Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black & Green Tea
Where to Buy: Just Add Honey
Tea Description:
warm, earthy, and decadent, this tea densely aromatic and flavorful black tea combined with cocoa beans, vanilla, barley, and yogurt bits produces a hearty and balanced cup that feels like an indulgence. best enjoyed with milk to enhance the notes of both the tea and cocoa.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The first time I brewed this Chocolate Delight Black Tea Blend from Just Add Honey, I did so without reading the website description or the ingredient list, and I did not realize that this was yet another black tea blend from Just Add Honey that also included green tea (a genmaicha, it would appear!) so I brewed this as I would a usual black tea – using boiling water.
And prepared this way, it doesn’t taste bitter. It tastes rich and chocolate-y! It tastes YUMMY! That said, I don’t taste any real “green tea notes” here, or even anything that would indicate to me that there is genmaicha in this blend. I taste a rich black tea base with a strong chocolate essence. There is a distinct creaminess to this cup (courtesy of not only the chocolate but also the yogurt!) I do taste the barley and it definitely accents the chocolate, giving it a depth and an almost “malty” kind of richness.
Now that I’m more than halfway through the cup, I notice an earthy roasty-toasty-ness to the cup … which I guess can be attributed to the genmaicha (after all, it is a roasty-toasty kind of tea!) but that could also be attributed to the barley. I have to admit that I REALLY like this, just the way it is, even if I’m not tasting much of the green tea’s contribution to the cup. When it comes to chocolate, I mean, what can I say? Tasting the chocolate is of utmost importance, and because I can taste it here – and I’m really liking what I’m tasting! – I’m a happy chocoholic!
Given how good this is prepared using boiling water for 2 1/2 minutes, I was rather reluctant to brew a second pot using a more gentle method for the green tea. But I did … for no other reason than for the purposes of this review. And I have to admit that while I do taste more of the green tea, more of that sweet, vegetal flavor from the green tea … I do not like it better than I did the first pot of tea when I tasted more of a rich, earthy, deep chocolate flavor. This cup is lighter and less chocolate-y, and when it comes right down to it, for me, it’s all about the chocolate!
So, if you do decide to try this chocolate tea (and you should!) try brewing it both ways to see which way suits your fancy … and let me know what you think!
Browncoat Genmaicha from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Our Browncoat Genmaicha is a premium Japanese genmaicha with organic cacao nibs and organic chocolate flavors. (Yes, it’s vegan too!) I’ve been doing some experimenting with genmaicha and while I normally would never think of blending green tea with chocolate, the toasty rice element in genmaicha makes it perfect for some rich, sweet chocolate tones. This being one of our nerdy homages, I don’t think it’s going to last very long, so get yours while it lasts.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I don’t watch Firefly. I don’t know what the Browncoat references … and I lose 50 nerd points.
But even though I don’t get the whole “Browncoat” thing, when I first read about this Browncoat Genmaicha from 52Teas – their tea of the week for December 10, 2011 – I was very excited and looked forward to trying it. Chocolate PLUS Genmaicha? Oh yeah! Sounds great to me.
And it is indeed great! The bittersweet flavor of chocolate melds beautifully with the sweet, toasty notes of the genmaicha. The result is a cup that is a little bit sweet, a little bit bitter (but in the way that chocolate is a little bitter) and a whole lot delicious.
The natural creamy notes of the genmaicha work well with the chocolate-y notes. It is a very comforting cup … and it’s tasty hot or cold! I know this because I got busy doing something, and my first cup of this tea went cold before I could enjoy it as a hot beverage … but I tasted it cold and it is really good like that! YUM!
Gourmet Dark Chocolate Tea from sTEAp Shoppe
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Steap Shoppe
Tea Description:
Organic Kukicha Japanese Black Tea and Kosher Niligri Black Tea combined with Organic Cocoa Nibs. Kukicha loose twig black tea has a rich coffee aroma that helps enhance the chocolate flavor of the cocoa nibs. Giving depth to this loose leaf and twig tea we added Niligri black tea, the flavor and aroma create complexities on your palate. When you think of delicious dark chocolate you can’t go without the added benefit of organic vanilla which embraces the experience of your indulgence in this spectacular cup of tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve tasted a lot of chocolate tea over the past several years, and I think that this tea may be the most unique and unusual one that I’ve tried yet.
The base of teas is a blend of Nilgiri black tea and Kukicha black tea which in itself is rather unusual to me, because I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a black Kukicha. Most Kukicha that I’ve tried has been green Kukicha. I have tried the oxidized Kukicha, but, I don’t think I’ve ever had it referred to as black Kukicha.
Regardless, the addition of the Kukicha is what makes this tea really unique! It adds a slightly smoky element to the taste, a somewhat toasty note that is quite delightful combined with the chocolate notes. It also lightens the body a little bit, giving this a silkier taste rather than a richer, heavier taste.
