If you’re craving something chocolaty in the afternoon at tea time, this is the tea for you. I don’t mean chocolaty like a candy bar, either; I mean chocolaty like baker’s cocoa. It’s definitely not for the “beginner” tea drinker, in my opinion.
Made from the shells of the cacao bean and mixed with cocoa nibs, this tea has a very soothing aroma once brewed but the flavor…WOW. Imagine just dabbing your pinky finger into the tub of baking cocoa and licking it. Bitter, right?
The flavor of this tea does not match the aroma in the least, but it is an AMAZING sip. Although it does not contain caffeine, it does have some naturally occuring mood boosters and antioxidants that just might give you the push you need to get through the rest of the work day.
I always give my new teas the opportunity to impress without adding any sweetener or milk/cream. While this cuppa had an impressive flavor on it’s own, I enjoyed it much more with the smallest drop of agave and about a teaspoon of cream which smoothed out the bitterness just enough. If you like tonic water or a dry, “oaky” red wine or other bitter flavors, you will probably enjoy this tea.
I followed the recommended brewing instructions, using 2 teaspoons and steeping for 8 minutes. It probably would have been just slightly less bitter if I had gone with the lower amount of 1 teaspoon or only steeped for 6 minutes but, I’m afraid it would have been too bland.
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Leaf Type: Tisane
Where to Buy: MiCacao
Description
Our tea comes from small family-owned farms in Ecuador, known for their famous “Arriba Nacional” cacao trees. These small farms grow, harvest, and prepare the cacao at their own micro-wet mills where they naturally ferment the beans using banana leaves. The beans are then left to dry on elevated tables, using solar dryers in order to protect against the rain. We use the shells of these beans as the base for our cacao tea. It’s completely natural and without any artificial preservatives, flavors, or starches. Organic. Sugar-free. Gluten-Free. Vegan.
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Nettle/Republic of Tea
I have had a few of the SuperHerb teas sitting around to be tried but kept putting it off. If it’s good for me, it’s going to taste nasty, isn’t it? I want a lovely evening cuppa, not something medicinal that builds character! But it is time to take courage and go for it!
Nettle is traditionally used to combat inflammation and allergies. And pollen and dust allergies really are inflammation, in a way, aren’t they? I am plagued with allergies so much that I don’t really know what it is like to hear clearly or breathe without feeling stopped up. But can I stand nettle tea well enough to drink it often and hopefully put these allergies at bay?
I lift my cup to my lips. Wait, what’s this? This smells like….CAKE. Really. Bless their hearts, they have added vanilla and mint to nettle and pulled off a relaxing, soothing aroma that smells like vanilla cake. Vanilla is the strongest component of the aroma, and the taste is mint and nettle with a touch of vanilla. Mint does relax me, and vanilla is always a “feel good” flavor, so this is a good bedtime choice for me.
The aftertaste of this tea is very herbal but pleasant, with a mineral flavor mixed in, like the smell of water on stone in a forest. This is definitely on my “to buy” list now to see if it drinking it regularly will help with my allergies. And I will look forward to it without fear now!
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Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Republic of Tea
Description
Nettle leaves have been known to support the body in a variety of ways. Studies have shown that it can help reduce joint inflammation and can help support kidney function.* Nettle tea has also been popular as a tonic for centuries to help women through all phases of life, from menstruation, through pregnancy and breastfeeding, to menopause.* A touch of mint and vanilla makes this tea a joy to sip.
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Capri/August Uncommon
I have had Capri by August Uncommon once before. The tea, made with turkish apple, rosehip shells, peppermint, thai pineapple, melon pieces, pear pieces, and flavoring, seemed like the perfect tea to be iced. However, I found myself disappointed by the iced tea. It was vaguely sweet and mostly mint. So today I decided to try it hot.
The mint acts more as a foundation in the hot tea. It is definitely there but mostly as a cooling freshness at the base of the tea. There is a melon flavor on top of the mint but it is so subtle. You really have to look for it. It’s just the faintest bit of sweet atop the mint. Unfortunately I am still disappointed. I want more melon, less mint, and really anything else. Pineapple would be nice or some pear.
