The cosiest beverages in the winter months are often super high in caffeine. From the festive-spiced lattes to hot chocolates and rich chais, they don’t only load you up on sugar but they also give you that caffeine kick.
And that’s great. Really. But sometimes, you want something caffeine-free. Two Spoons Tea Rooibos and Cocoa Chai fits that bill. It has the richness to really feel like an indulgence without the caffeine and sugar keeping you up at night.
In this tea review, you’ll see exactly what this tea tastes like, how Two Spoons Tea blend ingredients to create it, and where you can buy it to try for yourself.
Two Spoons Tea Rooibos & Cocoa Chai at a Glance
Izzy’s Rating
- Blend: Rooibos, cinnamon and honeybush with cocoa and spices
- Flavour: A deeply nutty and almost earthy tea with hints of honey, spices and cacao nibs
Cosy up with this smooth and rich caffeine-free chai. The chocolate notes are not too sweet and spices create a lightly warming sensation with every sip. Wonderful!
Full Review – Rooibos and Cocoa Chai
- Type: Tagged biodegradable tea sachet (square “pillow”)
- Ingredients: Rooibos, cassia bark, honeybush, cocoa shells, orange peel, cardamom, cloves
- Origins: South Africa (rooibos and honeybush)
- Flavour Notes: Nutty and earthy, medley of gentle spices, light honey sweetness, cacao nibs
- Aroma: Instant hot chocolate powder, sweet, spices, nutty rooibos, honey, cinnamon, cardamom
- Milk or Lemon: Milk and/or honey
- Where to Buy: Two Spoons Tea
Opening the packet from Two Spoons Tea, the initial aroma is sweet with an undiscernable hint of spice – cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg… it’s a medley of them all. There’s a chocolatey edge too that reminds me of the smell of hot chocolate powder, the kind you mix with milk or water at home.
Once brewed into a dark and slightly cloudy mahogany tea, the rooibos makes an appearance. The aroma from your cup will be nutty with hints of honey, cinnamon and fragrant cardamom. It’s festive and warming. So far, so good.
Now for the taste test.
If you’ve ever tried pu-erh tea, you’ll recognise the kind of nutty and earthy quality this tea has. The Rooibos and Cocoa Chai has a smooth, thick and slightly fibrous texture with an intense earthy flavour. The sweetness is subtle and warm like honey, with that medley of spices returning to tingle on your tongue.
The cocoa flavours take a little while to emerge, but when they do they have a natural bitterness like cacao nibs.
I realise that earthy and bitter might not sound like the best qualities for an indulgent chai, but trust me. Balanced with the sweetness, nuttiness and spice notes, this tea is extraordinarily well-balanced.
I would have no trouble curling up with a mug of this rooibos chai every night for the remainder of winter!
How to Brew Rooibos Chai
I tested this tea without milk, following Two Spoons Tea’s directions to use 100°C water and let the tea steep for just 3 minutes. Each pillow contains around 2g of tea, but if you’ve purchased the loose leaf option then you should brew approximately 1.5 teaspoons to get the same strength.
Adding milk is definitely recommended. It will quash some of those earthy and bitter notes with a creamy richness. Make sure you take a sip before adding any sugar or honey – you may find that the tea has enough natural sweetness without it.
Why Two Spoons Tea?
Two Spoons Tea are a small, independent British brand with a range of delicious teas. They reached out to me via Instagram to see if I’d be interested in reviewing a range of their tea blends – I said yes, of course.
This tea is made of real spices, cocoa shells, honeybush leaves and rooibos from South Africa. There are no added colourings, flavourings or sweeteners. The natural sweetness you detect in this tea comes from the honeybush and rooibos. I was surprised to see dried orange peel on the ingredients list – there was no citrus hint in either the aroma or the flavour.
You can buy this tea in biodegradable tea pyramids or in loose leaf format. Either way, the packaging is 100% plastic-free and you can even put the pouch in your food waste bin to be taken for composting.
Unfortunately, there’s no real story behind why the team at Two Spoons Tea created this blend. They simply enjoyed the chai beverages they consumed while traveling in India and decided to create a caffeine-free version for their company.
Summary
Two Spoons Tea Rooibos and Cocoa Chai is an indulgent caffeine-free beverage that’s very easy to love. You can brew it with or without milk, with or without extra honey, and it’s always a pleasant drinking experience.
Currently, the only place to buy this tea is directly from Two Spoons. They offer free shipping on orders over £25 for their UK customers.
Tea Recommendation
Two Spoons Tea Rooibos and Cocoa Chai is a cosy caffeine-free option that’s perfect for those evenings you spend cuddled up on the sofa or relaxed in front of the fire. But if you like your evenings to have a bit more of a kick, I have another cosy option for you: Whittard Whisky Tea. It doesn’t actually contain whisky, but the caffeine still delivers!
