Coconut Custard

So here’s the infamous Coconut Custard everyone has been talking about lately! Thanks to SoccerMom I get to try it as well! Thanks SoccerMom!

Since all of the reviews for this have been so detailed and lengthy I am not sure if I will have anything new to add…but here are my findings!

It’s quite dark in color once infused and it seems 2 small slivers of coconut decided to dive into my cup! They must have wanted a morning swim! :) I’m fine with that…why not…it’s FRIDAY!!!!

It smells like coconut cookies, almost.

It’s VERY smooth and pretty darned-tasty! First I taste a hint of typical rooibos taste then it’s coconut and then a cookie or pastry type taste and then almost like a coconut/creamed cheese type breakfast danish and then pure coconut. The after taste is coconut and cookie and then creamy coconut…OH YEAH…there’s the custard! It seems from the first sip to the aftertaste this continues to morph, and morph, and morph…but I LIKE complexity. It sooooo works here! YAY!

This is a sample that I received from Auggy in swap, thanks Auggy! Being a rooibos, I probably wouldn’t have picked it up on my own, but I am really happy to get a chance to try it since I do love coconut. It is pretty to look at with the red rooibos and abundant coconut pieces. I sniffed it, and it smelled super coconutty with an aftscent of feet… Sweaty feet… Needless to say very confusing and unsettling. This didn’t stop me from continuing with my brew… The show must go on…

While it brewed the scent was creamy and coconut filled. The odd rancid scent was still there in the background. Now I start worrying… Is the tea going to taste like that? Oh dear…

First taste, unsweetened, was awful. It was pure rancid coconut. I sweetened it and it was bearable, but still had the rancid aftertaste. I added milk, still undrinkable. Since I was in my Mom’s company while I had my tae, I let her try it. She didn’t taste the stinky feet, but didn’t love it eather. I sadly ciuldn’t drink it and had to be dumped out.

While it was a disturbing tea experience, I am still happy I got to try it! Who knew that something that everyone loves I wouldn’t like at all… Oh well… There are still a bunch of things on my list to try! : )

Steep Information:
Amount: 3 heap tsp
Additives: none
Water: 22oz filtered, boiling
Tool: Cast Iron Teapot with Mesh basket strainer
Steep Time: a little over 5 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: Coconut, Nut, Sweet
Steeped Tea Smell: Nutty, Coconut, Sweet
Flavor: rooibos
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: coconut, and then COCONUT CUSTARD
Liquor: Deep dark orange red brown

Thanks to SoccerMom for turning me on to this tea.

First, you smell the tea as it comes up to your nose and you smell coconut custard.

MilitiaJim is flummoxed how something can smell like a texture, but it does.

Then you sip, at first I was sad, it was rooibos. Don’t get me wrong I love rooibos but I wanted coconut custard.

As I swallow the sip I start to taste coconut shell, then coconut.

Then I swallow and there is the coconut pie! Delicious.

Strange the flavor is all in the swallow.

Post-Steep Additives: pinch of German rock sugar
sweeter, yum!

Resteep: 7 min, weak, 10+ min, weak but drinkable

In all of my time of drinking rooibos, I have never tried it with any kind of milk…until last night! I put a squeeze of agave nectar and a splash of half and half into this tisane, and wow! It was much more tea-like and enjoyable. The dairy really brought out the custard aspects of this blend. My husband said,“This is the best rooibos yet!”

I’m finding myself drinking this a lot for someone who doesn’t like rooibos! It must be the yummy sweet coconut flavor. It’s comforting and warm and it kind of makes me feel calm and sleepy. Very good for nighttime.

Upping the score again!

I’ve got to thank Soccer Mom for sending me this tea. I have parted ways with Rooibos teas, but this steep was a timely admonition: I should not make sweeping categorical break-ups with all teas based on a rather small sampling.

Firstly, the coconut aroma is deeply enticing. Secondly, steeped, this is a smooth sweet coconut with no woody or sawdusty rooibos overtones. The aftertaste was excellent. I felt that I had been drinking a nice creamy coconut drink. No tell-tale woodiness! It was nice to have a tea-like beverage to drink in the evening. I may have to order this.

Another cup of this before bed.. surprise, surprise! I am really liking this tea at a lower water temperature. Tonight it’s smooth and sweet, just the way it should be!

I drank a cup of this last night after dinner. Is this the best rooibos ever? It might be. This is so yummy. And, I only ordered 1 oz of this! :(

I was worried I wouldn’t like this because everytime I see coconut with tea, I think it is going to be like a pina colada. The thought of that makes my stomach turn. But, since I liked the Golden Moon Coconut Pouchong and everyone was giving this such good reviews, I had to try it.

This smells amazing. In the dry leaves, I smell coconut and some kind of liquor. When brewed, I taste coconut, vanilla, and a dash of cinnamon. It made me immediately think it was like a cookie in a cup. Then as I drank more, I started to get the ‘custard’. Sooo yummy. I was planning on making a cookie after tea (I have some frozen cookie dough balls in the freezer for emergencies), but after drinking the tea, I no longer even wanted the cookie. Great side effect.

If you are a rooibos drinker, run and order this.

~1.5 tsp to ~11 oz. I added the worlds smallest drop of agave nectar to this.

So yeah, I totally caved on the Steepster Select the other day. And hello fast shipping – my order got here today! Honestly, it was non-rooibos-loving Doulton’s review of this not-tea that made it first catch my eye, then Steepster Select and the forces of boredom shopping pushed me over the edge.

I’m so glad it did. Look, I wasn’t expecting much. It’s a rooibos. My greatest rooibos-related hope is that I can drink it without making an “eew, icky” face. But this stuff? This is good. Well, as long as you like coconut, which I totally do. The rooibos flavor is barely a hint and even that hint backs off to a mere wisp of wood as the tea cools a tad. Instead, this tea tastes of delightful coconut, lightly toasted to give it a bit of a crisp texture. In fact, it reminds me of the bestest coconut tea in ever and ever, SerendipiTEA’s Burroughs’ Brew. I taste no custard but the coconut is so yummy I just don’t care.

I’m so glad I caved on the Steepster Select and followed Doulton’s example like a little sheep. Because this is good stuff. Totally will be buying this again.

Okay, last time I tried this tea I was sick so I couldn’t review it properly. I have been asked by Lori what I thought about this tea (I could have sworn I had started a tasting note?) anyway Lori asked me just yesterday what I thought of this tea and I told her let me try it again (Even though I was sick the first time I tried it I thought it was good) so I wake up this morning to a 20% off coupon on Rooibos from Teas Etc.

What a timely coupon this rooibos is good!! While I don’t think … hmmm no I’ve never actually had coconut custard I have had many a coconut meringue pie and I would have to say this reminds me of coconut pie in that the rooibos plays back up and I would compare it to a crispy crust and the coconut flavoring is the coconut creme center NOM.

It’s good if you like coconut i’d recommend it and I know some of ya’ll are going to get a little mad but I like it better than GM’s Coconut Pouchong. Sorry but it’s just how I feel. :)

Gotta go and place my order at Tea’s Etc now!

Update: Okay so it’s no secret I love to have Teavana’s My Morning Mate almost every morning so today I added a little of Tea’s Etc Coconut Custard Rooibos and it only added to the smooth flavor of the mate I love to mix rooibos and mates!