Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Suffuse
Product Description:
Caffeine free, red Rooibos herbal tea, rich in antioxidants is infused with festive fruits and spices. Savor the warmth and cheer of the holiday season with four exceptional blends of spices, fruits & flavors that capture the tastes and aromas of traditional homemade favorites including; Eggnog, Gingerbread, Pumpkin Pie and Apple Pie. Naturally sweet tasting Rooibos boasts a wide array of health benefits that include unique antioxidant properties to counteract the impact of free radicals which harm the body. This combined with high quality fruits & spices creates a brilliant mix of health and taste.
Taster’s Review:
Mmmm! Apple pie! Is there any dessert more comforting than apple pie?
This rooibos blend has captured the flavor of apple pie filling very well, with delicate spice notes and a sweet apple-y taste. And while I don’t get a lot of the pie or pastry flavor here, I do taste just a little. And, really, unless I’m eating my gramma’s pie or perhaps a pie from Whiffies in Portland, I don’t get particularly excited about pie crust.
The red rooibos base has a nutty flavor that is also woody. Unlike the other three flavors from the Festive Medley package from Suffuse, though, this rooibos blend still has a bit of that funky aftertaste that I get from rooibos sometimes. I’m not particularly crazy about that funky taste, but, on the plus side, the apple-y flavor of this tisane is delicious enough that the funkiness is tolerable. I also noticed that about a half a teaspoon of brown sugar nicely offsets that funky taste and enhances the apple pie flavor tremendously. Without the sweetener, this tisane is alright. But with the brown sugar, it is fantastic!
Apple Pie is the fourth and final tisane from the Festive Medley package from Suffuse. The Festive Medley package is an assortment of flavored rooibos tisanes which were flavored with the holidays in mind. The other three flavors available in the Festive Medley package are Pumpkin Pie, Gingerbread, and Eggnog (Just click on the link to read my review of these other tisanes).
Pumpkin Pie from Suffuse
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Suffuse
Product Description:
Unique blend of Red Rooibos & traditional gingerbread. All natural ginger root coated with butterscotch and spiced with cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg evokes home-baked Festive Enchantment.
Taster’s Review:
Did you leave room for pumpkin pie? If you’ve stuffed yourself at the holiday feast and you don’t feel like you’ve room for one more bite, perhaps you’ll have enough room for a sip or two of pumpkin pie rooibos!
The fragrance of this tisane is strong – very pumpkin-y! As my tea cup sits in front of me, the scent of fresh pumpkin pie perfumes the air and brings a smile to my face!
The flavor is also very pumpkin-y. I don’t know that I’m tasting a lot of “pie” or pastry flavor, perhaps a hint of buttery taste and the natural nutty flavor of the rooibos also lends a bit of the pastry taste to the cup. But, what it lacks in “pie” it definitely makes up for in pumpkin. And let’s face it, when we eat pumpkin pie, we want the pumpkin, am I right? I remember when I was young, I used to eat the pumpkin and leave the pie crust on my plate.
The pumpkin has a pleasant squash taste that’s been seasoned with cinnamon. It is not an overly seasoned pumpkin, but it has just enough spice in there to make it interesting without detracting from the taste of the pumpkin.
What I really like about this particular tisane is that the pumpkin is so prominent and it is a true pumpkin flavor. So often with pumpkin flavored teas, I taste the tea, but, I don’t get a very authentic pumpkin flavor. You won’t hear that complaint from me with this tisane; it’s delicious!
Gingerbread Red Rooibos from Suffuse
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Suffuse
Product Description:
Unique blend of Red Rooibos & traditional gingerbread. All natural ginger root coated with butterscotch and spiced with cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg evokes home-baked Festive Enchantment.
Taster’s Review:
This is one of four flavors that are part of the Festive Medley collection, and so far, I think it’s my favorite (I still haven’t tried the Apple Pie though!) The other two that I’ve tried (Eggnog and Pumpkin Pie) have been tasty and I quite enjoyed them, but, if I had to choose one as my favorite, this one would be it.
The red rooibos base seems to unite harmoniously (and almost seamlessly) with the gingerbread flavorings. It is as though someone took a piece of gingerbread and served it to me in liquefied form!
The ginger here is not spicy or peppery hot, although it does deliver a comfortable snap of warmth that is similar to what I would experience if I were eating a piece of gingerbread. The ginger flavor develops as I continue to sip my way down to the bottom of my cup, but it never really becomes overwhelmingly hot. It increases the heat ever so slightly while always maintaining a comfortable level and is pleasantly sweet, but not too sweet.
The individual flavors here seem to come together to create a powerful, unique flavor; but when I attempt to concentrate on a single flavor I find it rather difficult. It is as though the flavors – individually – are quite weak, but together they stand strong. For example, I can taste the vanilla here, but if I were to try to focus on the vanilla, I would have to say that the vanilla is a rather soft note.
The same is true for the cinnamon, nutmeg and butterscotch. For that matter, the same is true of the rooibos base! It has a light nutty flavor that works so well with these flavors and there is very little transition between flavors. This is synergy at its best! All of these flavors are in there, I can taste them, but, they work together so well that they cannot (and should not) be divided.
I am really glad I got the opportunity to try this delicious rooibos blend. It is a delightful holiday treat!
Eggnog Red Rooibos from Suffuse
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Suffuse
Company Description:
ROOIBOS – South Africa’s unique health beverage enjoyed by the whole family for generations. Perfect anytime, hot or iced, with or without milk & honey.
FESTIVE MEDLEY – Savor the warmth & cheer of the holiday season with 4 exceptional blends of spices, fruits & flavors that capture the tastes and aromas of traditional home baked favorites: Eggnog, Gingerbread, Pumpkin Pie, Apple Pie.
Taster’s Review:
I am not really a big fan of eggnog. I don’t dislike it, it’s just not something that I like well enough to ever really buy when I’m in the supermarket, much less attempt to make from scratch.
But I am really liking this cup of eggnog rooibos tisane from Suffuse! The flavor is similar to eggnog – and it is sweet, creamy… almost custard-like.
The red rooibos is a perfect base for this blend, because the natural nutty flavor of the rooibos tastes very good with the eggnog flavor. I am also tasting nutmeg.
Overall, this is a very enjoyable cup. It’s naturally caffeine free, so it would be a good one to serve around the hearth when your family and friends are celebrating the holidays with you. I found it to be tasty as a hot beverage – I imagine it would be even better with a splash of rum in there!