Rooibos and coffee is an odd pairing on paper, but this blend leans into it: roasted coffee beans sit right up front, followed by caramel and a soft, creamy sweetness reminiscent of the Italian dessert it's named for. The mix also brings in Roman camomile, hazelnuts, cream caramel pieces and freeze-dried yoghurt granules, so the cup lands somewhere between dessert and after-dinner coffee — chocolate and nutty notes underneath, honey and milk rounding out the finish. In the cup it pours a golden brown.
Rooibos itself comes from Aspalathus linearis, a shrub grown only in South Africa's Cederberg mountains — the Afrikaans name means "red bush," and despite being called a tea, it isn't made from the Camellia sinensis plant at all. The Khoisan people used it for herbal remedies long before European settlers arrived; a botanist named Carl Humberg is credited with rediscovering the plant in 1772, and the brew found renewed demand during the Second World War when regular tea became hard to import in the west. It's been part of the tea trade for close to 300 years since.
Rooibos has long been drunk as a soothing, naturally caffeine-free alternative to black tea, and some traditional use associates it with skin and cardiovascular wellbeing, though none of that should be taken as medical fact. Brew it with freshly boiled water for 8 to 10 minutes. It holds up fine on its own, but a splash of honey or milk leans further into the caramel-and-cream side of the flavour. Note the allergens: soya lecithin, milk yoghurt and hazelnuts.
