World Cup Fever and Kalahari Tea

You thought you were safe from hearing any more about soccer and the World Cup, weren't you?

WRONG!

I've rather enjoyed the coverage, as I enjoy watching most sports because I like seeing people do something they're passionate about. Soccer for me isn't about the goals, but the control of the players and their athleticism. And I do get a big kick (ha) out of karate tactics on the field. Shaolin Soccer, anyone?

My brother really got into it, as he joined a fantasy league and stuff, looking up statistics and making some good guesses. We both signed up for Kalahari Tea's World Cup Contest on Facebook. Kalahari Tea is based of the South African rooibos tea, a caffeine-free herbal tea which grows on bushes. After the processing, the leaves turn reddish-brown color that you see after your tea steeps. It's really pretty and lovely, and has turned into my favorite flavor after going through a box of Kalahari's chai rooibos tea.

Anyway, I placed second in the first round of the contest, and my prize was being able to pick two teas out of the offered selection.

My choices were ChocoLatte Cherry Vanilla and Highlands Honey.

The ChocoLatte Cherry Vanilla intrigued be by the blend of roasted cacao with rooibos, vanilla beans, and cherry flavor along with a few other ingredients. I was particularly interested in finding out how the cacao flavor would come through.

I quickly set off to steep a cup. What I tasted was a subtly sweet tea with the flavor of the roasted cacao as a backdrop, intermixed with the essence of vanilla. I would say there was a fruity note throughout the whole cup, but I couldn't pinpoint the cherry specifically. What I liked the most was the "dessert-essence" quality of this tea, and it makes a perfect accompaniment to after-dinner desserts since it has the richness you would expect from coffee thanks to the roasted cacao, with the bonus of being caffeine-free.

The Highlands Honey has a natural honey and vanilla flavor with their rooibos tea. The description on the website says it has a subtle sweetness, though I'm not sure I necessarily tasted that. In fact, I didn't really taste the honey flavor at all because the vanilla stood out to me the most. I'm not ruling it out, though I have a tendency to detect vanilla in foods more easily so it may have simply been my palate. I like to drink this tea before going to bed, or in the morning before heading out on a run.

So thanks to Kalahari Tea for running this contest, and giving me the opportunity to taste some of their teas I can't find in the stores!