Really enjoyed a cup of this before bed last night. The scent is amazing — it’s like freshly warmed apple strudel, just as its name promises, and the flavour comes out surprisingly well in the taste as well.
There’s a lot of apple in here — so much that the rooibos is sticking to it, and it comes out of the packet in clumps rather than smooth, free flowing loose tea. I actually quite like that about it — it’s not like the clumps are huge, and they look a bit like crumble topping. Funny how my mind works. Anyway, the taste here is pretty much dead-on apple strudel. There’s even that slightly gelatinous taste to the apples, like they’re in a thick, sugary sauce. I can taste something that reminds me of pastry, too, although I can’t quite put my finger on what it is that’s making me think that way. The spicing is perfect. Subtle enough that the apple shines through, and is the real star, but still easily tasteable. The rooibos here is a pretty good match too, I think. It has just the right herbally/woody aspect to offset the sweet, tart apple.
I love this, in short. So much that I think I’m going to have another cup tonight, rather than moving on to another rooibos/herbal tea. This is going to make a wonderful addition to my bedtime rotation this winter! Great stuff, Bluebird!
sounds awesome!