Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Our newest Tea of the Week is a Turtle Cheesecake flavored black tea. We combined premium black teas, organic roasted cacao nibs, pecans and organic flavors to create a cup of awesome. This tea is vegan-friendly! Our Cheesecake teas never last long, so get yours today.
Learn more about this blend here.
Learn more about Zoomdweebie’s fundraising campaign to reopen the Tea Bar here. (There are only a few days left to contribute!)
Taster’s Review:
OK … I was pretty much jumping for joy when the tea for the week of September 2nd from 52Teas was announced. Turtle Cheesecake Flavored Black Tea? Um … yes, please!
The aroma when I opened the package immediately enchanted this chocoholic. I could smell the notes of the roasted cacao nibs, and hints of nutty goodness from the pecans. It smelled sweet and my mouth started watering at that very moment.
Now that the tea is brewed, I can still smell the chocolate and the pecans, but, I also smell caramel! Mmm! There is also a note of earthiness from the black tea base.
The black tea is rich and substantial. It provides a nice, full taste on the tongue … a very satisfying flavor. It is a little bit sweet and a little bit earthy. There are notes of malt to the flavor as well, and these notes accentuate the caramel flavoring.
This is a really delicious tea … but, right now, it’s still quite hot, and I’m thinking it needs a couple of minutes to allow the flavors to develop. Right now as the tea is piping hot, it is almost as though there is just too much going on to be able to really focus on individual flavor profiles … so … I’ll allow it a few minutes to cool down just a bit.
After a few minutes cool time, the flavors really DO develop. Now I can taste not only the black tea notes, but, also the chocolate, the caramel and the pecan … as well as the tangy cheesecake!
The chocolate is delicious, but as a chocoholic, I find myself wanting a little bit more chocolate in this. It’s delicious as it is … but more chocolate is always better. Ha! I was just imagining myself as an assistant to Frank during the blending process of these teas. I’d be adding more cacao nibs when his back was turned.
When the tea cools to a point of still being warm but not what I’d call “hot” I notice more cheesecake flavor. It is tangy, smooth and rich. Sometimes, I swear I could even taste a hint of buttery pastry for the crust. The caramel has notes of “burnt sugar” to it and I like it, because it’s a slightly bitter intonation and it adds an interesting taste to the cup.
In one sip, I taste notes of toasted pecans, sweet caramel, rich cheesecake and decadent chocolate notes … as well as a solid background of black tea flavor. I like that I taste all of these things … and they are very harmonious. The key with this tea really is patience, because when sipped after it’s been poured from the teapot – when it’s at its hottest temperature – the flavors are a little bit muddy. But, allow the tea to cool to a drinkable temperature and the flavors really come out.
This is a very tasty tea!
Creamy Cacao Delight from Hale Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green & White Teas
Where to Buy: Hale Tea Company
Tea Description:
Creamy white cacao pretty much sums it up! Lingering white chocolate flavour and notes of vanilla bean meld naturally with subtle hints of the green and white tea at its base. This is a velvety soft tea that’s surprisingly light.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about subscribing to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
Amoda Tea has made some changes with their monthly Tea Tasting Box, and it sounds to me like these changes may be for the better! First of all, the amount of tea will be less per tea – which is fine by me because I am more of a taster than one who likes to keep large amounts of tea on hand. Second … the cost of the monthly box is less! I can live with that! Ha! Finally, Amoda will no longer be selling the tea to the public … oh, they’ll still assemble the boxes, but if you want more of any particular tea after sampling it, you’ll be forwarded to the tea company that sells the tea to order directly from them.
So far, I’m really happy with these changes!
For the month of September, the featured tea company is Hale Tea Company. The first tea that I chose to sample from this company is Creamy Cacao Delight, because … well, did you happen to see the word Cacao in the name? Yeah, I like that word. That word says to me that this tea will be a yummy, chocolate-y tea. And that brings a big smile to this chocoholic’s face!
The aroma of the dry leaf is deliciously creamy with vanilla top notes and notes of chocolate. My mouth started watering the moment I opened the pouch! Once brewed, I notice less of the vanilla tones and more of the chocolate-y notes.
The flavor … oh my goodness! This is yum. As I’ve mentioned before (even in this article!) I’m a chocoholic. But, white chocolate … doesn’t always do it for me. I’d much rather have dark chocolate. I generally find white chocolate to be too sweet, and I enjoy the contrast of bitter and sweet in a darker chocolate. But … I’m liking the sweet creamy notes here just fine!
There is a lovely balance between vanilla and chocolate notes to provide a very rich, creamy, decadent taste. The white tea and green tea provide a nice base for the chocolate flavors, because it doesn’t overwhelm the chocolate, but it’s also not allowing itself to be overpowered. I taste both teas – the green tea is fresh and vegetative and the white tea has a crispness to it, as well as a hay-like note that tastes really quite nice with the white chocolate tones.
And as the description above suggests, the overall tone to this cup is light. It isn’t a heavy feel on the palate, and this I like because even though it’s white chocolate … it’s a flavor that I often find “too much” because it is a very sweet form of chocolate-y taste. The lightness allows the goodness of white chocolate to come through without all that heavy sweetness.
This is a light, sweet, delicious way to experience a balance between vanilla and chocolate. YUMMY! And … this one must be resteeped! The chocolate-y flavors really intensify with the second steeping.
