Sarsaparilla Root, Chicory Root, Roasted Dandelion Root, Crob Pods, Cinnamon, Fennel, Crystal Malt and Coconut

Steeping instructions:

Amount of water: 6 oz

Water Temperature: Boiling

Steeping Time: 5 - 8 minutes.

Red Leaf's site describes this tea as an "excellent dessert tea", and it certainly is. You wouldn't think by looking at it (or even from the name), but one taste will make you believe it, too.

At first glance, it looks like it would taste more like coffee than dessert; the blend itself is a mix of roots and seeds, mostly, which generally evoke a much earthier mental image than dessert. Even once it's brewed up, it takes on a dark hue that looks quite a bit like coffee. Even reading the ingredient list, I wasn't quite sure what to expect of this one. Sure, the description said is was a dessert tea, but I had a hard time believing it. One whiff of it, though, and all doubts flew out the window. The brewed cup smells like a decadent coffee cake, and the taste falls into the same category. It does have a bit a savory flavor alongside the sweetness, but it compliments it surprisingly well. A dash of milk and bit of sweetener and this tea makes a perfectly acceptable (and much healthier) alternative to the traditional dessert.

Bottom Line: Any fans of dessert teas will love this one. Red Leaf has some pretty unique blends, and even this otherwise fairly standard dessert tea has a lovely twist. A must-try for anyone who's a fan of dessert!

Christine -Teaviews.com -Reviewer

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I knew once I saw the ingredient list that this tea would be a unique experience: Sarsaparilla Root, Chicory Root, Roasted Dandelion Root, Carob Pods, Cinnamon, Fennel, Crystal Malt and Coconut.

I meant to steep it for longer, but someone came to the door at four minutes in, so that's all this blend got. Four minutes seemed to bring out plenty of flavour, so while Red Leaf Tea recommends longer, I figured this worked all right.

I was certainly not misled by my assumptions about this blend. It has a distinct sarsaparilla flavour, but the overall taste is thoroughly herbal without coming across as a sweeter desserty blend. The cinnamon and coconut add interesting dimensions, and the carob brings it all together.

In the end, I didn't actually enjoy this cup very much, but that isn't to say that others wouldn't. It just is not a flavour I prefer. This is the sort of blend that I may not buy, but I definitely recommend everyone try it. Red Leaf Tea had an interesting idea that they executed well, and this is certainly not the sort of flavour you can easily find elsewhere. If you're less persnickety than I am, you could just end up loving it.

Katie - Teaviews.com - Reviewer

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So the first bit of this review will seem very negative, but then the latter part will justify my rating of a 6. If I were a greater admirer of Coffee I'd probably have enjoyed this alot more, the flavor sort of seems like coffee, sans the bitter, and with a little chicory to smooth out the flavor.

One word I'll use alot, despite the lack of it on the ingredients list, is Walnut. Its always surprising to get a blend that tastes like something, when not a single one of the composite bits themselves taste of it. In this case some combination of the roasted Dandelion, Coconut, Chicory root, and Sarsaparilla root worked together to make something that tasted strong lof Walnuts.

When steeped this blend tasted, to me, like the old, mealy, frozen walnuts my Grandfather had kept just a decade or two after the "Use By" date. Maybe if I considered coffee as something more than bitter bean water, I'd have more positive things to say about it, but I do, and I don't.

There is something you can do with a root/nut blend that you can't really pull with Tea, or leaf based herbal tisanes, you can decoct! There are many ways to get essential oils, flavorants, and compounds from dry herbs and plant parts. When you brew a cup of loose leaf tea your making an infusion, you put the leaves in warm-hot water and let the water slowly loose temperature and draw flavors from the leaves. A decoction differs in that you put the leaves/roots/flowers/whatever in a pot and boil them with the water, producing a different, and sometimes much stronger, flavor.

I decocted this mix in simmering water for about 7 or 8 min (didn't really time it) until there was a light brown froth over the top, I then poured it out through a sieve, and had a very strong, rich, chocolaty aroma. With the first experimental sip I found that the walnut flavor had become richer, and far more pleasant. Its gone from something I'd sneak my little brother, to something I'd drink myself. I'm kind of curious to see if it would work well with milk, but I managed to use the entire sample in my other experiments.

I would definitely recommend this, infused or decocted, to Coffee drinkers (its not like they have taste buds at any rate), for the rest of us I'd definitely recommend it as a decoction for Masala Chai fans, as I think it really delivers the same rich, rooty, herb-ie-ness of a good Masala Chai blend.

Troy - Teaviews.com - Reviewer

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