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!
Mocha Flavored Matcha from Red Leaf Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green (Matcha)
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
Mocha Matcha with its chocolate undertones and grassy essence can turn any ordinary day into a rare trip for their palate. Its fine coffee taste with the promise of sheer enjoyment make Mocha Matcha a favorite treat for all hours of the day and night when a person needs to relax and recline. Its understated hints of chocolate also make it a great choice for special occasions when people are looking for a smooth and even flavor that will be perfectly satisfying for them.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Yummy! This Mocha flavored Matcha from Red Leaf Tea is quite a treat for this former mocha maniac! Every morning before work, my indulgence used to be a cup of tasty chocolate-y, creamy mocha. That is … until I realized that it was the coffee that was making me feel nauseated at around 11 am. Once I cut out the mochas and the coffee … I didn’t get that 11 am icky ill feeling.
But this Mocha Matcha allows me to enjoy the deliciously creamy, chocolate coffee-ish flavor of a Mocha without the side effects that I’d otherwise experience with a cup of Mocha. In addition, I get the health benefits – all the antioxidants and the minerals – of the green tea leaf from the Matcha! That sounds like a win-win for me!
For this batch of flavored Matcha from Red Leaf Tea, I went with my usual specifications: the classic grade of green Matcha with the distinctive level of flavoring. And it’s just PERFECT! This tastes a lot like something I’d buy at the corner coffee shop, but at a fraction of the price! I prepared it “latte-style” today, using milk instead of water which enhanced the “mocha-esque” qualities of the flavoring. The result is a sweet, creamy, coffee shop treat!
The distinctive level of flavoring here gives a good balance between mocha taste and matcha. I taste the grassy/leafy taste of the Matcha – the notes of vegetation – but it’s not an overwhelming grassy taste. The natural cacao undertones of the Matcha meld beautifully with the chocolate notes of the mocha flavoring. The chocolate notes … well, of course, the chocoholic in me wants MORE chocolate always, but, I like the level of chocolate flavor here. It s chocolate-y but it doesn’t overpower the coffee notes.
This is a sweet, creamy, delicious mocha like beverage. There is just enough bitter taste from the coffee to keep it interesting. The chocolate and coffee notes complement each other very well, and I like the way they entice the best flavors from each other. The matcha tastes smooth, with a lovely creamy texture.
Another HIT from Red Leaf Tea. This is one I’d recommend to someone who – like me – can’t enjoy that morning mocha because of the 11 am discomfort. This has the flavor of the mocha without the pain! Like I said … it’s a win-win!
Strawberry Seduction Black Tea from Shanti Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Shanti Tea
Tea Description:
Think of a big jucy strawberry covered in warm liquid chocolate. Sounds delicious, right? Now think of that taste captured in a warm cuppa black tea. Completely irresistible? We thought so too.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Ohhhh YUMmmmm!
Chocolate covered strawberries!
Forgive me a moment as I sit here and indulge in this yummy tea!
The aroma wafting from my teacup is that of chocolate and berry, with notes of earthy black tea. Shanti Tea has managed to capture the essence of chocolate covered strawberries in this Strawberry Seduction Black Tea quite well. It not only smells like a strawberry that has just been dunked in chocolate fondue, but, it also tastes like that chocolate enrobed strawberry has been liquefied and stirred into a cup of rich, satisfying black tea.
There is a nice amount of chocolate to this cup (sure, it could use more, but, then, that’s the chocoholic in me talking! As it is, it has a fair amount of chocolate, but, more chocolate always equals better), and the strawberry notes are not overpowered by the chocolate or the black tea. There is a good balance of flavors here.
The strawberry is sweet with a barely there tart note at the finish. (You know that little tingly feeling you get on your tongue after you’ve eaten a fresh, ripe berry? Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about.) It’s a very flavorful strawberry note, I like that it doesn’t taste like fake strawberry. The black tea is not overly assertive, but, it is strong enough to stand up and be tasted as I sip this tea. Strong … but not overpowering in any way.
Overall, this tea is a real winner – if you like chocolate covered strawberries, this is a tea you should try!
Chocolate Earl Grey Tea from Tea For All Reasons
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tea For All Reasons
Tea Description:
If you are a fan of Earl Grey, why not try our newest blend, a dreamy, creamy Earl Grey taste with rich dark chocolate. I think we’ve found a winner!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Um … hello? Chocolate Earl Grey? YES PLEASE!
When I received my package from Tea For All Reasons, this was the first tea that I HAD to try. Why? >>Chocolate Earl Grey<< Need I say more?
OK, so I guess I do. This is a tea review. You didn’t come here to read me acting all giddy over chocolate plus Earl Grey.
Of all the many versions and varieties of Earl Grey tea that I’ve tried, I do think that Chocolate Earl Grey teas are my favorites. The sweet chocolate notes meld so beautifully with the tangy bergamot to create a chocolate covered citrus kind of taste … you know those yummy chocolate oranges? Yeah, kind of like that, only better because this is tea!
The black tea base provides a mild backdrop for the flavors of bergamot and chocolate. It’s not an overly aggressive base, it’s strong enough to be tasted but not so powerful that it overwhelms the notes of citrus and the dark chocolate notes.
The bergamot and chocolate are pretty well balanced here. These two flavors don’t seem to be competing with one another. They seem pretty evenly matched. The result is a sweet, creamy, rich, chocolate-y, citrus-y cuppa! I wouldn’t add milk to this … I think that the tea has such a nice balance as it is, and milk might disrupt that. I like it just the way it is – served hot and straight up! It’s perfection for this Earl Grey aficionado/chocoholic!