Citrus Rooibos

I don’t normally care for raw oranges, but if I do eat one, I prefer the mild little clementines, which is the key citrus element in this blend. With a little cinnamon and clove, this would resemble my old favorite Constant Comment. WIthout the spice, it’s a doppelganger for Harney and Sons African Autumn. Tasty, but nothing that sets it uniquely apart.

I have been having reflux issues big time lately so no night snacking for a while for me. I knew the reflux was going to make me hoarse, and sure enough Alexa asked me to confirm who I was this morning when I added something to the shopping list.

I don’t really like red rooibos but I decided to try this since I have had a couple of flavored ones that were okay. (I love flavored green rooibos.) surely Dammann would do a good job.

I think they did, too. I would not go out and buy this, but if I didn’t have anything else caffeine free to drink, I wouldn’t be crushed. The cherry cough syrup, woody red rooibos flavor is there, but the type of citrus flavors they put with it slide in there and make them more palatable. It is fresh and bright and would probably be pretty good iced.

I am glad I tried it, even if I wouldn’t seek it out!

I don’t really know what I expected from this rooibos. Another sample from the gracious Dinosara, may she ever hate rooibos so that I may try all of her samples! The sachet smelled a little like a sweet, chewable vitamin c tab. The brewed tea, while not bad, smelled so strongly like the fly spray I’ve used on horses that it made it particularly unpleasant for me. The citrus flavor was definitely medicinal. Not the best think I have drunk.

While I’m excited to see a rooibos blend, I’m not really sure if I’m going to like this one. It smells very much like children’s Motrin.. liquid orange in a small plastic cup.

Sipping… oh, good! It isn’t as weird and medicinal as I thought it would be. The orange is light, fresh and pairs beautifully with the wood from the rooibos. It seems that the dry sharpness from the rooibos works really well with bringing out the tangy bits from the orange. I also love that there is a bit of sweetness in the background that makes me think of cheap, watery orange juice – that comforting hit of sugar and citrus.

I am enjoying this tea much more than I expected. Would I buy this again? Possibly, but it seems like it’s one of those teas I would enjoy in smaller amounts and only when the craving strikes.

December 5 – Advent 2014

Well I woke up to no Internet. I actually have no Internet, no TV and no home phone. And the service provider cannot come for 7 days. And that’s my fault because I can’t accommodate their schedule and refuse to take an entire day off work to wait all day for them to show up and prolly change a dumb cable or something and be done in 15 minutes. It’s amazing how much of my life revolves around Internet.

Day 5.

The smell of the dry tea is very much like Orangina. Sweet but tangy orange citrus. The brewed tea is woody rooibos with kind of medicinal citrus. There is a bit of a metallic tang. There is a sharp aftertaste.

I am not a huge rooibos fan but this one isn’t terrible.

I typed this out on my cell phone. It was horrible :)

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar – December 5th

Ooh, a rooibos today. I know a lot of people who aren’t fans of rooibos, but I happen to like it a lot, especially when it’s well-flavored (as DF tends to do!). The package is such a happy and bright yellow-orange color, and it made me smile when I saw it inside the little door. There are a few small pieces of citrus peel and some yellow flower petals mixed in the with rooibos base. Whoa, the dry scent surprised me. I could smell the citrus, definitely, a combination of lemon and some type of orange. However, it also smelled almost effervescent? So I looked at the description again, and found that it also has “kola” flavor. Doesn’t exactly come to mind when I think of a citrus tea, but I’ll go with it!

I can definitely smell the cola in the steeped tea, and it reminds me of the cola-flavored Bottlecaps candies. Hm, this is a bit strange! I can taste the red rooibos, and then there’s an effervescent cola quality, which for some reason makes the citrus end of this lean more toward lime rather than lemon/orange. So it sort of becomes similar to a lime-flavored cola. However, near the end the cola sort of dissipates and I can taste the lemon and clementine flavors clearly. This is definitely a strange one. Not bad, but unusual.

Aww… Cola isn’t an available flavor to select…