Arbor Teas Loose Leaf Rooibos Tea 'Organic Cinnamon Rooibos'

Tea Information:
Tea: Organic Cinnamon Rooibos
Type: Rooibos Tea
Packaging: Loose Leaf
Company: Arbor Teas
Purchase: Here
Description: This organic, Fair Trade Certified infusion combines rooibos leaves (pronounced ROY-bus) with spicy cinnamon. The sweet, almost fruity, rooibos offers a perfect backdrop for the zesty warmth of cinnamon. Rooibos is an herb native to the beautiful Cedarberg region of South Africa. It contains no caffeine, and those that consume it have claimed that it has a soothing effect on headaches, disturbed sleeping patterns, and digestive problems.
Ingredients: organic South African rooibos, cinnamon chips, and natural cinnamon flavor

Steep Information:
Amount: ~4 heaping tsp
Water: 16 oz boiling filtered water
Tool: adagio IngenuiTEA 16 oz
Steep Time: 5+ minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: fake cinnamon, wood, something tangy at the end
Steeped Tea Smell: cinnamon bark
Flavor: natural delicious cinnamon bark, smooth, sweet
Body: Full
Aftertaste: sweet, bark
Liquor: nearly opaque brown-red

I was worried at first by the artificial scent, but it turned out to be a sweet and delicious dessert tea. I adore cinnamon and this hit the spot.

This is the third Arbor Teas sample I have tried, both so far have had a sweetness to them without needing additives. I very much am enjoying these teas!

Arbor Teas sent me this sample for free in order for me to review it and get the word out about their teas in October as it is Fair Trade Month. It arrived USPS Priority mail, but had to wait a few days at the post office for me to pick it up. The compostable packages are opaque and have listed suggested steeping parameters and a stapled on paper tag with the specific tea information. They include a note about re-packaging your tea into opaque air-tight containers for longer shelf lives.

From http://www.arborteas.com/the-environment.html
"Our dedication to protecting the environment pre-dates our love of tea, which is why we’ve taken every step we can think of to reduce the environmental footprint of Arbor Teas.

Never ones to rest on our laurels, we’re always looking for further opportunities to "green-up" our company, giving back to the planet whenever we can. Here’s just a quick summary of the measures we take at Arbor Teas to reduce the environmental impact of our business:
• Our entire catalog of teas is certified organic under the USDA National Organic Program.
• We are the first and only tea company to deliver its full line of organic loose teas in 100% backyard compostable packaging. In doing so, we've significantly reduced both the carbon emissions and waste stream associated with our products."

And from their letter to me "every tea in out catalog is certified organic, and nearly two-thirds are Fair Trade certified."

Find Steepster reviews of the tea here.

Resteep: 16oz boiling filtered water, I lost track of time, over 10 minutes, medium bodied strong cinnamon tea, delicious but not as full as the first steep

Rating: 3/4 leaves


Leaf system:
1=Bleh! not again if it were free
2=Acceptable, if it were free or there were limited other tea options
3=I might purchase this tea from time to time, or select it while out
4=A staple in our cupboard from now on, I will purchase and keep purchasing