Tis the season for all things pumpkin and spooky. I love this time of year. Being a huge fan of the horror genre, I love stealing away any time I can and enjoying a scary flick or indulging myself in the latest spooky book. And honestly, the best partner to any scary book or movie is a marvelously brewed tea possibly turned into a latte.
Cocoa Chili Pumpkin has been my go to pumpkin tea for the last couple of weeks. I can’t get enough of this tea. Typically I stay away from black flavored spicy teas. In my experience, the spices tend to burn your taste buds or the flavors are just incredibly muddy. Not with this tea.
Being one that isn’t a huge chocolate fan but a HUGE pumpkin fan, I wondered how I would feel abbot this combo and I have to say, it is delightful! Each sip starts off with this lush smooth pumpkin dark chocolate combo that mingles with the malty tone set by the black tea base. Here and there you pick up a bit of heat that does just that. Brings some heat that truly elevates the tea to a different level. The spices are blended perfectly and are not overdone by any stretch.
What draws me to this tea the most is the combination of sweet and spicy flavors. I’ve never been one that has been drawn to spicy teas in the past, but I just can’t get enough of this particular tea. I’m not sure if its the pumpkin dark chocolate combo that I can’t get enough of or if it is the heat this tea brigs. Either way, I’m going to need more of this tea soon. My bag is about gone and we still have a few more weeks until winter is officially here.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tiesta Tea
Description
Ingredients: black tea + chocolate chunks + ginger + cinnamon + pumpkin cubes + natural flavors + cloves + chili peppers + cardamom + pink peppercorns + marigold petals (CONTAINS MILK)
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
A Grown Up Chocolate Experience: Cacao Tea from Mi Cacao
Chocolate tea can be a decadent latte, or a great dessert-replacement. But most of the chocolate teas I’ve tried, have black tea or honeybush tea as a base, mixed with chocolate chips and chocolate flavors. This tea, Cacao Tea from Mi Cacao, is a completely different chocolate experience.
You may have heard about cascara tea at your local coffee shop, which is a brew made from the husks of the coffee cherries. Similar to cascara tea, cacao tea is an herbal brew made with cacao shells. These shells are the exterior pod that hold the cacao nibs, the essential chocolate-making ingredient. But these shells still have plenty of flavor.
I brewed this once straight, and once with milk. On its own, this tea does taste like chocolate, but it is almost salty and brothy, like a nutty chocolate popcorn tea blend. The blend is enhanced by milk, making the blend feel creamier and sweeter, and more like the decadent chocolate teas with which I’m more familiar.
Do you remember liking the taste of coffee ice cream, but having a strong aversion to coffee itself? But then you tried coffee on its own out of necessity or curiosity, and you came to like the strong brew on its own? Cacao Tea feels like the chocolate equivalent. It’s easy to like sugary, chocolatey hot chocolate, but cocoa tea might be more of an acquired taste. But perhaps as your tastes or moods change, you’ll be looking for a chocolate brew that’s a little less sweet and more potent. That’s when Cacao Tea will be the perfect choice.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Mi Cacao
Description:
Herbal chocolate tea made from the shell of the cacao bean. Cacao Tea is 100% cocoa based. It is completely natural, preservative free, and without any artificial flavors or starches. Sugar-free. Organic. Gluten-Free. Vegan-friendly.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Chocolate Chip Pancakes from Bumble Tea. . . .
My doctor told me to drastically decrease my caffeine intake, which means less tea. I got until 3:30 pm (right now) before making myself my one daily cup. I’d been hoping to cold turkey it and try talking about decaf teas for a while, but I crashed.
Today’s feature: Chocolate Chip Pancakes! YUM!
When you open this up, the chocolate powder puffs out. The majority of the mix is solid (tea parts, etc), but the powder is exciting. It smells REALLY amazing.
This is a malty, dark chocolate flavor. Like the pancakes have been a little bit crisped. The shimmering perky chocolate is a great contrast to the deep assam. Neither overpowers the other. It’s yin. It’s yang. It’s… CHOCOLATE CHIP PANCAKES, GUYS. And oh god, thank goodness, it has caffeine.
