Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Spice Melange
Where to Buy: Yogi
Tisane Description:
Embark on a journey to the ancient Mayan temples, where prized cocoa beans were ground and mixed with spices to create a sacred beverage that symbolized fertility and prosperity. We’ve taken this combination into the modern era by combining Organic Cocoa Shells, which supply antioxidants, with the traditional Ayurvedic warming and invigorating spices of organic Cardamom, Clove and Cinnamon Bark. Enjoy this rich tasting and enlivening blend any time of day for a delicious treat.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
Even though this Mayan Cocoa Spice Tisane from Yogi isn’t marketed as a “chai” … because it has many of the “usual” spices of a masala chai blend, I decided to categorize it as a chai. And even though this is a tea that can be purchased at my local Chuck’s Produce and it’s a bagged tea, it’s not too bad.
It’s actually pretty good.
Perhaps it’s the cacao that won me over here. I love the spiced chocolate taste of this, it reminds me a bit of a mild Mexican hot chocolate. The chocolate is good and strong (which makes the chocoholic in me very happy) and the spices don’t overwhelm the chocolate, instead, they enhance the chocolate-y flavor. Especially nice is the chicory, which lends a “coffee-esque” sort of flavor to the cup without coffee’s bitterness, and coffee and chocolate seem to go together very well. And so it would seem that chocolate and chicory work equally as well together.
The other spices are well portrayed in this melange too. The cinnamon is the strongest of the spices, but it isn’t an overpowering taste. The cardamom and clove add a nice background of warmth, and the ginger and black pepper add just enough “kick” to this to spice it up without becoming too spicy (although, I can’t help but think what an interesting taste it would be if there was just a hint of cayenne or something stronger in this!)
My biggest issue with this blend is the stevia in the blend. I don’t like it when any tea or tisane includes stevia or other sweetener in it, because I like to decide how sweet or not sweet I want my beverage to be. I don’t like that predetermined for me. And the stevia does impart a slightly “funky” taste to the cup, fortunately, the spices are strong enough to curb this funkiness a little bit, so I’m just getting a wee bit of funky, and its not enough funky to stop me from sipping on this spicy chocolate drink.
Not a bad beverage. It’s not something I’d buy again, but, if it were offered me, it’s not something I’d turn down. I liked it.
Mint Cacao Herbal Tea from Herbal Infusions
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Herbal Infusions
Tisane Description:
A Mint and Cacao infusion that blends premium organic cacao shells and 2nd flush organic peppermint leaves.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
Mmm! This Mint Cacao Herbal Tea from Herbal Infusions is AWESOME! Decadent and chocolate-y with just the right amount of crisp mint.
I’ve read a few reviews/complaints by tea drinkers who state that they don’t get enough chocolate flavor from cacao shell tisanes. My recommendation to them is to steep the cacao shells longer. So long as the blend does not contain tea leaves (camellia sinensis) or hibiscus, you should feel safe in steeping the cacao shells in 195° water for 10 – 15 minutes (or longer!) I steeped this tisane for 15 minutes, and I’m getting a really satisfying, chocolate-y flavor. And you know how I am when it comes to chocolate!
The chocolate flavor here is rich and smooth. It is a dark chocolate flavor, so it is sweet, but there are some bitter tones to contrast with the sweeter notes. Like milk chocolate better than dark chocolate? Just add a splash of milk to the brewed tisane, and you’ll have creamy, indulgent milk chocolate and mint treat.
As I mentioned above, the mint here is “just enough.” By that, I mean that this has a cool minty note, but, the mint does not overwhelm the cup. This doesn’t taste mouthwash-y. This definitely tastes more of chocolate than it does of mint, and I’m quite happy with that arrangement.
A very satisfying, dessert-y sort of beverage, something you’ll want to curl up to and savor every last sip. I do find that just a little bit of raw sugar brings out the chocolate flavor, so, try about a quarter teaspoon of sugar to elevate the chocolate-y goodness in this one. Not a lot of sugar is needed here, because the tisane has a pleasing sweetness without the sugar. The sugar just sort of pumps up the volume on the chocolate.
YUMMY!
Cocoa Creme Black Tea from Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Description:
For the first time, the bold, aromatic flavors of coffee are introduced to our smooth South Indian black tea. This marriage is celebrated with spicy cocoa and creamy yogurt chips, surprising our senses and delighting anyone who thought they would never savor the best of both worlds. Incredible hot.
South Indian Flower Orange Pekoe Black Tea, Ground Coffee, Cocoa Powder, Yogurt Chips, Creme Brulee Flavor
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s customized subscription program here.
Taster’s Review:
I think that I should have read the description and the ingredients in this Cocoa Cream Black Tea before I added it to my subscription with Simple Loose Leaf – it has ground coffee in it! Yikes! I don’t drink coffee because it tends to make me upset to my stomach, and I’m hoping that this tea has enough polyphenols in it to buffer the effects of the coffee!
When I opened the pouch, I was blown away at how much it smelled like coffee! Again, I smelled the tea before I read the description, so, I thought it was a little weird to be smelling coffee in a chocolate-y tea. Then I saw the ingredient list on the package and saw “Coffee Grounds” listed. Yep … that’s why I smell coffee! Fortunately, I really like the smell of coffee.
