Red Espresso- An Honest Review

Red Espresso is a rooibos tea finely chopped meant to be brewed in the portafilter of an espresso machine just like espresso coffee. Stovetop espresso machines are also recommended.

Natasha at Red Espresso was kind enough to send us a few bags to try out!

First of all- cool packaging. Comes in a resealable bag with 250g of nice smelling Red Espresso which keeps for 6 months after opening and offers about 16-20 servings.

The instructions call for 12 grams of the red rooibos Red Espresso, so we came close…

Loading into the portafilter is simple, but we knew not to tamp or not, so this first video is untamped, brewed in a bottomless portafilter at about 200 degrees.

I think that video was pretty self-explanatory. HOLY COW!! Exploding red liquids! So we assume that maybe tamping is a good idea- and hey lets try a lower temperature, say around 190.

Better- but still messy.

Enter good old fashioned Non-chopped portafilter.

Yes there is a an advantage to having all that metal funneling the liquids into the cup where you want them. However this would present a challenge for cafes or people with only the crotchless portafilters, the tea does calm down the lower temp you brew. Also interesting is the puck removal. The wet tea tends to stick to the portafilter and requires extra diligence in rinsing between Red Espresso and Black Espresso (Brown Espresso? registered trademark pending).

THE IMPORTANT PART: Taste

Red Espresso tastes very nice, a subtle field of alfafa, thick (for tea) though minimal crema compared to coffee) It has a bold taste that is new to this palate, and is altogether different from green or black tea. Even steeped red rooibos teas taste less intense, and therefore less powerfull as a tea latte.

Another plus side to Red Espresso is its color! Very bright in the cup with pure white milk froth. Honey as a sweetener is excellent, and harmonizes with the delicacy of some of the more subtle flavors.

Pros:

Great tea lattes

Unusual product- more intense and bold extractions

Caffeine free alternative to coffee

Cons:

Difficult to clean portafilter

May cause downtime in production flow

Requires Standard portafilter

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