Teapsy – 4:59
This oddly named caramel Rooibos blend is so called because – apparently – 4.59 pm is the time when it’s “probably too late for caffeine” and “time to relax”. I feel that Teapsy may have misjudged both the time I finish work and how close to bedtime I am happy to drink caffeinated tea products.
Seriously, it needs to be at least within half an hour of bedtime before black tea seems like a bad idea and not always then. Maybe if I’m already a quarter-asleep, but I want to watch the end of something, and I don’t want to risk shaking off the encroaching snooziness, I might switch to rooibos. But usually, if I’m drinking rooibos, it’s not because I’m avoiding caffeine it’s because I want to drink some rooibos.
Teapsy’s 4:59 is a very nice example of a rooibos blend. It also contains roasted dandelion root, fenugreek, sunflower petals and natural flavourings. It’s billed as a vanilla and caramel rooibos infusion so that’ll be what the natural flavourings are up to there.
The actual rooibos quotient only makes up 57% of the ingredients which means that there’s probably a lot more dandelion here than I initially gave credit to. I have absolutely no idea what dandelion root tastes like, although I seem to remember that it can be used as a coffee substitute. Nevertheless, despite being only just over half rooibos, this tea tastes like a standard rooibos blend, and I wouldn’t have guessed at anything else here if I hadn’t been informed.
The teabags are made of that fine silky mesh that assures the consumer of their plant-based and biodegradable credentials even though they always seem rather more substantial and long-lasting than regular ol’ paper teabags.
This is a comforting not-too-sweet caramel rooibos, and I rather enjoyed it. I’m also rather fond of Teapsy’s quirky branding. The box is cheerfully covered in pictures of cookies and PlayStation controllers. These are beverages which don’t take life too seriously. Clearly, knocking off work, sticking the kettle on and putting on Netflix at 4.59 – as I assume the Teapsy teamongers do – has a lot to recommend it.
Today’s featured book is The Distant Hours by Kate Morton.
This site uses Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click on an Amazon link from this page and make a purchase, I will – at no cost to you – earn a small commission.
