Top Ten Teas For Rooibos Honey

by Natasha Nesic
We've covered many great honey and tea pairings already. In case you missed it, so far we’ve got for your viewing pleasure and perusal:

Top 10 Teas For Black Tea Honey
Top 10" Teas For Fruit Tisanes Honey
Top 10 Teas For Garden Herbals Honey
Top 10 Teas For Sourwood Honey
Top 10 Teas For Green Tea Honey

The Tea

You’ll notice that there’s a huge distinction between what’s classified as “true” tea versus what’s defined as a “tisane.”

(Before you jump to conclusions, let it be said here and now preemptively that no tea is “better” or worse for being “true” or not! “True” teas are merely called such because they all happen to originate from the Camellia Sinensis plant, which we most often have called the all-purpose “tea” plant throughout history since its discovery in China in some of the earliest annals of recorded folklore— circa 2737 BC, if we go by the ancient legend of emperor Shen Nung trying out what would become a world-changing homebrew for the rest of the ages.)

Today, we highlight a particular plant that is not in the “true” tea family, but sits pleasantly in the “tisane” category: rooibos tea!

Normally tisanes bring with them the image of sweetness, simplicity, and herbal-y comfort. Rooibos is one of those well-balanced plants that can be as mild as you wish— or as powerful as the wilds of the South African climate that it heralds from.

Rooibos is characterized by a rather unique— or if you’re someone like the average Advanced Placement English teacher who cringes at the adjective “unique,” then let’s say “singular” or “highly individuated” to preserve this word’s integrity — ability to shift sweet or bitter, savory or vegetal. This is why on Adagio Teas you may notice that it’s often the base for vastly different kinds of blends. Its sense of ultimate neutrality — coupled with the fact that it steeps easily for five minutes with 212-degree Fahrenheit boiling water, so that providing you have suitable equipment like the varieTEA variable temperature kettle, you don’t need to worry about overly-complicated steep times or preparation— makes it a treat to blend with and enjoy.

That being said, such a treat can only be made treat-y-er with honey!

The Honey

Adagio Bees’s Rooibos Honey is a decadent shade of amber — almost garnet, how regal! — that sets it apart from many other honeys you may have encountered just from the appearance. Its distinctive color comes from how its made from the nectar of Japanese knotweed, which in and of itself is interesting because knotweed flowers are white or otherwise very light-hued pink. Biochemistry is fascinating!

The only thing more fascinating is how well this honey pairs with Adagio’s rooibos tea selection.

The Pairings

Here’s a list of ten teas that do the best justice to its components. The first two are relatively simple, and once you’ve mastered them, the rest of the list will seem easy-breezy to put together with your experience:

1. Rooibos

Let’s kick this off with a classic! If you’ve never had rooibos tea before, the best way to introduce yourself to it — and to introduce rooibos itself to you — is to meet one-on-one. (Yes, like a date. Only no one has to worry about swiping, ghosting, or who’s supposed to text back first.)

The best part about this method is that you’ll get to learn how much tea you like in your cup, in relation to how much honey, and vice versa. You’ll be setting yourself up for future taste-success with more complex blends, based on how familiar you are with the base tea here already. Start with a 1 : 1 ratio of tea to honey — one teaspoon of each — and play with it from there. You can opt for more delicious drizzle next time, or more leaves, and make sure to make note of the next combination once you’ve struck gold. (Fear not, you’ll know when the flavor is golden, no matter what color the actual tea liquor might seem.)

2. Honeybush

Now that you’re a pro based on the classic rooibos methods in the first example, just plug and chug that tea for the next! Honeybush is in the rooibos family, but characterized by a darker flavor profile and what some may perceive as bolder or sour-er notes if steeped with tons of heat and extended duration. That’s why the honey comes in handy— it balances out any mistakes or grievances during the steeping process!)

3. Green Rooibos

The last of our unblended rooiboses, we would suggest that you anticipate starkly vegetal notes of grass and zucchini, which is why adding a teaspoon or so of the raw honey will do excellently to taper off and render any unwanted “veggie” accents to be instead delightfully sweet.

4. Strawberry Banana Split

From here out, it’s all fun and games. Strawberry Banana Split is already in the sweet category, but that’s where adding honey makes it absolutely an ice cream party in a teacup— and you might not even need a full scoop of said honey to make the most of it.

5. Green Rooibos Key West

As of this writing, this blend sits off to the side on Adagio’s rooibos list, but that doesn’t mean it’s a shy creature by any means! Once you add honey, it starts taking on the flavor of a dry daytime cocktail — and who’d want to miss out on that party?

6. Rooibos Jasmine

Some teas need plenty of introduction. Some just need you to sit down, and have a sip. This is one of those teas. Adding honey will bring out the rendolent sweetness of those jasmine notes, and since there’s no caffeine, don’t be surprised if the absolute tranquility of its nature lulls you into sleep.

7. Honeybush Mango

Do you know a single soul who dislikes mango? Yup. Thought so. Honeybush’s natural tang is only made tangier with the influence of a tropical fruit, and adding honey allows you to really get into the sugar aspects of that mango flavor. Consider having it in a sampler with one of the other fruity teas on this list!

8. Rooibos Cocomint

When flavors like chocolate and mint are added to the neutral base of rooibos, it turns the whole cup into something full of nutty-sweet goodness. The added power of the honey cranks up the whole experience into something not unlike a dessert in and of itself, so that you can go to sleep — again, no caffeine to worry about! — feeling pleasantly tided over as your sweet tooth may finally rest easy.

9. Honeybush Vanilla

If anyone ever calls vanilla “boring” or “plain,” then please, give them a cup of this one! Adding a touch of honey — again, if the blend already has extra sweetness, feel free to use less than a standard teaspoon, and play around with your ideal ratio — allows you to taste the subtler nuances of the honeybush while creating a sense of creamy comfort from the vanilla sidekick.

10. Rooibos Earl Grey

When it comes to Earl Grey, well — if you know, you know. Pour yourself a hearty cup and know too that even Picard would approve of adding a touch of Adagio Bees’s honey to it— that’s how good it is.

What are your favorite rooibos, honeybush, or green rooibos teas to play with? Let us know in the comments!