Rooibos Poached Pears
Pears gently poached in spiced rooibos tea with cinnamon, an elegant, caffeine free pudding served warm or chilled.

Poaching pears in tea is an old trick that turns a few firm pears into a quietly elegant pudding. Rooibos is ideal for it: naturally sweet and woody, with no caffeine or bitterness to turn the syrup harsh, and a cinnamon stick alongside makes it warmly spiced. The pears take on a soft amber colour and a gentle fruitiness as they simmer. Serve them warm with cream, or chilled on their own.
Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for the Rooibos Poached Pears recipe. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/recipes/rooibos/rooibos poached pears-3/
You'll need
- 3 tea bags of Tropical Sun Rooibos and Strawberry
- 500ml freshly drawn water at 100C, just off the boil
- 4 small ripe Conference pears, peeled, cored from the bottom, stems intact
- 70g caster sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick (about 7cm)
- 1 medium saucepan with lid
- 1 small saucer for covering the steep
- 4 small 150ml shallow dishes
Method
- Steep the 3 tea bags in 500ml just boiled water for seven minutes under a saucer, then lift them out.
- Pour the brew into a saucepan with the sugar and cinnamon stick, and warm gently, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
- Stand the peeled pears upright in the syrup, put the lid on, and simmer gently for twenty five minutes, turning them once halfway.
- Take off the heat and let the pears cool in the syrup for ten minutes.
- Lift the pears into dishes, then reduce the syrup over a higher heat for about five minutes until slightly thickened.
- Spoon the syrup over the pears and serve warm or chilled.
- Tip: slice a thin sliver off each pear's base so it stands upright and poaches evenly.
Want the background, not just the brew?
Brewed with: Tropical Sun Rooibos and Strawberry, 20 Tea Bags 40g
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