Vanilla Cupcake Rooibos Tea

Steeped Tea- Tamara Sabine

$17.00USD for 3.53oz (100g)

I met Tamara online in one of the Teavana Lovers facebook groups as we all said goodbye to our beloved tea shop. We had both been employees and we chatted about our time with Teavana and her new business venture as a Steeped Tea Independent Consultant. Steeped Tea is a Canada based company that just officially launched their USA program summer of 2018.

Tamara sent me 3 samples, including this Vanilla Cupcake Rooibos Tea. Two of them were for me to sample and one was for me to use for #teatriviatuesday! Be sure you are following me on Instagram for your chance to win!

Packaging

SteepedTea’s Vanilla Cupcake Rooibos arrived in a black/clear heat sealed ziplock bag. The front is solid black while the back is clear so you can see the tea. On the front is the label that gives the name of the tea and the ingredients. This is a Rooibos tea with natural vanilla flavoring. On the back of the bag is another label that gives steeping instructions for every kind of tea. This label also marks which teas have caffeine and which teas can be steeped multiple times, although I am not certain I agree with a few of their numbers.

I opened the bag and was greeting by the sweet vanilla. Also present was the nutty/earthy aroma of the rooibos tea. For some reason I am not a huge fan of the way rooibos SMELLS. I can’t put my finger on it, and I do typically like how rooibos teas taste. I have just never enjoyed the smell.

How to Brew

The back of the pouch gave steeping instructions for each type of tea. For the rooibos it says 1.5tsp. (I assume for every 8oz of water) for 4-6 minutes. Unfortunately for new tea drinkers, the temperatures for each tea is not present. Since it is so important, especially for more sensetive teas, to know the brewing temperature as well as the time this is something the company may want to consider.

Rooibos teas are pretty difficult to mess up. They can be steeped at 205ºF or higher (212ºF max) and can be left to steep for awhile and not burn. Typically the longer a rooibos sits, the stronger the flavor. I heated my water to 205ºF and let my tea sit for 5 minutes, which is my standard for a rooibos unless I’m making a latte.

As it brewed, the nutty aroma transformed into a sweet vanilla. I was finally able to enjoy the smell coming from the tea. I couldn’t wait for my first sip!

The Experience

Steeped Tea’s Vanilla Cupcake Rooibos steeped to a beautiful deep auburn color. This was not surprising since rooibos is a red tea, and does not come from the Camellia sinensis (tea plant). I had a few tea leaves get through my strainer, which is not uncommon for a rooibos as the pieces are incredibly fine.

My first sip was a little disappointing. The sweet vanilla smell was there, but the flavor was all the nutty rooibos tea. I needed to figure out where the Vanilla Cupcake came into play! So, I decided to add a little sweet cream to see what it would do to the flavor.

It was a NIGHT AND DAY difference when I added the splash of sweet cream! All of a sudden my tea tasted like vanilla frosting! I could close my eyes and swear I was eating a vanilla cupcake with sweet buttercream frosting. YUM!

Vanilla Cupcake Rooibos would make an incredible after dinner dessert tea. Perfect for a tea lover while coffee lovers are having their post dinner drink. It would also make a really yummy evening latte when you do not want any of caffeine!

In Conclusion

Steeped Tea picked the PERFECT name for this Vanilla Cupcake Rooibos. I was surprised by the transformation of the tea once adding the sweet cream. My husband is a huge vanilla rooibos fan and I know this will be one that he will want to keep in the cabinet. It might not be something that I drink on a regular basis but it was absolutely worth the taste! I look forward to introducing this tea to a friend who is looking for something sweet and warm to drink without the caffeine.

Join Tamara’s Tea VIP’s on Facebook
Follow Steeped Tea on Instagram

   

Reviews
Home