Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Bluebird Tea Co.
Tisane Description:
Hardy British super fruit, much loved vintage cartoon characters, top boiled sweet and crumble of the gods… Rhubarb + Custard really is a pairing made in heaven. This naturally caffeine free, antioxidant rich rooibos tea blend will satisfy your sweet tooth with less than 1 calorie p/cup! Sounds like a super sweet deal to us!
Ingredients: Rooibos, Rhubarb pieces, Calendula, Stevia.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
I am sure I’ve probably mentioned this before with previous “rhubarb” teas, but I have never actually eaten rhubarb. At least, not that I can remember. But I’ve had rhubarb flavor in a couple of different teas and I’ve enjoyed what I’ve tasted.
To brew this tisane, I put 1 bamboo scoop of tisane into the basket of my Kati Tumbler and then filled it (12 ounces) with water heated to 195°. Then, because it’s a rooibos tisane (with no hibiscus in it, yay!) I steeped it for 10 minutes.
The aroma: I definitely smell the custard! As I’m not very familiar with rhubarb, I don’t know if I smell it or not. I do smell vague notes of rooibos, but mostly what I smell is custard!
The taste: I definitely taste rooibos. I am tasting that honeyed, nutty flavor from the rooibos. The stevia adds a little bit of sweetness and I’m finding that I am not minding the presence of the stevia as much as I normally do in teas/tisanes where stevia is an ingredient. For those of you who read my reviews regularly, you’re probably aware that I don’t like it when tea companies add stevia or other sweetener to the tea because I like to decide how much – if any! – sweetener I’m going to add to my tea. But here, I don’t taste a distinct stevia taste and the sweetness is gentle and seems to be curbing some of the rhubarb’s tartness so I’m not minding that the stevia is there.
I can taste the rhubarb here. My first few sips, I didn’t really recognize the tartness of the rhubarb, but as I continued to sip, the flavor of the rhubarb developed. It is especially noteworthy in the aftertaste where I’m experiencing that tingly, tarty sensation on my tongue.
And I can taste the custard! It is sweet and creamy and it (together with the stevia) softens the rhubarb’s tart.
This is actually quite a tasty treat. At first, (about my first 1/3 of the cup, really), I wasn’t really sure what I was tasting but I was enjoying it. Now that the tartness of the rhubarb has become identifiable and the custard notes have become more noticeable, I’m really enjoying this custard-y, rhubarb-y tisane.
Another winner from Bluebird!
