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Dry Leaf Nose: Spicy and woody with hints of cinnamon and ginger.

Liquor: Copper coloured with a spicy aroma

Flavour: Spicy yet delicately sweet, with a touch of woodiness.

I’m a big chai fan but I must admit in the past I’ve always been hesitant about rooibos, so I was very intrigued at the prospects of a chai rooibos. Overall though I was quite pleased.

The coconut gives the tea a slight sweetness which isn’t usually found in most chai teas that I drink. It’s still got the woodiness I’ve come to know from rooibos teas, but not so much so that it’s off putting. I felt the tea could be a bit spicier, and I’m assured that the longer I steep it the spicier it would be.

While it’s perhaps not my favourite (or my go to) chai, it’s definitely one I will revisit.

Dry Leaf Nose: Sweet, almost chocolatey notes.

Liquor: Dark rich brown.

Flavour: Subtle caramel flavour.

Who doesn’t love salted caramel? I know I certainly do, so you can imagine my excitement upon opening up this tea this morning.

While I won’t say it tastes just like a cup full of melted caramels, this is by no means a bad thing. The fact is when it comes to these flavoured black teas I like the flavours to be much more subtle. It also reminded me of another tea I’ve tried in the past, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on what exactly it was…

That said, this one could probably stand to taste a bit more like caramel, though perhaps with a stronger steep it would accomplish this.

It’s always tough to know how long to steep these new teas. My first try I tend to go the shortest time and work my ways up (thankfully there seems to be plenty of tea to make more than one cup).

But again, it’s a really lovely tea, one that’s not too sweet or artificial tasting which is exactly what I want. I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a desert tea (like, say, Pumpkin Chai) since the flavours are much more subtle, making it a much more well rounded tea. This one is definitely high on my “revisit” list.

I must admit, I was a bit nervous about this one. I had bad experiences in the past with maté teas, usually finding them overpowering and difficult to finish.

However Chocolate Rocket seemed to be the exception to this rule. It had very nice chocolate notes, but not to the point where it felt like I was drinking a tall mug of melted chocolate (which, for some, would be the greatest thing in the world). It was just the right amount of chocolate flavour.

The shorter steep time perhaps contributed to this factor. I’d imagine that if I were to steep it for a longer time the chocolate flavour would be more intense. I also did detect a slight fruitiness to the tea, which upon further investigation I discovered was raspberry. Again, just enough to lightly flavour the tea without being overpowering.

And since it’s maté, which means it’s a stimulant, this would be a great morning pick me up. Looking forward to trying it again.

Full disclosure: I don’t like Buttered Rum. I just don’t. So my entire opinion of this tea is skewed by the fact that its flavoured with a flavouring I don’t like.

So it should come as no surprise that I really don’t like this tea. And not because it doesn’t taste how I think it should, but quite the opposite. It tastes just like you would think it would.

One thing I really noticed this time was the woody characteristics. It really did taste as though the tea had been aged in a barrel like a fancy scotch. And I happen to really enjoy scotch, just not when it’s piping hot. That said, the description says to try it iced and I’d be interested to see how it holds up as an iced tea. It also suggest brown sugar and a touch of milk which might make it a bit more palatable.

It also didn’t seem as sweet as last year, much more “woody”. This is a good thing as it made it more enjoyable (well, relatively).

All in all not a terrible tea, especially if you like buttered rum flavour, but I really wish we had started with something I enjoyed a bit more.

I’m somewhat new to the Rooibos family, but so far have really enjoyed all the ones I’ve tried. This one is no exception.

It has a nice fruity taste (love the hints of peach) but also that full flavour that rooibos tends to have. In a weird way it almost tastes like oatmeal, but not in a bad way. It gives the tea a more full-bodied flavour rather than an overly light fruity flavour. It also keeps the tea from tasting artificial.

Being caffeine free this is a perfect tea to sip on before going to bed.

Overall, very pleased.

Really liking this tea. It’s got a great peppermint flavour, though I must admit it overpowers all the other flavours. While I definitely get chocolate on the nose (fancy way of saying I smell chocolate) I don’t taste any. As such, I’m not sure it’d make sense to spend money on this over a cheaper straight peppermint tea.

Having said that it’s still a fantastic tea, and the fact that it’s caffeinated is a real plus for those nights when you want the flavour of peppermint but need a little jolt of caffeine. Also be interested to see how it would hold up with a sweetener and/or milk.

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It’s probably not the most traditional Chai Tea out there, but of all the mass produced bagged Chai’s I’ve tasted this one by far remains my favourite. Whatever their blend is it’s just the perfect balance of all the right flavours. Nothing too overpowering. It’s my go-to morning tea and has been for almost 4 years now.

I’ve tried many a chai, and there may be better ones out there, but this is a staple that I won’t be giving up any time soon.