Peppermint Patty Herbal Tisane from Butiki Teas
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Butiki Teas
Tisane Description:
What better way to wind down the day than with chocolate and mint? Our Peppermint Patty pairs organic marshmallow leaf, a naturally sweet caffeine-free herb, with sweet organic peppermint, and mellow milk chocolate. This light and refreshing herbal works well as an after dinner treat. With each sip, the flavor grows stronger and lingers longer. Add a little sugar to intensify the chocolate flavor.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
This is a really cool looking herbal tisane with the itty bitty chocolate chips in it! Yeah, I know … I shouldn’t get all excited by something as simple as chocolate chips. But I’m a chocoholic, what can I say? And when I saw that this Peppermint Patty Herbal Tisane from Butiki Teas is a peppermint tisane with chocolate AND marshmallow root … I got really excited about trying it!
And OH yum! This is tasty!
It’s minty, of course, and the mint is strong … but it isn’t overpowering the chocolate-y notes and the creamy, sweet notes of the marshmallow come through so deliciously! The mint doesn’t come off tasting like mouthwash … with the fluffy marshmallow and decadent chocolate notes … these flavors bring out the sweeter essence of the mint so that it tastes sweet not medicinal or too herbaceous.
What I’m liking most about this is that this herbal tisane is that it really delivers just what the name seems to imply. The name … sounds like a candy bar (I know, duh! right?) and this has a very yummy, sweet, dessert-y taste to it. This is the perfect way to enjoy a sweet treat after a meal without too many calories. Sure, there’s going to be some calories in this … but, it’s not going to have as many calories as that candy bar you might be craving!
It’s sweet, minty, chocolate-y, creamy deliciousness! And it is delightfully satisfying to my chocoholic sweet tooth!
Organic Energizing Chai Blend from Zen Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh Tea & Yerba Maté
Where to Buy: Zen Tea
Tea Description:
Velvety, mellow and deep, this chai is an enticing blend of energizing pu-erh tea, shade-grown yerba maté, and cacao. Made even more inviting by creamy vanilla, nutty coconut and fruity, pungent and uplifting Ayurvedic long pepper. It is the most sophisticated take on hot cocoa.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I was skeptical. A chai blend with a pu-erh and yerba maté base? Sounds way too earthy for my liking! But, this Organic Energizing Chai Blend from Zen Tea is really quite smooth and tasty!
I don’t know if its really “fair” to call it a chai, because the only “chai” spices it has is pepper (and this is long pepper, not the usual black pepper) and cardamom. But OK, since, chai technically means “tea” and not spiced tea, I’ll accept that this is a chai.
But, that criticism notwithstanding, this is still really tasty. It’s not overtly spicy, and not nearly as spicy as I would like a “chai” to be, but, I like this for what it is. And what it is is a smooth, sweet, warm blend that brings together the flavors of chocolate, coconut and vanilla in a really exciting way.
As I mentioned before, the base of this chai is a pu-erh tea and Argentinian Yerba Maté. Both of these ingredients contribute to the earthy notes of the cup, and this is a very prominent taste to this drink. But, I am not finding it off-putting, and I’m not sure if it’s because the coconut and vanilla give it a pleasant smooth, creaminess that seems to soften the earthy tones or because the earthiness complements the chocolate notes so well (or perhaps a bit of both of these reasons!) The Pu-erh is more pronounced than the Yerba Maté, but I can taste both in this cup.
The chocolate is really nice here. It has a deep, rich, almost toasty flavor to it, and this is nicely accented with the sweet, creamy notes from the vanilla and coconut. Overall, this is a really tasty cup – certainly different from the typical chai! But, I like this one for its differences. This is not one I’d recommend to someone looking for a good, spicy chai, but, rather, someone who was looking for something that is a departure from that spicy chai. This is not spicy … but it is tasty!
I like it!
S’mores Genmaicha Green Tea Blend from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green & Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
So, you liked the Marshmallow Treat Genmaicha (one of the reblends, by the way…), and you liked the Browncoat (Chocolate) Genmaicha? Well, you’re going to LOVE the S’mores Genmaicha! Toasty genmaicha blended with marshmallow root, roasted cacao nibs and just a tiny touch of smoke from a bit of lapsang souchoung. This is a heavenly treat to warm your bones and soothe your sweet-tooth.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Wow! Just … WOW! This S’mores Genmaicha Green Tea Blend is probably the tastiest Genmaicha blend that I’ve tried from 52Teas yet! From my very first sip, I was totally blown away!
The smokiness from the Lapsang Souchong comes out, but it isn’t an overpowering smoky tone … it is just a hint of smoke … just enough to evoke thoughts of toasting marshmallows around a campfire and making s’mores!
The roasty-toasty, nutty flavor of the Genmaicha comes through too, and it gives the overall cup a sense of “crust” … like the graham cracker crust of a s’more. The flavor of graham doesn’t really come out strongly with this tea, but the nuttiness of the tea seems to give the flavor just what it needs … because it is almost like I’m sipping on liquefied s’mores!
The chocolate … well the chocolate could be stronger. But then, I’m a chocoholic, remember? There is never too much chocolate as far as I’m concerned. But I think that for this particular dessert tea, there is a fair amount of chocolate flavor.
But what really MAKES this cup for me is the marshmallow notes. The marshmallow, together with the Lapsang Souchong and the Genmaicha … tastes like a freshly roasted marshmallow! YUM! I can almost taste that hint of char on the marshmallow, and the gooey, molten, creamy marshmallow that would ooze out of the marshmallow and help melt the chocolate as it comes in contact with it when sandwiched between two graham crackers.
This is really so good … I’m on my second infusion of this tea (each measurement of leaves is worth at least two infusions!) and it tastes just as good as the first … no loss of flavor! If you are looking for a delicious, chocolate-y, marshmallow-y tea treat … you need look no further. 52Teas has got you covered!