Prickly Pear
by Old Barrel Tea CoSteepster Score An exclusive score based on the Steepster community
Rate This Tea- Tea type
- Green Rooibos Blend
- Ingredients
- Not available
- Flavors
- Fruity, Hibiscus, Melon, Pear, Tart, Artificial, Creamy, Hay, Herbaceous, Smooth, Sweet, Thick, Earthy, Woody
- Sold in
- Bulk, Loose Leaf
- Caffeine
- Low
- Certification
- Not available
Average preparation
180 °F / 82 °C
3 min, 0 sec
15 oz / 432 ml
Currently unavailable
We don't know when or if this item will be available.
I really like prickly pear cactus apples (yes, the Opuntia species) and enjoy the sweet red juice and pulpy chew. So it was disappointing to see, after initial excitement, that this tea contains none of that, but instead rooibos and hibiscus, with pear bits. Still interesting, assuming I canget past the rooibos!
I think I was mostly just disappointed that this tasted like melon and not prickly pear ha ha. So lazy.
Opuntia are one of my favourite genera of all time (I’ve got a bunch, it’s too hard to pick just one!) I like products made with opuntia fruits, but I’ve never really enjoyed the fruit outright. It would have been nice to at least get some dried prickly pear chips in there (they sell it as a snack in markets sometimes here, so it must be available in the US too). I know for a fact PP products can be found in Arizona and Nevada because I’ve bought some cactus goods there before like jams.
After double checking the CITES list, it looks like Opuntia humifusa (the species often used in food production) is under CITES Appx. II protection in Canada and is listed as vulnerable in a few US states. I suspect they avoided prickly pear fruit because of the hassle of shipping products over the border containing the plant. They still should have used flavouring from prickly pears since syrups, jams, and flavourings not containing seeds is not regulated.
Call me a cynic, but I would guess it’s for cost reasons.
Yeah that sounds about right