Red Dawn

Red tea espresso makes its way to Philly.

by Drew Lazor

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Published: Jun 2, 2009

I WANTED TO know what René Kobeitri was making me, so I asked him what the drink was called. "It's best not to ask right now," he responded, gently draping wisps of honey over a glass that was already crosshatched with chocolate. "Just watch."

Kobeitri, the gregarious French proprietor of Rim Café in the Italian Market (1172 S. Ninth St., 215-465-3515, rimcafe.com), is known for his idiosyncratic approach to coffee — it's difficult to say no when he half-suggests, half-asks if you’d like a little fresh-grated pistachio dressing up the foam of your latte. So it makes sense that his is one of the first coffeehouses in Philadelphia to carry red tea espresso, an intriguing new product that looks to obliterate the philosophical divide separating caffeine addicts weaning off the legal drug and timid tea drinkers who secretly yearn to hitch a ride on the java train.

This tea — the brand name’s "red espresso," all lowercase — was developed by a South African farmer named Carl Pretorius, who looked to the indigenous rooibos shrub to develop a healthier espresso alternative. He succeeded in concocting red espresso, a caffeine-free, antioxidant-rich tea that can be used in the same manner as espresso in any number of coffeehouse beverages.

Rusty and crimson in color and earthy on the nose, red tea espresso has a vivid, concentrated flavor — think of the difference between a strong shot of traditional espresso and a cup of drip-brewed coffee to understand what sets this apart from your mother's mug of Earl Grey. It holds its own in a drink, too, with the rooibos’ bright, nutty characteristics cutting through add-ins like milk, chocolate and honey.

After trying unsuccessfully to develop his own version of tea espresso, Kobeitri was introduced to the red espresso brand by a wholesaler friend. (You can also try it at Caffeination at 21st and Chestnut, where they serve it straight up or in a "Red Tea Symphony Latte," with white chocolate and steamed milk.) During my recent visit to Rim, Kobeitri, who has an entirely separate machine designated for the red tea espresso, made me two drinks: a cappuccino and the aforementioned nameless beverage, a whimsical iced concoction he plans on calling "red chai latte" or something similar — red espresso, steamed milk and chilled chai tea, topped with anise, cardamom, clove, nutmeg, pistachio, cinnamon, chili pepper, honey and a bridge of hardened chocolate.

Whether it's mixed up or by its lonesome, red espresso is a truly muscular thing to sip — given its inherent kick, it's difficult to believe that it’s caffeine-free, and it's impressive to think that it boasts five times more antioxidants than its lauded green tea cousin. Though it probably won't smash the habits of extreme caffeine heads, red espresso is worth a curious shot or two. Just ask Kobeitri to make you the drink without a name.

(drew.lazor@citypaper.net)

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