It’s the third day already! Christmas is almost here! Wow!
Without further ado, I will go right into today’s tea, because it’s a good one!
Peppermint Perfection
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Della Terra Teas
Tea Description:
On the third day of Christmas we have ourselves some French hens. Well, that is fine of course, but wouldn’t you rather have a cup of some amazing peppermint tea?
Well, here it is! Peppermint Perfection, pure vanilla and peppermint create this creamy, peppermint-y tea!
Taster’s Review:
I couldn’t find this tea on Della Terra Teas’ website, but I did find their Peppermint Bark tea, and I thought that they might be the same tea, so I contacted Della Terra Teas to find out! (And may I just say that the customer service at Della Terra Teas is top notch! They get back to me via email promptly whenever I have an issue. I like that in a company.)
I asked them whether or not the Peppermint Perfection and the Peppermint Bark teas were the same teas, and here is what they told me:
Actually, though similar, the peppermint perfection has one part more vanilla than the peppermint bark.
That’s really about the only difference other than maybe just a wee bit more mint flake.
So, this tea is similar to the Peppermint Bark, which is formerly known as Candy Cane Lane. So let’s find out how much the additional vanilla and a wee bit more mint flake changes things up, shall we?
Mmm! This is really good. The aroma of the dry leaf is reminiscent of the aforementioned Candy Cane Lane, although I think that the extra vanilla seems to enhance the chocolate-y fragrance just a tad, because I could really smell the chocolate when I opened the pouch this time.
And I can really taste the chocolate too. There is a delicious concinnity of chocolate and vanilla to this cup, and the peppermint is strong without overpowering the cup. The black tea is a little less represented than the flavors here, but, I find that as the tea cools slightly, that I’m picking up on more black tea notes. Everything balances out very well.
This is a tea that certainly benefits from a few moments to allow the tea to cool slightly. The flavors become more distinct after about three minutes of cool time. It’s still a tea that I prefer to drink hot (just not straight from the teapot hot!) and it’s a perfect tea for this time of year.
This was one of my oldest daughter’s favorite teas from last year’s box (well, the Candy Cane Lane was!) so I am happy that a new version of it was included in this year’s box so that I can share some more of this tea with her.
SoHo Black Tea Blend from Harney & Sons
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Harney & Sons
Tea Description:
We are introducing our SoHo Blend in honor of our new shop in Manhattan. Emeric Harney, the shop’s host, came up with this flavored black tea concoction. Our SoHo Tea is a beautifully delicious blend of black tea with chocolate, coconut and vanilla flavors, and amaranth petals.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
When I read the description of this SoHo Black Tea Blend from Harney & Sons, I really wanted to try it. Chocolate? Coconut? And Vanilla? That sounds too yummy to pass up. It sounds like … a candy bar in tea form! After checking through my reviews though, it would seem that I’ve reviewed this tea previously … so, consider this my second voyage with this tea.
The fragrance of the brewed tea is incredible. I can smell all the components: the rich chocolate notes, the creamy vanilla, and the sweet scent of coconut. I can even smell the earthy notes of the black tea in the background. I even smell very faint hints of flower, although these are somewhat obscured by the chocolate-y tones, which seems to be the most prominent aroma in this cup.
And this is a tasty tea. Unfortunately, it’s just not … quite as rich as I expected it to be. The body falls kind of flat and thin. Perhaps a more robust black tea base would help … something rich and malty like an Assam? Something with some heft that will not only support the chocolate, vanilla and coconut flavors, but also elevate them.
It’s not a bad tea. It has an agreeable flavor … I can taste the chocolate and the coconut and the vanilla notes. I can even taste the black tea. But, everything is just sort of … lacking in gusto. It’s a thin chocolate taste and you know me, I like a rich chocolate-y flavor. The coconut and the vanilla meld together to create a unified creamy note that’s a little bit coconut-y and a little bit vanilla-ish, but both of these flavors have the capability of producing a really rich, creamy flavor and I’m just not getting that from the sip.
Like I said, it’s a tasty, decently flavored tea, very much like my first experience, although I think maybe I liked it better the first time around than maybe the second. I guess it just goes to show that our palates change!
Chocolate Chai Rooibos Blend from Red Leaf Tea
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
This red tea combines the tangy flavor of ginger with the citrus notes of cardamom, to produce a chocolate chai with a taste like no other. With an inherent sweetness that is perfectly blended with spicy warmth, chocolate chai offers the dark sumptuousness of chocolate chips with the smoothness of rooibos tea. With two well-known antioxidants, this is a dessert tea that is a treat in the evening or in the morning!
Learn more about this rooibos chai here.
Taster’s Review:
Hmm … this Chocolate Chai Rooibos Blend from Red Leaf Tea is tasty. It isn’t an overly spicy tisane, but the spices are warming and certainly agreeable on this chilly autumn day.
Let’s start with the chocolate, shall we? Because, if you’ve read many of my articles, you are probably well aware of my fondness for chocolate. Here, the chocolate is not as rich as I would like it to be. Then again, seldom do I find a chocolate tea that satisfies me with it’s level of chocolaticity. (Yes, it’s a word, I just made it up.) That said, there is certainly some chocolate notes here but it isn’t as rich and decadent as I would want a tea that calls itself a “Chocolate Chai.” But I am enjoying what chocolate there is here.
