Reviews
★★★★★
Opened this sample bag last night for my second round of rooibos, and I'm now officially confused about rooibos. Where I found the rooibos pecan turtle to have a strong smell and flavor like woodchips in competition with its other flavors, this purely caramel rooibos had no woodchip qualities at all but instead occasionally and very suddenly smelled like a hospital as I was drinking it. Fortunately this did not extend to the flavor, which was pretty decent throughout (sort of a warm melted candy as expected, though the caramel is mild) although it didn't hold up much for my usual second steep. In spite of the smell I look forward to trying it again, after I finish getting my first tastes of all my samples.
EDIT: I've circled back around for my second tastes of things, and not a single hospital smell in my mug this time. Do some people's brains just need time to rewire for rooibos? Very strange, but I'll take it.
★★★★★
Loved this one! Tried a sample and will definitely be ordering more
3 min steep · 212°F
★★★★★
I love this decaf option for evenings! It's a perfect dessert tea - sweet and cozy, and the caramel flavor doesn't taste artificial. Frequent rebuy, and it's flexible enough to brew a little cooler than the label says (just so I can drink it sooner!).
4 min steep · 195°F
★★★★★
Just enough caramel flavor to give a rich flavor. This is one of my favorites!
3 min steep · 212°F
★★★☆☆
I don't mind rooibos but it does not have enough flavor for me. The caramel flavor comes through a bit but not strongly.
11 helpful votes
★★★★☆
Rooibos Caramel tea from Adagio Teas is one of our favorites. We always make it by the pot because we know we're not going to stop at one cup! Warm depth, sweet, great with cream. We have gone caffeine-free, so we love the rooibos line at Adagio. We can still enjoy a superb cup of tea without any caffeine. This tea is really good year round.
UPDATE: This tea, of late, has had a bit more of a bitter taste than it had at first. We still like it okay, but it has lost its place as one of our favorites. Still, it makes a stout cup that stands up nicely with very sweet things. For example, it's great with pancakes and syrup or an after dinner piece of cake. We actually brewed some this morning. It's still good, just not as craveable.
★★★☆☆
A nice rooibos tea, but the caramel flavor was no where to be found.
3 min steep · 212°F
★★★★★
Loved it, great flavor taste and good value quality
3 min steep · 212°F
★★★★☆
It's good but not great. I love caramel but I have realized that rooibos isn't my favorite. It's smooth and pleasant.
★★★★☆
I add a tiny bit of sugar to really bring out the caramel flavor. I like that this is caffeine free. I would definitely buy this again.
★★★★☆
Maybe a little too over the top for me. I love Rooibos teas but perhaps not so much the caramel flavour.
★★★☆☆
I'd never enjoy drinking a cup of this offering on its own, but it is useful in blends at times. It tends to be sweeter/less bitter than Caramel black tea. It's so piece-y though-- all those choppy little particles. And no matter what flavor is added to red rooibos, it always brings its own characteristic taste to the table. I'm just not wild about it.
5 min steep · 212°F · 13 helpful votes
★★★★★
No sweetener needed! Just the right amount of full flavor
3 min steep · 212°F
★★★★★
Mix this with a little vanilla soymilk for a dessert treat. I love to drink this in the evening when it is cold outside and the fire in the woodstove is keeping us warm. In the summer I've been mixing equal volume of Honeybush Chocolate and Rooibos Caramel, adding a little vanilla soymilk, some ice, and Voila! A Chocolate Caramel treat!
★★★★★
Delicious flavor, my husband enjoys the caramel flavor. Tea is delicious either hot or cold brewed.
★★★★★
I love anything caramel, so this makes a great dessert tea.
3 min steep · 212°F
★★★★★
Love this tea! It's not as strongly sweet as some of the other Adagio rooibos teas, but with a little cream or milk it is a nice subtle treat.
★★★★★
This tea will warm your body as well as your soul. Very pleasant taste, very enjoyable as a dessert tea after a good dinner.
5 min steep · 210°F
★★★★★
A good tea on its own, but is the best when mixed with others especially a chai mix, adds a great flavor to hot apple cider as well
3 helpful votes
★★★☆☆
It is good but not a fan of caramel favorites thing
2 helpful votes
★☆☆☆☆
I think I posted somewhere on a fandom blend for Cerberus that, that was the strangest tea I have ever tasted well that is now a lie. When I opened my communiTea pack. I smelled a very pungent scent that I could not identify. I brewed the tea and it still had this odd scent. The tea when Brewed had a pretty red color. This tea unfortunately tasted exactly how it smelled, and I am still trying to identify that smell burnt caramel maybe? I put a touch of sugar in this tea and it made it taste worse...