The vanilla here adds a nice dimension as well. It doesn’t taste overly “vanilla” or anything … nor does it add a tremendous creaminess to the cup, instead, I think it enhances some of the malty tones of the Nilgiri which melds with the chocolate tones to make for a very smooth, decadent chocolate flavor.
My only complaint, really, is that I’d like there to be more chocolate. But then, when is that ever not a complaint from me? I am a chocoholic, and more chocolate is better. As it is though, I find this to have a pleasant level of chocolate, and I like the way the flavors all come together in this cup. It’s a little smoky and roasty-toasty, warm, smooth, chocolate deliciousness!
Truly a unique chocolate blend – the more I sip it, the more I like it!
Organic After Dinner Mint from The Rabbit Hole
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: The Rabbit Hole
Tisane Description:
The perfect after dinner treat to help with digestion and give you the illusion of munching on an after dinner mint (or ten!). Great for those of us watching the waistline.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
My favorite cookies as a girl scout (yes, I was a girl scout!) were always the thin mints. Crunchy chocolate-y cookie coated with a chocolate-y coating … and somewhere in there was also the crisp flavor of mint. Even now, whenever the girl scouts come ’round to my door selling cookies, I can’t resist ordering at least one box of thin mints!
Well, this tea is very thin mint-ish. It’s pure, organic cacao nibs and dried peppermint leaves. That’s it. No rooibos or honeybush or anything else. Just cacao and mint.
The result is a creamy, chocolate-y, cool minty tasting tisane that makes a great after dinner tea that could also substitute for dessert! The peppermint helps soothe and calm the tummy while the cacao satisfies the sweet tooth! Does it get any better than that? And this has a delicious sweetness to it, so you don’t need to add any sugar to it – making this a low calorie, low caffeine way to curb those late night cravings!
Murmur from Handmade Tea, Part 2
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
To Subscribe to Handmade Tea’s Tea of the Month program, click here.
About this Blend:
Murmur starts with a white peony base which features the signature unopened tea bud and two accompanying leaves. This tea has beautiful delicate notes of juicy honeydew drizzled in honey, with accents of darker fruit and chocolate. Next, the strawberries are added to accent the white peony’s fruity notes and add a little tartness to the back of the palate. Lastly the cacao nibs contribute to the rich, classic chocolate taste that pops mid palate.
Read more about Handmade Tea here.
Taster’s Review:
As I mentioned in part 1 of this review, I wanted to approach reviewing this tea by reviewing three separate tastings. The first part of this review featured my first tasting of the actual blend “Murmur” as blended by Handmade tea. This article will feature the last two tastings: the second tasting will be of the White Peony Tea base, while the third will be of a taster’s improved batch of Murmur, with extra strawberries and cacao nibs.
Second Tasting
This is a decent Bai Mu Dan. It’s of good quality, beautifully colored leaves ranging from a pale, silvery green to a light tan. These leaves are broken, but I wouldn’t say that they’re “crushed” – I’ve seen larger, whole leaves with some of the higher quality White Peony teas that I’ve encountered, while I’ve encountered some crushed, tiny leaves. These are somewhere in the middle – appearing more whole than broken, and I was happy to see the tiny, silvery hairs on the leaves, indicating that these leaves have been handled well. White Peony is a delicate tea, and it should be handled as such!
As for the taste, it is good. Delicately flavored – that’s to be expected – with distant notes of vegetation and a soft, velvet-y mouthfeel. Some fruity notes, but interestingly enough, I found that when it’s part of the blend, the melon-esque tones of this tea really seem to emerge. The addition of the dried strawberries and cacao nibs emphasized the subtle melon notes of the tea, allowing this taster to explore some of the nuances that I might have otherwise missed with the pure Bai Mu Dan.
Third Tasting
For this third and final tasting (at least, for reviewing purposes), I decided to add what was left of the freeze-dried strawberries and the cacao nibs to the large tin of blended tea. I say “what was left” because my SororiTea Sister, TeaEqualsBliss, had tried and reviewed this tea before I did, so she also used some of the berries and cacao. The two sampler tins were about half-full when I got them, and I emptied the entire contents of both small sampler tins into the blended tea and gave them a gentle shake to combine.
I have to say, that of the three tastings, this one is my favorite. The chocolate is stronger, and the strawberry flavor also emerges somewhat stronger – although because this is a “blended” tea and not a “flavored” one, neither flavor is particularly strong. If you were to taste a chocolate strawberry flavored tea that was flavored by a reputable company side-by-side with this blended tea, they’d taste very different.
But that’s not to say that this is not good – I really like this, and with a white tea, this blended approach really works well because it keeps the flavors subtle so that the white tea is not overwhelmed. Instead, it seems to be celebrated with the strawberries and cacao bringing out flavors that I didn’t notice when drinking the pure White Peony Tea.
Overall, a very tasty tea that offers a pleasant, contemplative cup when you want one … or just really refreshing taste that calms and soothes you when you just want to relax and contemplate nothing!