Next up is a new rooibos sample we are thinking of bringing in.
And WOW is it good.

Organic rooibos with coconut pieces, caramels, passionfruit and flavored with banana.
At first I was like...Oh no another banana....the other two we carry are actually good and we got lucky with those. So skepticism was mine as I poured my first cup.

Well I proved myself wrong (not the first or last time). This is the most flavourful rooibos sample I have tasted in a very long time! Full bodied, sweet but not overly so, you can taste the banana and it is GOOD. The smell is firm yet not cloying as is want to be with most rooibos. The one thing about this blend that stands out is that you can still taste the almost woody note of the actual rooibos base. It hasn't been drowned out by over flavoring.

If you are new to rooibos it is a plant (not technically a "tea") that grows off the cape of Good Hope in South Africa. A member of the legume family and should probably be avoided if you have severe nut allergies. You will sometimes hear this beverage referred to as "red bush" or "red tea" (not to be confused with Chinese red teas).

It is full of anti-oxidants and is an immune system booster. What we love about Rooibos is that it helps relieve anxiety. With all the stress we face each day, this is a BONUS. Tastes good and good for you. It can help alleviate skin irritations. I have actually bathed in it. Very refreshing either way. :) And the best bonus of all is that it contains NO caffeine.

There is rooibos that has been oxidized (exposed to air and sun) and green rooibos that does not go through the oxidation process. Some scientific research points to the green rooibos as being even more beneficial to the overall immune system etc.
If I run across those articles and publications the will definitely be posted either here or on our forums. My hope is to see more tea vendors offer more options of green and red flavored teas. Though they are delicious without flavor or sugar.

Some may be shocked (or not) to know that I prefer flavored teas over plain. Never completely a purist at heart, I may be burned at the proverbial tea bush by most tea connoisseurs. Now that being said, I do enjoy an excellent cup of black, oolong and green tea as well. There are many varieties of tea in the market place and I encourage anybody and everyone to sample them at least twice. Once for the experience and twice for the confirmation of said experience. lol

Flavors are like colors to me and I prefer to experience as many as I can create or get my tea mits on. ;)

Hey, I have an idea! If you have a tea that you would like me to taste and review, send it to us and we will post it here. Email me directly at: rachel@scentbyspirit.com with the words Tea Addy in the subject line (so the spam filter doesn't eradicate your email into the black hole) and give us your name and information and we will send you our mailing address.