Note to self: when endeavoring to get through large numbers of tea in a day, perhaps it is not the wisest course of action to use the 12oz cup. And if the 12oz cup is selected, perhaps second steeps should be avoided. And perhaps caffeinated teas should be alternated with decaffeinated teas. The alternative is shaky hands, twitching and a desire to dance like a Muppet.
I typically save rooibos for nighttime but for some reason, it seemed like a good idea to try this one now. I’m still on the hunt for rooibos that I enjoy and Doulton was nice enough to send me a sample of this one to try. Which is awesome because I would have hated to have actually purchased this as I conducted my search. Because this? Is like concentrated rooibos. The smell is sweet and faintly vanilla-y and fully rooibos-y. But when I take a sip is when it really shows of the rooibos-ness. I think it is the sweetness of the vanilla that accentuates the taste of the rooibos because it pretty much beats me over the head with rooibos ickiness. Even with the aftertaste, it is still beating me while yelling, “DIE! DIE! I AM ROOIBOS, FEAR ME! DIE!”
Okay, maybe I’m being a tad bit dramatic (let’s blame all of the caffeine today, shall we?) but still, this is so freaking rooibos. It’s a floof of vanilla on top of concentrated rooibos. It is the essence of rooibos. It is the epitomy of all the things about rooibos I don’t like. Sweet, sour wood. From smell to aftertaste. For someone that doesn’t like rooibos (that’d be me), this is not fun.