with my husband who is a coffee person.

I would recommend this tea to anyone that likes rhubarb, childhood sweets or is simply looking for something tasty and unique to try.

For more information and pictures please view my blog:
http://www.kittylovestea.co.uk/2013/03/24/rhubarb-custard-tea-ooohh-my/

Thanks again to Bluebird Tea Co for this sample!

Wow… does this one EVER smell creamy!! Yum. I love creamy blends; just hoping that the rooibos isn’t too overpowering here. I couldn’t really smell any rhubarb, to be honest.

Flavourwise… I think I can actually taste rhubarb?! Like, real, cooked, hot rhubarb! Crazy – definitely the first time I’ve tasted rhubarb in tea! And there’s definitely creaminess, which is quite enjoyable. I could certainly be convinced that it’s custard/pudding. The rooibos in here isn’t overwhelming either, which is nice; it blends quite well with and probably adds to the rhubarb flavour. As is typical with rooibos, my throat is getting a touch scratchy, so I’m not sure this would be a blend I’d pick again unless it had a honeybush base, but I’ve gotta say that the flavouring is absolutely bang on. Quite impressed so far with these first two samples from Bluebird!

ETA: Second infusion was less cream, more rhubarb. Definitely quite the authentic rhubarb flavour.

I think I’ve said all there is to say about this tea. It’s great. I’m just logging it because I think that I will sadly soon be out, and I need to keep reminding myself to do a better job at hoarding it!

(My other tasting notes are more detailed, I’m sure.)

mmmmm sample sipdown! I have to say this is delicious! I am really enjoying this one from bluebird. I think this can safely go on the list as one to have in my cupboard at least occasionally. It smells amaaaazing! and brewed it is sweet and custard creamy like and slightly sour. I love how tasty this is, and the fact that it’s a rooibos that doesn’t have that woodsy taste is awesome!

This is EXACTLY what I was imagining/hoping for! After a four minute steep, there is definitely a nice rhubarb flavor! Not too tangy, but definitely rhubarb. Then there is a lovely sweet creamy flavor to make the rhubarb taste even better. And the rooibos is a perfect background for a rhubarb flavor. It’s just a dreamy blend that reminds me of a strawberry rhubarb pie with whipped cream on top or something. Also, I had no idea stevia was in this one until I just saw it on the ingredients list, so I’m glad the stevia didn’t ruin it for me. I have yet to be disappointed in any of the teas from Bluebirdteaco.com that I’ve sampled. I could order them all!

Alright so basically any company that comes out with a rhubarb/strawberry rhubarb tea, I will buy it.
I guess I like rhubarb way more than I thought, or maybe It’s the strawberry rhubarb pie connection.

Oh my the packaging for these teas are just so cute. And the im a teabird stickers (they should sell those).

Dry & steeped this is so freshly cooked rhubarb.
I’m getting entirely a cup of cooked rhubarb & that is totally fine woth me. Oh this is so good. Might even be better than DAVIDs strawberry rhubarb parfait. And I don’t taste the rooibos which is a huge bonus.
As this cools more to room temp it becomes way more creamy& custardey, but far less like rhubarb. Still wonderfully delicious.