Review: Adagio Rooibos

May 30

Troy’s Teaview Snapshot

"A rich rooibos blend that's actually quite good, though it lacks the slightly nutty flavor I've come to enjoy in other rooibos varieties."

Troy’s Teaview:	8/10
Other Teaviews:	Nicole gave it 9/10
Your Reviews:	Add your review »

Rooibos is not Tea. Rooibos has very little in common with the well loved concoction of Camellia leaves. It doesn’t look like Tea, and it certainly doesn’t taste like Tea. Whereas tea is Floral, Vegital, and Tannic, Rooibos is Floral, Sweet, and Nutty/Woody. Rooibos, the African red bush, brews up red as opposed to the many levels of brown, green, and yellow of Tea. Rooibos lacks a caffeinated punch to wake you up in the morning, but it does go well with warm milk to put you to sleep at night. Tea is sunny, whereas Rooibos seems cloaked in the night sky of the dark continent.

While the Rooibos I purchased from Adagio wasn’t exactly the greatest I’ve had it was very good. The instructions they give is to steep it at 180 Degrees F for 7 minutes. Rooibos is far more versatile than Tea, it lacks tannic bitterness that grows with lengthened steeping, this is replaced with a woody nuttiness that becomes richer with time. Because of this you don’t need to be too careful with preparing Rooibos and I found Adagio’s instructions to be a bit on the conservative side. I’ve Steeped this at higher temps, I’ve steeped it for up to 12 min, and I’ve even made it in my Chef-Mate Coffee Maker (I don’t drink coffee).

The blend from Adagio was shiny and silky, coursing from the time when poured, like a falling dune of brick red sand. When brewed the liquor is a deep red, a stark redwood red that will really stand out to your average Tea drinker. The flavor is rich, but not as nutty as some of the other Rooibos blends I’ve had. It made for many good cups and was well worth the price, but I still plan to keep a lookout for something a bit richer.

— To purchase Adagio Rooibos, or for more specific information on ingredients or the story behind this particular blend, click here to go directly to the manufacturer's web site.

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