Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Guayusa
Where to Buy: Stash Tea
Tisane Description:
GUAYUSA (gwhy-you-sa) is a rare herbal tea produced from the leaves of a holly tree (ilex guayusa) native to the Amazon Rainforest of Ecuador. Guayusa is naturally caffeinated and has an awakening effect similar to coffee and yerba mate. For this signature blend, we’ve combined Guayusa with velvety cocoa for a dessert-like tea that’s rich and stimulating.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
Mmm! Chocolate!
I have tried a few different Guayusa blends now, but I think that this may be my first chocolate flavored Guayusa. It is delicious!
The Guayusa produces an earthy-tasting infusion with herbaceous notes. I often liken it to the flavor of Yerba Maté and it is also often compared to coffee, not just for it’s stimulating properties but also for its flavor. It is rich in flavor but a bit thinner than a cup of coffee (or should I say, what I remember coffee to taste like, as it has been YEARS since I’ve had a cup). But where Guayusa stands out is that there is no bitterness to this herb. Where coffee has a bitterness to it, as does yerba maté, Guayusa finishes very smooth and even a little sweet with no notable bitterness.
The chocolate in this particular blend is a strong flavor – and I like it like that! This chocoholic approves! The chocolate flavors are derived from cocoa shells and chocolate fudge powder. This combination of ingredients has created a rich, chocolate-y flavor that is a bittersweet, dark chocolate taste, but with a hint of creaminess to it too. I kind of expected the chocolate fudge powder to impart a cloudy appearance or thicker consistency to the cup, but it hasn’t. The infusion is dark (as Guayusa tends to be) but it is not opaque or cloudy.
This Guayusa blend is one of the best I’ve tried yet. And I am sure that has everything to do with the chocolate! Stash Tea has made this chocoholic a very happy chocoholic! And with the caffeinated power of Guayusa, a happy chocoholic in the early hours of the day is a GOOD thing, indeed!
