I know, I know, you see the name of this tea, and you’re thinking something like fruit punch with a green tea base.
You’d be wrong entirely.
You see, with Rooibos, there are two types: “red” rooibos, which is where we get the name “red tea” from, and “green” rooibos. Like normal green tea, this is the unoxidised form. However, this still counts as “red tea”, as it’s from the rooibos plant, whereas green tea comes from the actual tea plant, Camellia sinensis.
Steeped: 1 tbsp in my 2-cup pot. Brewed with freshly boiled water.
First cup: Steeped 5 minutes. Clear.
The mango/papaya taste is coming through, it tastes kind of… odd in a tea. It tastes… a little off. Like I’m expecting a puree or something thicker and not getting it. I don’t even know how to explain it. The sweetness is odd, but I wonder if milk or sugar would improve it. I will have to experiment.
Second cup: Steeped approx 40 minutes. Added 1 tsp sugar.
The added sweetness does add to the fruitiness, but it still just doesn’t quite work for me…. I feel like I need some other flavour to balance the fruit, or else have it either be stronger or much weaker.
Third cup: Actually around half a cup. Steeped approx 55 minutes. Added milk.
Nope. Still not doing it.
Overall impression: Yeah, this tea’s just not doing it for me. Someone who enjoys mango and papaya more may enjoy it, but it just tastes… odd for me. Not going to resteep it, because there’s no point wasting my time on something that, literally, isn’t my cup of tea.
My rating: 65. C. Like I said above, this just isn’t my cup of tea. It’s not bad, it’s just really not to my taste at all. For someone who likes the flavour combination, it may be great. It just doesn’t do it for me.
