Spicy Cherry Rooibos

Haha, wouldn’t think I’d find this tea here considering I got it from a local little tearoom in Canterbury! Actually discovered this during our Tea Society’s Christmas social where we had a “mystery tea tasting” competition: usually we are all served a little of a tea without knowing what kind it is or what’s in it and have to guess, but this time round, we were given a scorecard… And my team won ;) all because I guessed “peony” for this one, prominent as it is in Coquelicot Gourmand, I’ve come to recognise it in other places too.

And wow, did the flavours surprise me at first! Plenty of people said the aroma was like cherries, maybe cherry bakewell tart (with wild cherries it almost smells like… cough syrup? still delicious!); I found it tasted very much like frangipane, or almonds, or maybe amaretto, as well as rose and peony, but I couldn’t guess chilli at all.

This time round, brewing it at home, I was so fascinated by the miniscule chillies and rosebuds in the loose-leaf tea that I decided to use one of the tiny chillies in my brew. Big mistake. I’m terrible with spiciness. This absolutely burns on the way down, but only while I’m actually drinking it. All the other beautiful flavours are still there though! Cherry, still some marzipan there, peony, with a very smooth, fruity sip as though the chilli had never been there in the first place.

I definitely, definitely recommend giving this try if you can, it’s a really unique experience. I might just toss out all the chillies in my bag of this so I don’t burn my mouth off though!

This is a tea from a swap a while back….. I had it out to send to a tea friend, but I think she might not be my tea friend anymore if I sent this to her. I will start off by saying that I am one of the few who actually really enjoy Rooibos. This however. I took one sip and YUCK! Spicy, pepper, grossness is all I got out of it. I walked over to the trash can and tossed this puppy. I know tea blasphemy , but it is still giving me the shivers.

Backlog 13/67
From Carol Who.

When I found this tea I was very, very surprised. A spicy tea? What’s that? :D Being terrified of spiciness, I avoided it for a while. But tonight being another tasting night, I decided to give it a go. With much trepidation, I brewed my cup, sat it on the table and began tasting with my sister. Meanly, I handed this cup to her first. I didn’t warn her. I’m a terrible person.

But her face was priceless.

After she finished beating me, I tried it. It was spicy water with no flavor to me. She got her husband who is the one we nicknamed “Dragon” for reasons not entirely unrelated to his spicy eating habits. He almost liked it. Almost. But to him, the afterburn was just an annoyance. It didn’t provide a nice enough burn on the tongue and there was no good flavor surrounding the burn. We sweetened and cooled it next and he said maybe if it were “Southern-style sweet tea” (read: Iced and way too much sugar) it might be good. But as it was, it was the wrong kind of spicy for him.

And if you want proof that I’m a terrible person… next I let my 7 year old daughter try it.

… I am a terrible, terrible person.

(No children were harmed in the making of this review. She giggled after she finished washing the taste out.)

That said, no. Just no. Not for me. Thank you Carol Who.. .for the most entertaining “NO” I’ve had yet in a tea. :)