ARIEL Rooibos Earl Grey

Rooibos Earl Grey takes the most familiar flavour in tea and gives it a caffeine-free home. Instead of black tea, the bergamot sits on South African rooibos, red and green together, for a cup that's naturally sweet, smooth and completely free of caffeine. It brews a deep amber-orange, scattered with blue cornflower petals, and it means you can have an Earl Grey at nine in the evening.

Tasting Notes

Rooibos brings a soft, honeyed sweetness and a warm, woody roundness, with the green rooibos lightening it and keeping the cup fresh. Over that, bergamot does what bergamot does: bright citrus, faintly floral, unmistakably Earl Grey. The two suit each other, the sweetness of the rooibos softening the citrus edge. No astringency, no bitterness, and it takes milk if you like.

A Caffeine-Free Earl Grey

Earl Grey is traditionally black tea scented with bergamot, which means caffeine comes with it. Rooibos is not a tea at all but a South African shrub, naturally caffeine-free and naturally sweet, which makes it a fine base for the same citrus oil. The result is the flavour you know, minus the caffeine, at whatever hour you want it.

Brewing

Heat fresh water to 90 °C and steep 2.5 g (about one teaspoon) for 5 minutes. Rooibos is forgiving: a longer steep won't turn it bitter, so let it go as long as you like.

Additional Information

• Ingredients: Red rooibos, green rooibos, blue cornflowers, natural flavours, pure bergamot oil
• Available formats: 24 tea bags (60 g), 1 kg loose leaf
• Tea bags: 100% compostable, pyramid-shaped
• Caffeine: Naturally caffeine-free
• Certifications: Kosher, Aliments Préparés au Québec
• Foundation: Humaniterra Foundation