The first of my three free samples from Nina’s Paris. Thanks to Laurent and Dorian for sending these my way! :) These samples came in the most adorably tiny zipper bags… I knew I wanted to try one of the zodiac rooibos blends and this one seemed like it was well-liked on Steepster. My sample didn’t have any dried strawberry pieces in it, which makes sense because it’s a small amount. It just looks like plain rooibos. The smell is delicious though! There’s a very tart, bright strawberry scent coupled with a sweet, candylike strawberry scent, in addition to sumptuous vanilla and cream aromas. My sample doesn’t really have enough for two cups, but I didn’t want to risk overleafing when I only get to try this once, so I didn’t use the whole thing. I used a slightly heaping teaspoon and brewed it for 5 minutes.
The brewed tea smells quite lovely. There’s a very juicy strawberry scent – like natural strawberry flavor that has been pumped up with a bit of artificial candy flavor. I also get vanilla and a bit of rooibos in the background. Tasting this, the strawberry flavoring reminds me of Kusmi’s Strawberry Green. It’s a somewhat “jammy” strawberry flavor, meaning it tastes deep and almost cooked with a natural sweetness. Although I don’t really get cream from this, the vanilla is a nice substitute and produces a similar effect. Then there’s that tart, interesting strawberry aftertaste, which is exactly the same as in the aforementioned Kusmi tea.
I very much enjoyed this tea, being a liker of red rooibos and strawberry things in general. I feel like milk would go well, but I was afraid it would overpower the flavors. I’m really interested in trying all of the Nina’s zodiac teas, and I wish they offered a sampler… As it is, I’ll probably just buy one of them, then when I drink it all replace it with another, and so on. :P
Flavors: Candy, Jam, Rooibos, Strawberry, Vanilla
