Eggnog Rooibos

This is a pleasant rooibos, if not a particularly distinctive one. The rooibos itself is really nice, smooth and not too strong—probably among the nicest I’ve had, actually. It’s sweet and lightly spiced, but eggnog? Not really. I don’t detect even the faintest hint of nutmeg. This is another one of those blends I would probably have liked more with a different name, but I’m enjoying it pretty well as is.

Thank you to Inkling for this sample!

After drinking this a few times, I recommend slightly cooler water (90 *C) instead of boiling water. It produces a better and creamier flavour. I do not think the flavour of this blend is strong enough to be cold-brewed, though..

Brew: Very dark amber (probably due to my long steep time), quite aromatic. It smells very nutty to me. I can also smell hints of honey, spices, and rooibos. It tastes slightly sweet, in the woody way that rooibos so often does. I believe this has red and green rooibos in it, or at least it tastes as such. Notes of spices (nutmeg, vanilla, cinnamon), savannah grass, , and cream. I like that it isn’t overwhelming spiced and that it doesn’t use stevia/cinnamon/licorice root to make the blend extremely sweet. This lets the natural flavours of the rooibos do all the talking, and I love it. Rooibos has plenty of sweetness and woody/mineral flavour on its own.

Too often, blends try to cover up their mediocre quality rooibos with artificial flavours. A good rooibos blend can have all the natural flavours of the base come through in a way that actually improves it as a whole. I guess what I’m saying is that I approve of higher quality (and fresher) rooibos, and I appreciate it when tea shops know their ingredients well enough to showcase the base so confidently.

I was at my local Fava Tea Company store today picking up some tea for my friend’s bridal shower. I need more tea like I need a hole in the head. But I was sucked in by the new seasonal blends and ended up purchasing an ounce of this one to sample. No regrets! This blend is smooth and creamy with a light blend of spices that really does remind me of eggnog. It’s good on its own, but I’m betting it would be amazing as a latte! I may be going back for more…