Oh my gosh! Rooibos Herbal tea where have you been all my life!

Yesterday I made a safeway stop to pick up some dinner when I just happened to spot the “quick sale bin.” If none of you have ever been to the back of a safeway between the milk and pharmacy, It’s an untamed wilderness back there!

Among the uninteresting deals, my eyes (who were looking for tea moments earlier) spotted a khaki box with a lion on the front. Being a sucker for exotic teas (as I am) I examined it, “Kalahari Red Tea.” Ooh that sounded exotic enough “Premium South African Rooibos Herb Tea. For a tea this exotic I wasn’t going to pay more than a dollar, but to my pleasant surprise it was marked $.50 cents. To boot was a box of Celestial Seasonings Green Tea Sampler so if the Rooibos Root doesn’t do it then I’ll have Mandarin Orchard Green Tea as a backup.

So today I opened the khaki box with the glazed red logo to reveal 20 bags sealed in white sheaths with exotic tea contents that initially smelled like tea made of a tumbleweed. I filled my battered Tigger the Tiger “coffee overload” mug that has seen its share of toxic concoctions and took a sip of this elixir. The description was no lie, Kalahari Reserve Pure African Rooibos Red Tea tastes like Red bush, the most popular herb in Southern Africa. I tasted something, perhaps the tender tips of the Rooibos bush. However, it took a bit of time before the sweet, smooth taste kicked in. Admittedly I wasn’t impressed, for a member of the legume family, I expected a bit more. Adding milk helped, but it was only after consuming half the contents of the potion when perhaps the sensation kicked in and I did noticeably felt better.

The final assessment at the end of one bag was that this visibly red liquid was indeed an exotic drink and well worth the experience. However its unlikely I’ll be switching over to this as my regular drink of choice (which currently is Double Burgemont Grey Tea). I have yet to report on the tastes of the Celestial Seasonings brand, but I’ve had previous teas from them and they are generally a good tea so I expect a good experience there.

For tea lovers and non-tea lovers you should always challenge yourself to a new brand once you run out of tea. Often you’ll find exotic blends in the cheap isles of the super markets. Try them.. It’s too often we get stuck in the constant monotony of one “go-to tea” which keeps us from discovering something better. At it’s root (no pun intended) having tasted Rooibos Bush Red Tea I felt I’ve learned something new about the world outside the traditional boundaries of learning. It’s likely that you too, after trying an exotic tea, will have such an enlightening experience as I did.

Kalahari Reserve Red Tea’s Official Website

~J out

EDIT 10:39 am

Just tried the Celestial Seasonings Honey Lemon Ginseng from their Green Tea Sampler and it is tons more better in flavor, sweetness, and robustness than the Red Tea. The Red Tea is definitely for those who want a more organic earthy like tea..

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