Yep… you read that right.  Today is the 8th day.

I still can’t believe it’s Christmas already… this year seems to have flown by!

So much has happened this year… my first born graduated from high school, and she got engaged to a wonderful guy.  I’m thrilled he will be joining our family.  My youngest started 4th grade!  It’s been quite a year.

Anyway, enough of that, or I shall be writing this review with teary eyes.  To avoid the tears, lets get to the tea of the day, shall we?

MALTED CHOCOMATÉ

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Yerba Maté

Where to Buy:  52Teas

Product Description:

This is roasted yerba mate with organic cacao nibs and all natural chocolate and malt flavors. It is one delicious energy kick! If you missed our last yerba mate blend, you can read more about mate and it’s properties here. This is our first roasted mate blend. The previous mate blends were made with green yerba mate. The difference in flavor is similar to the difference between a black and a green tea, though the roasted mate still has tiny bit more of a vegetal taste than black tea.

Taster’s Review:

Another favorite from 52Teas, and for good reason.  With this one, it’s all about the chocolate, baby!  Of all the 52Teas I’ve tried thus far, this one is by far the most chocolate-y (although, if you are a chocoholic like I am, I also highly recommend the Chocolate Malt Honeybush from My Sweet Honeybush, which I would say is probably neck and neck when it comes to chocolate-y-ness).

I previously reviewed this tea for the Tea Review Blog, and really my feelings about this delicious tisane have not changed.  It is still just as rich and delicious as it was when I wrote the review.

The Yerba Maté does have a vegetative quality to it but I don’t find it distracting.  What is especially nice is how well the roasted aspect of the Yerba Maté enhances the flavor of the chocolate.  The flavor is sweet, pleasantly toasty, and decadent.

To be quite honest, I would prefer this to a chocolate ice cream malt any day, if for no other reason than that I find tea to be infinitely more soothing and comforting than ice cream.  Don’t get me wrong, I love ice cream (and malts!), but if given a choice between ice cream and tea… I’d choose tea every time.  And even though this is not technically a “tea” because it’s made from Yerba Maté leaves and not tea leaves, I still love how wonderful this really is.

And even though it is rather soothing and comforting, the Yerba Maté definitely is rather invigorating!  I wouldn’t recommend sipping on this just before bedtime.  I find the caffeine in Yerba Mate to be more stimulating than that in tea, but without the “jolt” that coffee delivers – and without the inevitable nausea (at least for me) that follows the coffee jolt.

This is truly a delicious blend – one that is definitely worthy of its place in 52Teas permanent collection, one I am glad was featured in this 12 Teas of Christmas box, and one that should definitely be on the shelf of every chocolate lover!  It’s so good!