Red Velvet

Sipdown

As 2017 quickly approaches, I went through my teas again to determine teas for my sipdown box. That meant I pulled all the teas from 2016 or earlier and tossed them into the box. I also pulled teas that are in shitty packaging since I don’t trust those to last as long. This was among the teas in the former category and with only a teaspoon left, it was an easy finish.

This has white chocolate in it so it does get a touch of that oil on top, however, in the case of this cup, it is more visible to the eye than the mouthfeel which is good. Tastewise this is sweet. Sweet rooibos that blends with the other flavors to be a bit caramel-like that goes well with what I would call “a bit of a cakey vibe” . However, rather than Red Velvet, it is more generic dessert tea than anything and though it is enjoyable, it is not worth restocking, especially when I can easily obtain DAVIDsTEA’s Birthday Cake which is very similar and far more nostalgic.

This tastes just like DT’s Birthday cake, except they’ve added white chocolate chips. I can’t taste anything resembling white chocolate, but it is still a good blend. I don’t normally drink teas with dairy in it, but since I received this sample in a tea exchange and didn’t buy it myself, I figured I might as well use it up. Considering I can’t taste the white chocolate, it seem to me an unnecessary ingredient.

As for the flavour, it resembles caramel, cake frosting, and vanilla. It definitely is very palatable by itself, but it also does well as a latte. I have one more cup’s worth of leaf left (~1 tsp) and will probably drink it tonight to accomplish today’s sipdown goal.

This blend is safe for those who dislike rooibos. The honeybush is pleasant and not woody.

OMG-this makes an AMAZING latte! Liquid gold. It is a great substitute for Davidstea Red Velvet Cake if you want a caffeine free version since this is a rooibos.

This is basically DT’s Red Velvet Cake in honeybush form. So then, kind of like Birthday Cake too, but slightly more like the former. I initially loved that stuff when it came out, but a massive LE tin made me sick of it. The upside is this isn’t as sludgy as DAVIDsTEA’s. I’m glad I only got a sample of it.

For anyone who hasn’t tried those other teas, this is an eggy, slightly chocolatey cake tea with a hint of shredded coconut on top. The liquor smells more like icing than the flavour. The honeybush doesn’t compete and really allows the desserty notes to shine. I can see desserty tea lovers really liking this, but in moderation!

Made a cuppa after the need for caffeine had subsided enough for me to be able to chance a rooibos. I’m so glad I did! Usually I’m not a fan of rooibos – I find them overly woody or sticky sweet, but this one was neither! It’s a smooth creamy chocolatey tea – really tasty, actually. Reminds me of the cake teas from DT, or Read My Lips without the mint. I’m pondering including it on the restock list. It’s rate to find that kind of creamy full flavour that isn’t also full of caffeine.