★★★★☆
It tastes exactly how it sounds. The bergamot is also pretty strong.
A caffeine-free twist on a classic blend. Zesty citrus, but smoother and sweeter than traditional Earl Grey.
Customers use these reviews to describe their experience with Rooibos Earl Grey, including flavor, aroma, preparation preferences, strength, and how the tea fits into daily routines. Browse the full review history page by page to compare tasting notes, steeping tips, and favorite ways to enjoy this tea.
It tastes exactly how it sounds. The bergamot is also pretty strong.
Sadly this doesn't work for me. I love rooibos and I love earl grey, but apparently they just don't go together for me. The earl grey flavor seems to be separate from the rooibos flavor, rather than blending together, and they seem to compete with one another.
This tea quickly moved up the ranks as one of my favorites. Earl Grey is delicious with a little milk, and this one is no exception. I love that it's decaffeinated, and making it suitable to drink any time of day. 10/10 would recommend!
I can not drink caffeinated beverages but with this rooibos earl grey I do not miss my afternoon cup of tea. It is brisk and clear and tastes very similar to black tea earl grey. My new favorite
I don't like rooibos teas myself but I gave this as a gift to a friend who loves earl grey and decaf teas, and she said she loved it!
The pleasant flavor of the Rooibos tea is less pronounced than black teas allowing the more subtle flavors associated with Earl Grey tea to shine through. I would describe this tea as having a combination of earthy notes and orange-peel flavor with neither overpowering the other.
The absolute best earl grey alternative if you have to give up or limit caffeine and you're an earl grey fan! Wonderfully citrusy.
Nothing against this particular tea, I just do not happen to like Earl Grey varieties. It's not for me.
Delicious and rich and smooth. Great take on decaf earl grey.
This tea was great on its own. I also used it to make early grey shortbread cookies!
Absolutely one of my favorite Rooibos teas. Highly recommend! Especially with a touch of the Rooibos honey.
As someone who is not a fan of rooibos, this one is not for me. I’m sure if you love rooibos, you will enjoy this herbal. Sip, sip away!
Love earl but not with this base. Glad to try it but just not for me.
This tea surprised me - it really tasted like Earl Grey! It had the good citrus undertones and the bergamot was pleasant. Being caffeine free was a bonus. One that I would drink again.
Bergamot is front and center when you open the packet, but the rooibos makes a smoother base for those who find a traditional black tea Earl Grey too sharp on the palate. The orange flavor comes through at the end with the floral notes from the cornflowers making a lovely cup as is. Adding some monk fruit cuts the bitterness of the bergamot and brings out more of the complex citrus flavors. This is easily one of my favorite Earl Grey blends and great for a nighttime cup as rooibos is caffeine free.
I did not care for this combo so much. I love Earl Grey, but not such a fan of the Rooibos. It was well balanced, but just not my cup of tea. If you like Rooibos and Earl Grey, I think you will probably like this one. Unfortunately I will have to pass.
This is a good unique variety of earl grey the bergamot seems to be tamed by the rooibos, negating some of the bitter ness common with a more traditional earl blend. However If you are looking for the equivalent of a black early grey, you will be disappointed
This tea surprised me. I don't normally like red roobios but I love Earl Grey and the two worked together. It's not one I'd drink plain though. Cream and sweetener really mellowed the flavors and the red roobios didn't have that weird black olive taste I normally get from it.
The dried tea in the CommuniTea envelope had the woody smell of Rooibos, and a hint of something else which I expect was the Bergamot. I don't care for Rooibos and that flavor dominated after steeping my tea at boiling for 5 minutes. If you're a Rooibos fan you might enjoy this, but it's not my cup of tea.
If you like rooibos and earl grey, then this would be a great addition to your collection. It is smooth and flavorful. It is a bonus that you can enjoy it any time of the day since there is no caffeine.
1/4/2021: The Rooibos Earl Grey has a happy citrus scent. I didn't have any orange peel in my CommuniTEA packet, but a few blue cornflowers were noted dancing among the rooibos tea leaves. The tea steeps to a deep orange color. I found that the bergamot was more predominant when the tea is sipped hot, but is balanced by the smoothness of rooibos. As it cools, the citrus flavor shines through. This is Earl Grey's younger cousin, and is a great choice when you want his flavor profile without the caffeine.
Updated 3/12/2022: Not my favorite Earl Grey, mostly because I'm not a fan of rooibos. For those who like both rooibos and Earl Grey, this is a great non-caffeine version. The bergamot does make rooibos less medicinal and more tolerable. Better sipped hot, as the rooibos becomes more pronounced as the tea cools.
I'm not a fan of rooibos or Earl Grey, but tried this in the CommuniTea sample. The bergamot was very forward.
The rooibos came threw strongest for me with just a hint of orange, and the bergamot flavor comming in as a faint aftertaste at the end. Earl grey is normally one of my absolute favorite flavor profile in tea but this combination of ingredients just clashed for me.
