Kalahari Tea Sampler

I'm officially the worst blogger in the history of Al Gore's internet. Really. At least I really haven't been baking much, though that seems like a pitiful excuse because in the end it's me who has to eat crap.

But I'm reviewing another product right now. Kalahari Tea sent me their sampler pack consisting of all four varieties from their ChocoLatte line, and a selection from their red teas. If you remember from my previous review on the products I won, Kalahari teas primarily use rooibos, a South African plant. When dried, the leaves of the plant turn a shade of red that later on makes for a red cup of tea. Naturally caffeine free and full of flavor, this tea would make a great addition to your selection.

My first taste from this sampler was the Matcha Mint. I was sick anyway and it seemed like a good choice. The green tea flavor, in my opinion, was rather light as the mint seemed to be the prominent flavor, but it was richer than any other mint tea I've tried, and I'm assuming that was from the roasted cacao's depth and smokiness.

The Safari Lullaby was really soothing and now I wish I had gotten that as one of my selections back during the World Cup contest. Imagine infusing a cup of milk with a tea consisting of rooibos, chamomile, spearmint, lemon grass, Valerian. If you don't fall asleep, then you're crazy! The flavor was so mellow and smooth and perfect to sip before bed. They also have a rooibos-chamomile tea that doesn't include the Valerian, too.

Next try was the Kalahari Reserve, which is their basic rooibos tea. You really got a sense of the brightness of the rooibos here as it wasn't paired against another flavor.

I tried the Zambezi Red Chai again (this was the first flavor I've ever tried) and once again fell in love with the blend of Indian spices paired with rooibos. Many chai teas are lacking in spiciness and depth, but here it's perfect and delicious.

The scent from the Raspberry Truffle is amazing. I drank this with a bit of sugar and whole milk, just so you know. The raspberry flavor blends nicely with the roasted cacao, and the flavors linger on your tongue long after you finish taking a sip. It really does seem as if you just ate a raspberry truffle.

The other flavors I haven't tasted yet (I have a strong aversion to hazelnut, unfortunately), but the Cherry Vanilla and Highlands Honey I reviewed previously. Again, I want to mention the genius of their ChocoLatte line. Their pairing of the ingredients is spot on and neither too rich nor too weak.

If you're new to the Kalahari Tea brand, I strongly urge you to try at least one flavor, and I hope my review of their sampler gave you a better feel for their teas.

World Cup Fever and Kalahari Tea

You thought you were safe from hearing any more about soccer and the World Cup, weren't you?

WRONG!

I've rather enjoyed the coverage, as I enjoy watching most sports because I like seeing people do something they're passionate about. Soccer for me isn't about the goals, but the control of the players and their athleticism. And I do get a big kick (ha) out of karate tactics on the field. Shaolin Soccer, anyone?

My brother really got into it, as he joined a fantasy league and stuff, looking up statistics and making some good guesses. We both signed up for Kalahari Tea's World Cup Contest on Facebook. Kalahari Tea is based of the South African rooibos tea, a caffeine-free herbal tea which grows on bushes. After the processing, the leaves turn reddish-brown color that you see after your tea steeps. It's really pretty and lovely, and has turned into my favorite flavor after going through a box of Kalahari's chai rooibos tea.

Anyway, I placed second in the first round of the contest, and my prize was being able to pick two teas out of the offered selection.

My choices were ChocoLatte Cherry Vanilla and Highlands Honey.

The ChocoLatte Cherry Vanilla intrigued be by the blend of roasted cacao with rooibos, vanilla beans, and cherry flavor along with a few other ingredients. I was particularly interested in finding out how the cacao flavor would come through.

I quickly set off to steep a cup. What I tasted was a subtly sweet tea with the flavor of the roasted cacao as a backdrop, intermixed with the essence of vanilla. I would say there was a fruity note throughout the whole cup, but I couldn't pinpoint the cherry specifically. What I liked the most was the "dessert-essence" quality of this tea, and it makes a perfect accompaniment to after-dinner desserts since it has the richness you would expect from coffee thanks to the roasted cacao, with the bonus of being caffeine-free.

The Highlands Honey has a natural honey and vanilla flavor with their rooibos tea. The description on the website says it has a subtle sweetness, though I'm not sure I necessarily tasted that. In fact, I didn't really taste the honey flavor at all because the vanilla stood out to me the most. I'm not ruling it out, though I have a tendency to detect vanilla in foods more easily so it may have simply been my palate. I like to drink this tea before going to bed, or in the morning before heading out on a run.

So thanks to Kalahari Tea for running this contest, and giving me the opportunity to taste some of their teas I can't find in the stores!