Review of African Rose (Rooibos and Roses)

AromaFlavorValueTotal
8 of 105 of 53 of 580 of 100
ExcellentExcellentReasonable

A really delightful, balanced, and complex blend that is only subtly lemony and floral. Served in Velvet Sky Bakery in Jenkintown, my usual place for sampling Octavia's teas.

The dominant aroma in this is rooibos, and I like that; the other herbs used in flavorings are subtle. The rose and linden are only barely evident, although I suspect that if they were removed I'd probably be able to better pin down their influence on this blend. When I pay attention, I can really notice the linden, and I like it; linden blossoms are one of my favorite smells ever.

One thing I find interesting about this blend is that the deep, herbaceous and woody qualities of the lemon myrtle seem to come out more than the lemon scent itself. I'm not quite sure why this is, but I like it; lemon myrtle is a delightfully complex herb but I find that it usually has an overwhelmingly intense lemon aroma that tends to dominate other qualities of blends it is included in.

Flavor is crisper than that of pure rooibos, and I like this: I suspect it's due to the rose.

This was really enjoyable, and among my favorite examples of flavored rooibos ever. It's also my favorite offering from Octavia tea so far that is not a true tea. Like all of their offerings though, this one is pricey, especially given that (unlike most of their catalogue) it is neither organic nor fair trade certified.

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