Not a huge fan of Earl Grey and am on the fence with rooibos but I wanted to give it a try as sometimes these two can surprise me. The woodsy taste is definitely there but mixing with the earl grey, I'm not a huge fan.
I didn't get much of an earl grey aroma from the dry blend or while it was steeping but wow did it pack some early grey flavor. It balances out the rooibos very nicely. Steeped at 212 for 5 minutes, no cream or sugar.
a great earl grey with interesting notes from the rooibos.
If you like rooibos this is a good option for Earl grey without caffeine.
I love earl grey but not rooibos. This one was just too woodsy for me.
While I love a good Earl Grey, I don't love it with Rooibos tea. Not my favorite, but works if you are looking for a naturally caffeine free cup. This tea does have good flavor, I just don't feel it goes well with the earthy, nuttiness of the rooibos.
A lovely, earthy Earl Grey and perfect for evening sips! I brewed for 5 mins at 200°F
Was not my cup of tea, don’t care red rooibos. Could not taste earl gray (212 @ 5 min.)
CommuniTEA portion: Very pretty tea! I like both of these teas separately and enjoyed this blend. Orange and bergamot worked nicely together with the rooibos. I don't have the best temperature control today so I hope to review this again with the sample pack at home.
Rooibos is REALLY not my cup of tea, even if Earl Grey is my favorite! All I can taste in this is the rooibos, doesn't even taste like Earl Grey to me. I think if I want a caffeine free Earl Grey I'll just go with the decaf version.
This is a nice basic Earl Grey without too much of any other flavors to it. The fact that it’s decaf is a plus because then we can drink it in the evening too. It’s really nice to experiment around with a large variety of Earl Grey teas from Adagio - unless it’s not your thing.
I dislike rooibos but love Earl grey. Was hopeful. Unfortunately the rooibos won out.
I actually really like this one with cream and sugar. I have been aim an Earl grey kick lately anyway so this was a nice mix up!
I love earl grey and I hate rooibos, so I went into this blend with trepidation. It certainly smelled very medicinal to me, just like rooibos always does. But oddly, somehow, the rooibos flavor and earl grey flavor seemed to cancel each other out. The actual brewed liquid just... didn't taste like anything at all. Weird!
In this blend, I could not detect bergamot flavor on its own - it only boosted the cough syrupy rooibos flavor. To me, it just tasted like rooibos. I had a couple sips of this cup, but couldn't drink any more. In fairness, this is coming from someone who really detests rooibos.
something about this tea wasn’t quite there for me. despite steeping for as long as recommended, the flavors weren’t strong enough and the rooibos left an odd minty taste that i didn’t enjoy mixed with earl gray
CommuniTEA 3/12/22: the rooibos and earl grey are fighting each other. It tastes vaguely like basil hand soap? with oranges? It's not bad, but it's super strange!
I'm usually not a real fan of red rooibos, but the earl grey takes center stage with this tea! I don't think it'll be one I continue to reach for in the future, but still a good tea
On one hand I hate early grey. On the other hand, I love rooibos. Needless to say, this tea had me very interested. Upon the first sip I fell in love. The bergamot works very well with the rooibos. I also love that unlike earl grey made with black tea this tea is caffeine free.
Updated 3/12/22 Still buying and loving this tea!
I first tried this as part of the Earl Grey Sampler . I really enjoy the brightness of the bergamot in this rooibos tea. It's a very enjoyable cup to enjoy in the evening.
Todays communiTEA was not my cup of tea...I am not a red rooibos fan. I gave this cup to my husband, who is an EG lover. He said it was ok...not his favorite EG. I suppose we are not a red rooibos house. We like it in some blends, but not as the main character.
The rooibos gives this earl grey an earthy feel and the bergamot comes out strong, but not overwhelmingly so. This is a great way to make earl grey a nighttime drink!
I LIKE rooibos and bergamot, but not this tea blend. The bergamot overpowers in an unpleasant manner. I added extra plain rooibos and soymilk to tone it down, and the result was 'OK.' If you're looking for a decaf earl grey, I'd recommend giving this a try - with adjustments.
212 degrees for 4 minutes. Hmm, not really a fan. It has a lot to do with the rooibos that always comes off as metallic in my mouth no matter what I do. The earl grey flavor is nice, but rooibos is just a no from me.
212 5 mins wish I could like earl grey. It is better than black tea earl grey but…. Revised note, as I drank more of the tea it actually was not bad. The earl grey was not overwhelming. I surprised my self and drank it all.
The liquor is a very beautiful amber but I felt the Rooibos took over the Earl Gray flavoring. I gave the tea a thumbs up because it does provide a pleasant flavor without caffeine but I probably wouldn’t buy this tea because I am not a rooibos fan. I am drinking the tea Grandpa style so perhaps the Earl Gray will come through with another steeping. 195 degrees for 5+ minutes — looking for Earl Gray!
I love rooibos and earl grey, just not together. The two flavors did not blend well for me.