Name: Strawberry Pomegranate Herbal Red Tea

Brand: Stash

Type: Rooibos tisane, flavored

Form: Paper tea bag

Review: One of my great pet peeves is the trend of calling rooibos “red tea.” Rooibos, a shrub native to South Africa, is not a true tea at all, but produces a very nice, honey-sweet tisane (herbal infusion). It gets even more confusing because the Chinese use the term “red tea” (or “hong cha”) to describe what we in the West know as black tea. Teas are teas and tisanes are tisanes and that is that.

(inhale)

In any case, if you are in the market for a fruity, caffeine free tisane, this offering from Stash wouldn’t be a bad choice. It’s a blend of rooibos, raspberry leaves, rosehips and hibiscus flower with some pomegranate and strawberry flavors blended in. It’s naturally sweet on its own, so if you like your tisanes sweet and tangy, this isn’t a bad choice at all. But where it really shines is when paired with dark chocolate. Make yourself a hot cup of Strawberry Pomegrante Herbal Red Tea and break off a couple of squares of high-quality chocolate. Take a bite of chocolate, wash it down with a sip of tea. Really delicious and satisfying.

(Yum)

Preparation Tips: While I normally advise giving rooibos tisanes a good long infusion, the presence of hibiscus and rosehips in this blend forces me to do otherwise. Rose hips and hibiscus dominate blends if left to steep too long, and while I like both, they can do a lot to damage the flavor profile of a tea or tisane. Pour boiling water over your teabag, and let it sit between two and three minutes. Use a teaspoon to sample the tea periodically before removing the teabag.

Recommendation: The rooibos base contributes strongly to the flavor of this tisane, so don’t buy this if you don’t like rooibos. Otherwise, lovers of fruity rooibos tisanes should enjoy this one.

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