The spices are pleasing. I think that the spice level here is one that most people could enjoy – even those that tend to shy away from spicier teas. This isn’t what I’d call hot or spicy. There is some peppery warmth from the ginger, and the cardamom adds an exotic element to the cup.
The rooibos base is nutty and adds a nice dimension of flavor to these other ingredients. I’m not always happy when I can actually taste the rooibos flavor in a blend, but, here it’s working for me. The nutty tones work well with the earthiness of the spices and the sweet, creamy notes of the chocolate.
A tasty blend. Not my favorite “chocolate chai” that I’ve tasted, but, it’s pretty good, and a nice cuppa to cozy up to on a chilly evening when you don’t want to be drinking a more caffeinated beverage.
Autumn’s Walk Custom Blend from Adagio Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black Tea & Honeybush
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Tea Description:
A caffeine-free blend, Autumn’s Walk is the perfect companion on brisk fall and winter nights. Brew a cup of this decaf vanilla, honeybush hazelnut and honeybush chocolate tea and relax peacefully.
A Carolynne Keenan Custom Blend.
Learn more about this custom blend here.
Find more of Carolynne Keenan blends here.
Taster’s Review:
I was a little skeptical about this blend when I read the description. I’m not all that crazy about Adagio’s black teas, and while I don’t recall having tried any of their decaffeinated black tea bases, because my opinion is generally less favorable of decaffeinated teas versus the caffeinated, seeing that there was an Adagio decaffeinated black tea in this blend gave me a reason to be skeptical.
But, I’m actually enjoying this Autumn’s Walk Custom Blend from Adagio Teas – a custom creation by Adagio Teas’ customer Carolynne Keenan. It’s really quite tasty.
This blend is a combination of Adagio’s vanilla decaffeinated black tea, hazelnut honeybush and chocolate honeybush, and it’s a really clever blend, indeed! The black tea isn’t a strong flavor here at all, and given my past experiences with Adagio’s black tea they use for their flavored teas, the lack of black tea flavor here is an absolute PLUS. I do taste the vanilla though, and I like the way it melds with the chocolate and hazelnut, as well as the sweet, honey-like tones of the honeybush.
It is sweet, creamy, nutty and flavorful. I don’t taste a “funky decaffeinated tea” taste in this at all, in fact, if I hadn’t been aware that there is a decaffeinated black tea in this blend, I wouldn’t have known it by taste. A really pleasant cuppa!
PRODUCT REVIEW: Rooibos Vanilla Virgin Chocolate Bar from Raaka Chocolate
About This Product:
Raaka Virgin Chocolate bars, hand made in Brooklyn, New York. The Vanilla Rooibos bar combines unroasted cocoa beans with vanilla rooibos tea, stone ground to perfection in small batches. Tasting notes: Cherry and toasted marshmallow.
To Learn more about Raaka Chocolate, click here.
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Taster’s Review:
I received this chocolate bar in my April Knoshbox (yes, it has been a while, I tend to horde my gourmet chocolates for times when I really need chocolate. Like now!) and because this Virgin Chocolate Bar from Raaka Chocolate is also made with vanilla rooibos, I thought that I’d offer a product review on this confection right here on SororiTea Sisters, rather than my foodie blog.
The first thing I noticed about this is the packaging … I love the zentangle-ish wrapper! Very cool! The chocolate itself is a dark chocolate and it has a crisp “snap” to it when I break the bar.
Now, I’ve got to say that I’m not as fond of raw chocolate as I am of the “roasted” chocolate. The roasting of the cacao beans seems to add a depth to the chocolate that I just don’t experience in the raw chocolate. But that’s not to say I dislike the raw chocolate, I just prefer it to be made from roasted cacao. Here the chocolate is dark (67%) and it has a bold, rich flavor that is both bitter and sweet.
I can taste the rooibos, and the rooibos offers a slightly fruity tone to the chocolate. The tasting notes on the Raaka website suggest a “cherry” flavor, and I don’t know if I’m getting cherry, exactly. I definitely taste the vanilla, and it enhances the overall “creaminess” to the bar, which I really like. I prefer dark chocolate to milk chocolate, but, there is something to that creaminess of a milk chocolate bar that I do enjoy, and the vanilla notes here add that element without the milk.
When I allow the chocolate to melt over my palate, I notice more of the aforementioned cherry notes, as well as the toasted marshmallow notes as described on the website, so, I highly recommend savoring this bar like this: breaking the bar into small, bite-size bits, and then putting the small piece on your tongue and allowing the warmth of your mouth to soften the chocolate. That’s when you’ll really enjoy the fullness of flavor from this chocolate bar.
Overall, a really delightful chocolate experience. Then again, when is chocolate NOT a delightful experience? If you’re looking for a good raw chocolate bar … I think that this one from Raaka is my favorite of the raw chocolate bars that I’ve tasted thus far.