Apr 26
Jamie’s Teaview Snapshot
 | "The vanilla was present but subdued, adding to the overall sweetness of the rooibos more than being a stand out."
|
I'm quite a fan of rooibos. Being a caffeine free treat, I can drink it in the evenings with no peril of difficulty dropping off to sleep. Aside from enjoying rooibos unadorned, it's just been in recent months that I've realized what a truly beautiful canvas it is for all sorts of delicious additions, from fruit to cacao to coconut, that make a nighttime cuppa into something really decadent if you're so inclined.A vanilla rooibos sounded sweet and inviting and simple too. Stash's vanilla rooibos has a faint sweet smell, more the smell of the rooibos itself, with just the faintest hint of vanilla to the dry blend. The rooibos was longer grained than I've seen before, with a fineness that reminded me of paintbrush bristles - very slender and distinct.
I added freshly boiled water to the rooibos, allowing for a 5 minutes steep, and this released a very sweet vanilla scent - very sweet indeed - and the smell actually reminded me of making vanilla simple syrups. Definitely sugary smelling! This tea needs no further sweetening. The rooibos does that for you and the vanilla adds an additional sweet creaminess to the rooibos that is pleasant but doesn't really jump out and grab you. The vanilla was present but subdued, adding to the overall sweetness of the rooibos more than being a stand out.
Oddly enough, I think the vanilla might do better as an addition or back up to other flavorings in a rooibos blend rather than a solo addition. Something about rooibos subsumes the distinctive taste of vanilla, and while the flavor is good, it doesn't really stand out in particular aside from adding a little extra sweetness, which there's already plenty of in a rooibos.
Something about vanilla and rooibos go hand in hand, but possibly it's that their flavor profiles (sweetly full and rounded) are somewhat reflective of one another, almost making this pairing a bit too sweet. Maybe another blend of vanilla rooibos would yield a tea that has a more distinct and pronounced vanilla taste, but I would be inclined to drink rooibos just on its own or blended with a variety of things including vanilla.
This was nice to drink - a pleasantly sweet, caffeine free evening treat. If I were seeking out vanilla in particular, though, I wouldn't find it distinct enough in this tea. I'd look for another tea base that would allow the vanilla to really shine through, all things considered.
— To purchase Stash Vanilla 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.
 |
Jamie Teaviews.com Reviewer » Read more about this reviewer on Jamie's profile page. » Find a list of recent posts by Jamie. |
Recent Comments