Republic of Tea Red Chai Rooibos Tea Review

An Excellent and Very Spicy Caffeine-Free Chai Tea

Summary : This is a very tasty, and very spicy, rooibos chai tea. As this is a rooibos tea, this chai tea also has the benefit of being caffeine-free too. Just be prepared for a rather strong "pepper flavor" to this tea, especially in the after-taste.

Review : Anyone who has read any of my other chai tea reviews on this site should know that I absolutely adore chai teas. I love the spice. I love how the spicy flavor "wakes me up" and somehow pushes aside lifes little problems, at least for a little while. Of course, one bad thing about most chai teas is that they are usually created from either black tea or green tea...and thus contain caffeine. So what is a person, who seeks to avoid caffeine, to do?

Simple. Find a chai tea that is created from rooibos tea leaves instead. And that is exactly what I ended up samping on this late January evening. As I like rooibos tea, I was very curious to see how this chai tea would stack up against other chai teas I've had.

Here is how the Republic of Tea describes things : "The flavor of rooibos is more similar to black tea than any other herb tea. And like black tea, it goes through a fermentation process which turns the leaves from green to a deep red color and gives it a slightly sweet note with a deep body. Healthy spices have been skillfully blended to create a rich, flavorful experience."

This tea contains the following ingredients : rooibos, orange peel, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom seed, anise seed, black pepper and cloves.

The leaves of this tea have a very powerful aromatic flavor. The pepper aroma, and to some extent the aroma of cinnamon, are very prevalent and quite strong in this tea. So even if you don't bother to read the label of what you are about drink, you'll have no doubt that this is indeed a chai tea.

The flavor of this tea, once brewed, basically matches the very strong aroma of the tea. The flavor is strong...really strong! You get a "faint hint" of your typical rooibis tea flavor. And you'll also find a little bit of cinnamon flavor to the tea as well. But...at the end of the day, what really will jump out at you is the pepper flavor of the tea.

For those who don't like pepper in their teas, take note here. This tea does indeed contain black pepper...and quite a bit of it. The flavor of the pepper is quite noticeable when you drink it, although it isn't totally overpowering. However, the pepper really shows itself in the teas after-taste. The pepper seems to linger on seemingly forever, providing an interesting little tingle to your tongue.

I like pepper, so no big deal for me, although in this tea the amount of pepper might have been a bit "overdone." But if you aren't a big pepper fanatic, well...be warned...as this tea contains quite a bit of it!

Recommendation : Yes. If you enjoy chai teas, but don't like the caffeine found in it, then this rooibos chai tea is most definitely for you. Just beware of the lingering "peppery" after-taste.

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