★★★★☆
Rooibos is not my favorite tea but this was not too bad. It was a nice evening cup with my piece of chocolate for dessert. I would have liked more caramel flavor to the tea but it was enjoyable. If you favor Rooibos then this tea would be a great pick. (3’.1 g for 5 min at 212 in 12 oz.)
11 helpful votes
★★★★☆
The Rooibos threw me at first, even though I normally like it just fine, as I wasn’t expecting it to put up such a fight against the caramel. But after a few sips it settled into the background and I was able to enjoy this warm, sweet caramel tea. Lovely for after dinner.
15 helpful votes
★★★☆☆
It ok but not my cup of tea, the caramel is good but red rooibos is not for me.🫖☕️
10 helpful votes
★★★★☆
UPDATED 10-8-22: Today's CommuniTEA is Rooibos Caramel. Today, I just made it with some rock sugar and tried to keep the steep time pretty short. It actually made the flavor even better than before! As a result, I have upped this review from 3 to 4 stars! I would still only recommend if you like caramel, though.
ORIGINAL: I will say up front that I do not like caramel in general. For this reason, I added a generous amount of cocoa nibs and rock sugar to my brew of Rooibos Caramel. It did help, and it was a decent-tasting tea, but just personally not the kind of flavor I like. I would recommend this tea if you like caramel though!
11 helpful votes
★★★★★
I have this tea in my stash and enjoy it often in the evening. I like red rooibos and adding caramel to it makes for a sweet treat. I'm sure this is great for blending as well.
11 helpful votes
★★★☆☆
Caramel is one of my favorite flavors. Will it help me to like red rooibos? Nope. The caramel is present and seems to blend nicely with the rooibos but still far to woodsy for me. Sorry rooibos but I will pass and leave you for someone else to enjoy.
9 helpful votes
★★★★☆
On opening the packet, the scent was pleasant but definitely Rooibos. I suspected that I was not going to like the tea so I approached it scientifically, but reluctantly. I am dedicated to trying 100% of the communiTeas.
I steeped the teas for 5 minutes at 212 degrees. The nose of the cup was pleasant; caramel and earthy. After letting the tea cool to a reasonable drinking temperature, I had to think about my first sip. After adjusting my attitude, I enjoyed the deep and rich flavor of the cup. To be clear, this was not as enjoyable as actual tea, but it was enjoyable. If you like caramel and desire something without caffeine, I could recommend this tisane.
11 helpful votes
★★★★☆
I think I may have let my tea cool a bit too much, because I am not getting very much caramel flavor. Mostly, all I am getting is a slightly sweetened red rooibos tea...luckily I like rooibos.(212F for 5min)
2 helpful votes
★★★★★
Carmel and Rooibos belong together. This tea proves that. Add a little milk and a small quantity of sugar and the only problem is that the cup is empty too soon.
3 helpful votes
★★★★☆
CommuniTEA 10/8/22: Rooibos is a divisive ingredient, but I tend to enjoy it most times. I wasn't sure about caramel paired with the slippery sweet of rooibos, but it worked (after adding sweetening). Caramel flavor will never be a favorite of mine, but it works really well with this rooibos. I was surprised!
212°F 5 minutes, stevia
6 helpful votes
★★★★★
It is one of my favorites. I like rooibos and caramel so it’s a good combo for me.
★★★☆☆
This one was alright. I think it smelled better than it tasted, but I don’t normally like rooibos.
1 helpful votes
★★★★★
I’m not the biggest rooibos fan but the flavor of the caramel is really good with the syrupy Rooibos
3 helpful votes
★★★☆☆
I tried a gentle steep (180/5 min) to tame the menthol quality I dislike in rooibos. This worked - rooibos flavors were pleasantly woody and mildly fruity. However, I couldn't taste any caramel flavor in this tea. This could have been a result of my steep, though.
4 helpful votes
★★★☆☆
Yeah...I have been slowly falling out of intrigue with Red Rooibos. This Rooibos Caramel was alright. I always appreciate Caramel vibes. I liked Rooibie Caramel with some rock sugar...and enjoyed it more once it cooled a bit.
