Rhubarb & Custard

I really love this tea, just as much as I remember from the small sample I had many years ago. The rhubarb works so well with the rooibos base, and the custard comes through nicely. I love this tea both hot and cold.

I’m learning that I think I only like rhubarb when it’s paired with strawberries or something else and not by itself. Sometimes rhubarb can taste so sharp and like dirt. It reminds me a bit of taking a spoonful of plants and flowers in the garden. I saw this blend and knew I had to give it a try as I love custard and have been trying to find the perfect custardy tea blend. I’d actually love to find a plain custard rooibos tea, but back to this tea…

It has the same sweet and rather creamy rooibos tea base that Bluebird Tea uses. The rhubarb is very realistic, but doesn’t taste too much like a garden. The flavor is actually pretty light. I actually taste only two notes, the rooibos and the rhubarb. I’m not getting any custard or anything dessert-like beyond the sweetness from the rooibos. It’s very drinkable, but I would have loved custard and not just rhubarb. Thanks to Bluebird Tea!

Another sample from Bluebird Tea Co, possibly the cutest tea co in existence.

Wow, great job with this tea!
I really didn’t know what to expect. Not counting Davidstea’s Strawberry Rhubarb Parfait (which I love, it’s the rhubarb tea next to which all other rhubarb teas must be judged), I’d only ever tried one other straight rhubarb tea before, (Rhubarb Cream, by Tin Roof Teas)it was black, and if you hadn’t told me the flavour I never would have guessed rhubarb.

Not so with this tea! It’s definitely rhubarby.
I’m fussy with rooibos because I don’t love tasting it, but this blend is definitely manageable, it all seems to work together nicely. I’m getting a hint of sweetness which is likely a combo of the rooibos and whatever flavouring was used for the “custard” aspect.

I would definitely recommend this to a rhubarb fan! It’s not as delicious as the aforementioned Davidstea one, but it could be close with the addition of strawberry!

A pleasant surprise :)
Not bitter, feels thick bodied and satisfying.

(Is it weird that I write these reviews using a British accent in my head?? Haha <3 just trying to get a little closer to my history. I am 1/4 English after all!)

Thanks again, Bluebird Tea Co!

Thank you Dexter3657 for a sample of this. It is hard to choose teas for others, isn’t it? This is so not for me. I couldn’t tell you what it is about it I do not like. The aftertaste for sure, it tastes like I just chewed a vitamin C tablet. Some sort of metallic thing. But even as I sip, there is something I can’t define. I have never had calendula in a tea so I don’t know what it tastes like. Maybe that’s what I don’t dig, I couldn’t tell you.

I seem to be in minority here but… Nay! I feel like I should just return the sample, there’s still two cups in here. Why waste it, right? To bad, it smelled so nice and creamy. Bummer

1.5 tsp, 8 oz water just off boiling, 6 minutes. Sweetened with honey.

I have been wanting to try Bluebird Tea pretty much since they popped up here on Steepster. Hallieod was generous enough to send me a sample of it.
This is everything I hoped it would be. It tastes like Rhubarb. I like that it’s a bit subtle, not in your face. The rooibos is just barely there, making a nice base against the rhubarb. I did put a little sweetener in this, it really helped to pop the flavors. I really enjoyed it. I see a Bluebird order in my very near future.

I got this as a sample in my last Bluebird order & decided to risk a full sized bag this time around. This smells incredible & tastes even better… Tart rhubarb balanced perfectly with sweet custard goodness, yum! I find it gets even sweeter towards the bottom of the cup; I had to double check I hadn’t added any sugar. Second steep is equally as yummy! My mum loves this too, so I can’t see the bag lasting too long..!

Thanks to Mike from Bluebird Tea Co for this sample!

This smells really good out of the packet – very rich and dessert-like.
While steeping, I could clearly detect the tart, fruity flavor of the rhubarb as well as some creaminess.

I wasn’t sure how long to steep, as there weren’t any instructions on the website, so I figured 5 minutes was a reasonable amount of time.
The taste seemed somewhat artificial-chemical, which could have been due to the stevia, which I’m not completely sold on. I really expected and wanted to like this blend, but that aspect of the flavor hampered my enjoyment of it.
I added some soya cream and a small squeeze of agave to see if it would take the edge off. It sort of worked, but dulled the flavors somewhat.

Now that I’m finished, I don’t really know what to think. There was a very pleasant, long-lasting aftertaste to this tea that made me reconsider my verdict. Maybe I’ll try it again someday and experiment some more.

Rather overexcited as my package from Bluebird Tea just arrived. I think I’ve made my decision that Rhubarb and custard will be the one I try first…

Ooh, it smells just like rhubarb and custard chews. I know it’s supposed to, and I should have expected that, but it made me smile.

Just lifted the lid of my teapot while it was brewing and took a bit sniff. Oh my that’s divine, just like a hot rhubarb crumble.

You know, I’ve been put off buying another Rooibos after the teabags I bought weren’t really my thing. And this is strange, because in this tea I can really taste that rooibos base, but it is working so well with my tastebuds it’s as if they’ve known each other for ages and have just bumped into each other in their favourite cafe and are now having a chat.

Sweet, but not cloyingly so. Nostalgic, in a very good way. And caffeine free, which I really need right now. I am so glad that I love this, I’m going to go and order a load more Rooibos teas right away.

YUM.

Backlog/Sip Down

It took me ages to figure out if I liked this one or not. I hadn’t disliked it, but I felt that the rooibos was taking too much away from the Rhubarb and Custard experience. However, I realized that I never tried to make it sweet or iced, so with the last batch, I added 3 tsp of monk fruit sugar for 32 oz of water + 7 tsp of tea (what was leftover). That is the way to do it! This tea hits another level within your cup. Adding sweetener elevates the sweetness/tartness of the rhubarb and brings out a creaminess in the aftertaste. It was much more pleasant than all the other cups before it.

2022 Bird & Blend Advent calendar Day #3

I’m a rhubarb fan. So I had high hopes for this one and I think it hit the mark. It reminds me of cooked down rhubarb. I think the rooibos is definitely a good base for the rhubarb and cuts down the sour taste. It’s creamy, not super tart. I would say it’s my favorite rooibos so far.