Cherry Rose Rooibos

Name:  Cherry Rose Rooibos


Brand:  Naturally for You


Primary Type:  Rooibos


Dry Scent:  This is delicately scented tea.  At first, the rooibos is strongest with its warm, honey-like sun-baked earthy scent, then, dancing overtop are the scents of rosepetals and cherry, but neither is of the overpoweringly strong variety.  The rose is delicate, not heavy tea-rose, and the cherry is sweet and berry-like, not kirsch-strong and reeking of amaretto.


Steeping Time: 6-8 min (or more)


Steeped Flavour:  Warm, sunny from the rooibos, but with the floral notes hiding until later in the sip.  This always makes me think of a warm late spring day when the cherry blossoms are blooming all over, as they do here, and the first of the roses are just beginning to open as well.  Wonderful and also nostalgic, as this was the very first rooibos tea I ever tried.  This is a very calming tea, and might be best saved for evening or bedtime.


Food/Drink Pairings:  This tea is wonderful on its own, but as for pairing, it goes best with light desserts that won't overpower it.  The subtlety here is such that it's best to make sure to pair it with simple fare.  It would go beautifully with strawberry shortcake or some nice sugar cookies.


Rating out of Six Tails:

5.5/6


Buy/Don't Buy

Okay folks, again you will notice there is no link to this one.  Unfortunately unless you live in Victoria, you might not be able to find this.  Naturally for You is a wonderful little hole-in-the-wall tea shop in the Oak Bay village down in the Monterey Mews.  So well-hidden that unless you know to look for it you won't find it.  They do, however, have a website http://oakbaysteas.com/ although how often it is updated I'm not sure.  All the information on it seems accurate, although the teas listed may change depending on what he happens to get in stock.  This one isn't on the list right now, but who knows, he might have some in stock.  If you do get the chance though, go down and check out their stock.  Dennis, the owner, is an endless font of tea information, and of course, they also have delicious belgian chocolates!