15 helpful votes
★★★★☆
It's a watery rooibos—it's difficult to make rooibos not weak—but the caramel (almost undetectable to the tongue, but perceptible to the nose) smoothes the rooibos in a manner I haven't experienced before. Not bad, but I still prefer rooibos with vanilla.
1 helpful votes
★★★★★
Yum! The red rooibos pairs beautifully with the caramel, either two syllables or three! It was the perfect tea to sip as I sat outside in the beautiful autumn sunshine. I brewed it at 212 for about ten minutes and added nothing. It was perfect as is.
23 helpful votes
★★★★★
I’m often wary of “sweet” flavored teas because they can lack a depth of flavor to the sweet note which makes them flat. This rooibos is not one of those. A great flavor, with light caramel notes at the end which just make it richer. I did sweeten a bit to brighten it, but didn’t add milk. An excellent cup of tea!
1 helpful votes
★★★☆☆
I mainly tasted the rooibos flavor. I was hunting for the caramel flavor and aroma. Both nose and palate gave me rooibos. I drank it, but I didn’t really get the caramel flavor.
6 helpful votes
★★★★☆
CommuniTEA portion: 212 for 5 minutes, as directed. I had this a bit after it cooled. It was actually quite tasty. Smooth with fairly strong caramel notes. The rooibos wasn't too medicinal to me at all. Overal decent no caffiene sip.
4 helpful votes
★★★★☆
A pleasant basic rooibos tea. The Carmel flavor is a nice background flavor that shines thru as I am sipping.
2 helpful votes
★★★★☆
It's exactly what it says on the tin: rooibos with caramel. I quite like rooibos and the caramel flavor leads into a mild and pleasant aftertaste. I steeped for 3 minutes at 212, resulting in no bitterness and the woodsy flavor was more in the background.
1 helpful votes
★★★★★
Although it may be unpopular among some, I’m happily Team Rooibos. I have to limit my caffeine, so it is welcome in my pantry for that reason. I also like its hearty, almost woody taste. To each their own, right? Add some caramel into the mix and you have a calorie and caffeine free treat. I added sweetener because this blend begs for it. To me, it is a delicious cup of yum. Happy Sipping!
12 helpful votes
★★☆☆☆
Nope, nope, nope. Not enough caramel for me to hide the rooibos. There is a slightly sweeter finish but the taste is still medicinal. I have had this combination from other companies where the caramel is stronger and makes it more tolerable to my taste.
11 helpful votes
★★★★☆
This tea had a great caramel smell and brewed a rich amber color. Rooibos taste was prominent and caramel was in the background. Adding sweetener muted the flavors and left a rather unpleasant tangy/stale aftertaste. For lovers of rooibos or no caffeine dessert teas, this isn't bad - much better than plain rooibos in my book. I'm coming to realize that Adagio rooibos uses heavier tea particles which produce a more woody taste compared to rooibos teas I've sipped from other vendors, and this tea definitely has that undercurrent. If you want something a bit sweeter and more complex, try Adagios Hugs and Kisses tea.
18 helpful votes
★★★☆☆
It definitely tastes like rooibos. I can’t attest to the caramel. All I taste is rooibos.
6 helpful votes
★★★☆☆
It's a red rooibos, what can I say? I did add a little honey to try and improve the flavor, but I ended up with sweet, wet cardboard. Nope! This would probably be good in a blend where sweetness is needed.
19 helpful votes
★★★★☆
While I am not a fan of red rooibos tea, the addition of caramel flavor really works in this one. The taste is sweet and relaxing and the lack of caffeine makes it a good option for after dinner drinking. I steeped at 212 degrees for 5 minutes and added some honey to enhance the caramel flavor.
12 helpful votes
★★★★☆
In the bag: Like most rooibos, we have uniform, thin leaves. This tea, though, appears to be chopped to a short length.
On the nose (pre-steep): Pretty straightforward. Rooibos and caramel in equal measure. Low intensity. Pleasant.
On the nose (post-steep): Exactly the same as pre-steep, but minimal intensity.
On the tongue: No initial caramel notes - just classic rooibos. ½ tsp of monk fruit sweetener brought out a hint of caramel. Well balanced when sweetened.
Opinion: A quaffable tea without much complexity. You could miss the caramel if you're not looking for it. I love rooibos teas, however, so I still enjoyed it.
Preparation: 5 min @ 212 ℉
10 helpful votes