Obviously some people like the stuff. It was extremely popular in South Africa when I traveled there constantly in the late 1990s. But as far as I am concerned, it tastes like shit. Or anyway, what I imagine shit must taste like.
The stuff is so weirdly, marvelously bad that I used to buy it all the time to give as gag (heh) gifts to friends and relatives back in the US. “Here, try this stuff. Can you believe people actually drink it?”
It’s available on Amazon, so there is apparently a demand for it outside of South Africa. I’m curious what other people think of it.
(FWIW, I can’t stand sugar in beverages, so I always drank it unsweetened. Maybe it’s better with sugar, if one likes sugary beverages in the first place.)
My brother-in-law was in South Africa for extended periods of time years ago. He developed a taste for it. That did not get passed on to my sister (his wife), who doesn’t like it. Somehow, he still manages to find it here in Canada, and always has some in the pantry.
My own wife (now ex) loved tea and expressed an interest in trying it when were were visiting once. He prepared it, and she drank it, but her verdict was that she could take it or leave it. I opted not to try it; I’m not a tea drinker.
So, one “likes it,” one “doesn’t like it,” and one “neutral.”
I discovered rooibos when i visited South Africa. I liked it immediately. I tried to buy it when i got home, but most of what i could find was watery and bleh. Or doctored up with all sorts of flowery stuff or vanilla or… For a while i wondered if i had imagined it just tasted like a different tea kinda thing, but a bought a lot of brands and found that Rishi was okay. Not great, but pleasant enough.
I’ve since discovered “fresh pak” (thanks, @MrDibble ) which tastes like the stuff i liked in South Africa. Honestly, i wonder if part of the difference is just that it is fresher that what i found here. At any rate, I’ve been drinking it somewhat regularly since i bought that box. It’s a nice hot beverage when i don’t want caffeine or sugar.
I got a version/blend of it that was specifically said to taste like regular ice tea, as a caffeine free alternative. And, to be fair, I do think it did taste like that.
But it also has this weird astringent quality that dried out my mouth and made it uncomfortable to drink. I’ve considered drinking more when I wanted a taste of tea, but I never have.
It’s not tea (which is the extract of the leaves of camillia sinesis, the common green tea plant). It’s an extract of the leaves of the rooibos bush (aspalathus linearis) of southern Africa.
I’ve tried it a couple of times. I didn’t find the taste offensive, but I can’t think of a case where I would drink it instead of regular black tea. I actively dislike chamomile tea, though.
I have it in my house. My wife likes it as a decaf option, and drinks it straight, no sugar. But she doesn’t have it frequently - if she doesn’t think of it, she goes months without it, so it’s probable in the ‘like’ not ‘love’ category. I can drink it with honey, but even then, I’d characterize it as “meh” per the OP. If I don’t want caffeine (a valid choice) I’ll more frequently drink decaf (of at least moderate quality), rather than most herbal infusions that are sold in the ‘tea aisle’ of the American megamart.
As @gnoitall pointed out, it isn’t made from pekoe leaves. It’s referred to as “tea” in the vernacular, as in dried leaves/flowers steeped in hot water - like chamomile tea.
Not a fan. I don’t find it bad necessarily, but I have good tea, so I won’t drink any of that. I also dislike the super expensive “aged” teas, which I’m pretty sure makes me a hopeless barbarian.
I mostly drink it when i want a pleasant hot beverage without caffeine. Generally, i like tea more than rooibos. But i like rooibos a lot more than any of the decaffeinated teas i have tried. And while i also enjoy a nice ginger or liquorice tea from time to time, rooibos hits a similar “tea like” note to Camellia sinensis.