Honeydew is a subtle flavor naturally so a honeydew flavor in tea is hard to capture. For me, this was a bit of a miss. It’s a nice mint tisane but it just fell short of what the ingredients might suggest you’re getting.
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Leaf Type: Tisane
Where to Buy: August Uncommon
Description
Have you had the pleasure of drinking fruit tea? Throughout Europe, teas made of dried fruit are well loved yet have been missing from American tea culture until now. Capri is a flavorful, cooling blend of fruits and peppermint, with a rich honeydew melon flavor. When it’s iced, it’s the perfect beverage for a hot day. Hot, it’s excellent after dinner or to wind down the day.
INGREDIENTS: turkish apple, rosehip shells, peppermint, thai pineapple, melon pieces, pear pieces, flavoring
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Organic Very Berry/Stash Tea
The product description for this herbal tisane begins, “If you like your teas tart, this zingy, triple berry combination is for you!”
I don’t like my teas tart. So why did I drink it? Because a lot of hibiscus blends taste pretty good as a sweet iced drink to me. The tartness comes mainly from the organic hibiscus and organic rosehips in the blend, though the berry flavors probably add plenty, too.
Also, hibiscus blends are usually so pretty. They look gorgeous in a clear glass on a hot day, bright red and promising refreshment. It looks like cherry Kool-Aid from childhood. Though I don’t like the tartness of hibiscus, it becomes quite palatable with sugar.
This was all overshadowed by the rooibos, though. Once in a while, a company makes a rooibos blend that successfully covers the rooibos taste. That’s a bad thing if you love rooibos, but I don’t. I rather strongly dislike it. Even with all the other ingredients, this like cherry cough syrup with cinnamon added to me, which is basically just how I describe red rooibos. Maybe someday it will grow on me.
If you like rooibos, you would probably like this blend, and it is all organic, which is awesome! It does look gorgeous in a pitcher or glass, and would really make a nice presentation with some fruit slices or berries floating in it.
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Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Stash Tea
Description
If you like your teas tart, this zingy triple berry combination is for you! We’ve combined natural flavors of strawberry, cranberry and raspberry with hibiscus and rooibos to create a tangy burst of flavor.
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Fruit Thirsty Crow/Hotcups
A friend of mine was kind enough to share a sample of Hotcups’ Death by Cocoa tea with me. Prior to receiving this sample, I had not heard of this company. Then, as part of an Instagram challenge to post 365 days of tea, I featured this sample in one of my posts and tagged the company. Hotcups then reached out to me and was kind enough to share even more samples of their offerings. They sent me seven teas to try including this one, Fruit Thirsty Crow.
Fruit Thirsty Crow is a mix of currants, hibiscus petals, rosehip peel, elderberries, blueberries, cornflower petals, black currants, raspberry pieces.
I divided the sample in half and prepared a cold brew with one half and a hot cup with the other. For the cold brew, I let the tea sit in water in the fridge for approximately 24 hours. For the hot cup, I steeped it in boiling water for 4 minutes. Unfortunately life got in the way and the “hot” tea was mostly a cooled tea by the time I tried it. So, this is actually a review of a cold brew and a cooled tea.
The cooled tea tastes a little bit like bubblegum to me. Granted, not fresh, just-put-in-your-mouth gum. Instead, this is like gum that you have been chewing long enough that the flavor is slightly fading and the actual gum flavor is coming through, but not so long that it’s no longer fruity. As much as I feel like that explanation can be off-putting, its just the best way I can explain this. It’s actually an enjoyable enough cup with a hibiscus/berry flavor at the front that tapers off to that gum/wax flavor at the end of the sip.
The cold brew is better than the hot tea because that gum element is gone. It is sweeter than the cooled tea and has more berry flavor. This is more like Swedish Berry gummies in their prime than gum that’s losing it’s flavor.
Is it the best fruit infusion I have ever had? No. But it’s a nice enough tea if you like more of a berry focus.
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Leaf Type: Fruit Tisane
Where to Buy: Hotcups
Description
Ingredients: Currants, hibiscus petals, rosehip peel, elderberries, blueberries, cornflower petals, black currants, raspberry pieces.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!