And I can definitely taste the coffee too. The coffee flavor is – disappointingly – stronger than the chocolate notes, and I was hoping that the coffee grounds were added to enhance the chocolate flavors, but it seems to me that it’s obscuring them. I can still taste chocolate; however, the coffee is stronger. I don’t taste a whole lot of “creme” from the yogurt or the creme brulee flavoring although I do taste a hint of sour/tangy from the yogurt. I do taste a slight creaminess, but again, I feel like it’s being overpowered by the coffee.
Even the black tea notes are dominated by the coffee notes. The coffee seems to have vanquished every other flavor in this cup, and while I do taste subtle notes of the other flavors, the coffee permeates every sip strongly. I would like for the coffee to be a more subtle flavor. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.
I was lured in by the name of the tea: Cocoa Creme. I mean, it sounds amazing, doesn’t it? I mean, as a chocoholic, why wouldn’t I want to try a tea called Cocoa Cream? But I think that this tea suffers from a misnomer. It should be called MOCHA Creme.
So far, I have tried three teas from Simple Loose Leaf with this subscription order, and this is the first one that I found disappointing. I’m still not disappointed in the service … but this tea is just simply not up to par with the other two I’ve tasted.
Caramel Cocoa Loco Tea Blend from Kally Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green Tea & Rooibos
Where to Buy: Kally Tea
Tea Description:
We’re loco for Caramel Cocoa Loco! Guess we couldn’t decide what direction to go to with this one! Japanese green tea, Chinese green tea, Organic Rooibos, all mixed with a little roasted cocoa beans, hand crafted chewy caramel, and to top it all off, a little toasted sweet brown rice. Woo-Hoo!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
When I first read about this tea, I thought that this would be a tea that I’d prefer served hot … because usually I find that chocolate-y teas are tastier hot than chilled. However, I drank about a half a cup of this hot, and then it cooled off, and I’m finding that I like this one better when it’s cool! This Caramel Cocoa Loco Tea Blend from Kally Teas makes a really tasty and unique iced tea!
When the tea was hot, I didn’t get quite as much chocolate-y flavor as I would have liked (I rarely get as much chocolate flavor as I would like to … but that’s another issue all together!) but as the tea cooled, the chocolate-y tones really POP. As a cold drink, I can taste the chocolate very distinctly, and the caramel notes come through quite nicely as well.
I don’t taste a whole lot of green tea here, though. Oh, the green tea is there, certainly, and I do taste it. But I taste more of the nutty rooibos than I do the sweet, vegetative notes of green tea. The nutty tones of the rooibos seem a natural fit with the caramel and cocoa notes.
I also taste the “genmai” from the genmaicha, and I like the way the roasty-toasty taste enhances the chocolate and caramel notes, and it may be the toasted rice that highlights the natural nutty notes of the rooibos. Ordinarily, I’d be wanting less rooibos taste … but here it’s working for me. These components work very well together to create a very luscious taste.
Overall, a very enjoyable tea … but this is one that I prefer iced versus hot. A tasty, sweet refresher!
Jungle Monkey Chai Rooibos Blend from Tea Xotics
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Amoda Tea
Tisane Description:
What happens when you add a banana to your chai? You get this! Kind of. A spicy cup with a cocoa, banana, and cinnamon edge and a creamy coconut feel. Sweeten it up to take the edge off the spice.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about subscribing to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
Yes, August has come and gone, and I’m now reviewing my first of the August teas from my Amoda Box. That’s because Amoda updated their website (and it looks fabulous, might I add!) and I wanted to wait until the new website was up and running before I started reviewing the teas from August.
It’s a rare thing when the first tea that I try from my monthly Amoda Tea Tasting Box is a tisane! But, this Jungle Monkey Chai Rooibos blend from Tea Xotics just sounded too yummy to not try immediately: a rooibos based masala spice blend, combined with chocolate, banana and coconut? Oh YUM!
And it is indeed yum!
The aroma of the blend is spicy … the cinnamon really pops out and grabs me. The chai is definitely a cinnamon-y chai, with the cinnamon serving as the strongest flavor in the masala blend. I also taste peppery notes, and hints of clove.
The coconut is the next flavor I notice … it adds a creamy texture and taste to the cup. The banana comes through next, and it’s a subtle banana note. The chocolate is there too, and I taste it … I just wish … I was tasting MORE chocolate. (Remember this chocoholic’s chocolate rule of thumb: some chocolate = good, more chocolate = better.)
The flavor of the rooibos comes through here too, which I found kind of surprising given all that’s going on in this chai blend. I expected the flavor of the rooibos to be buried beneath all the other flavor components. But, I taste the woody notes of the rooibos, and even that funky note of rooibos that I usually don’t really care for … but somehow … it works in this blend. I guess with the tropical notes of banana and coconut … that funkiness just sort of works.
Overall: this is a really tasty blend. I like the chocolate but I wish there was more of it. I like the banana and the coconut … and the spices. It just really … works together really very well.
This is the first tea that I’ve tried from Tea Xotics … and I’m really glad that Amoda Tea decided to make them their feature blender for the month of August, because I am really looking forward to what the other blends have in store for me!