I think if you put a splash of milk in this, it’d be GOLD, but we ran out of milk in the office, and it’s my turn to buy it. It’s not a finance issue; it’s a “can’t be bothered to go to a STORE” issue.
I probably can’t be bothered because I have literally no energy in my veins. Caffeine, I miss you.
All of my reviews from here on out will have a certain joy in them because they’re the only times in my day when I am allowed to have my previous zip-juice.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Bumble Tea
Description
Wake up with a decadent blend of black assam tea leaves, with carob & real dark chocolate. Best enjoyed with cream & sugar!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Chocolate Macaroon from DAVIDs Tea. . .
Chocolate Macaroon, part of DAVIDsTEA’s standard collection, is made of black tea, toasted coconut, coconut, pecans, cacao nibs, rock cane sugar, natural flavoring. Now I am not one for teas with sugar or stevia (though I like sprinkles and I blame my love of the colorful and cute for that) and when I tried this tea originally, I had it plain and I hated it.
I tried it a second time as an eggnog latte. Why did I give it a second chance? Well, when DAVIDsTEA came out with their eggnog lattes, I fell in love and was having 1-2 a day. It got to the point I wanted to try new flavors so I kept asking the DAVIDsTEA employees what they recommended as an eggnog latte. Without fail, everyone I asked suggested this tea. This tea and another tea, usually, but ALWAYS this tea. I said no for a while but finally I caved and I have to say…it was great!
Today I am having it as a tea smoothie. I grabbed it because for some reason, in a moment of weakness, I bought a solo tin (90 grams) of this tea and I figured a smoothie would use a lot of leaf. I used this tea, chocolate pudding, milk, a frozen mix of strawberries and bananas, and Kitten and the Bear’s (a local jam company) Strawberries & Chocolate Jam.
This smoothie is perfect! So, SO GOOD! I wanted sweet and creamy and rich and this is delivering on all those things. This tea is almost caramel in its decadence and the nuttiness contributes a richer flavor. This reminded me slightly of a mexican hot chocolate (minus the heat, both spice and temperature wise) which seems crazy but it was just such a velvety smooth chocolate flavor with just something more. Certainly one of the better smoothies I have ever made. Perhaps I will be having another tomorrow…or later today. And I will say, I am no longer worried about how I will use up the 90 grams of leaf.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: DAVIDs Tea
Description
A sweet, satisfying blend of black tea, coconut, chocolate and pecans.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Cacao Tea from MiCacao. . . . .
I don’t eat a lot of chocolate. Mostly because in the area I live there aren’t many dairy-free chocolate store-bought options. Therefore, I choose a cup of Cacao Shells or nibs instead. That is exactly what happened recently with this cup! Cacao Tea from MiCacao is pretty awesome – I have to say!
Herbal chocolate tea made from the shell of the cacao bean. This Cacao Tea is 100% cocoa based and is completely natural, preservative free, and without any artificial flavors or starches. It’s also Sugar-free, Organic, Gluten-Free, and Vegan-friendly!
It’s naturally sweet, naturally chocolaty, naturally creamy, and naturally…WONDERFUL! I guess one COULD add a non-dairy milk of their choice to this but I didn’t find it necessary! It’s great by itself!
I’m super stoked that companies are offering this more now! But I have to say when a company SOLELY offers this – you know it has to be good! I mean – they are throwing ALL of their efforts in THIS offering!
The bagged product is currently sold out but they have the loose product available for purchase on their website – as of the date I am writing this review – that is! I can’t help but wonder if they will be doing flavored Cacao. Wouldn’t THAT be something? Right away I can think of Strawberry paired with this. Orange – perhaps! Vanilla? WOW! And if you are looking for some culinary ideas – take a look at their website – and get those creative cooking juices flowing!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: MiCacao
Description
MiCacao uses 100% organic cacao beans to create a delicious tea that is both healthy and natural. Also known as chocolate herbal tea, Cacao tea comes from a drink that natives of tropical regions in Central and South America have been drinking for centuries. It’s light with a hint of chocolate and is packed with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals – everything you need for a healthy mind and body.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
