A Grown Up Chocolate Experience: Cacao Tea from Mi Cacao

by MrsPremise

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!

MrsPremise

Growing up, I drank herbal teas like fresh ginger tea during New England's harsh winters and iced blueberry tea during its humid summers. Over time, I was tempted into trying a wider variety of loose leaf teas by the fandom-themed blends available online. I have since gone on to design my own blends, and I greatly enjoy drafting up flavor ideas and drawing tea labels. When I'm not thinking about tea I can be found reading novels and comic books, playing video games, or watching movies; my favorite genres being history, humor, sci-fi, and fantasy. Generally, I prefer bold teas: spicy chais, rich black teas, even smoky lapsang souchong on occasion. But I have also dabbled in herbal rooibos, flavored oolongs, and traditional matcha. I'm glad to be expanding my palette by tasting and reviewing new teas and blends. Find me on Steepster: http://steepster.com/A2shedsjackson Fandom blends: http://www.adagio.com/signature_blend/list.html?userId=292149

This post was posted in Fruit/Herbal Tisane, MiCacao

Snickerdoodle from 52Teas. . . .

by Sophia

I am a fan of dessert blends, regardless of what the tea base is. Whether it’s caffeinated or not, I always tend to prefer something sweet & unique. 52 Teas definitely has some unique blends so they are usually my go-to. This particular tea, Snickerdoodle, is a Honeybush/Rooibos blend which means that it is caffeine free and perfect for a guilt-free after-dinner treat to warm you up on a cold rainy evening!

Smelling the dry leaf on this one, the cinnamon and cookies really shines through. Even more so once the tea has been steeped. Snickerdoodles are not my favorite cookie, i’m more into hot chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the over with a cold glass of milk! However, the flavors involved in a Snickerdoodle (cinnamon & sugar) make for an excellent cup of tea. Not only is this warm, cinnamon-sugary, and comforting but there is an actual “cookie” flavor to the cup. The Honeybush/Rooibos blend is subtle and smooth so if you tend to dislike rooibos you should still give this one a try!

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Honeybush/Rooibos
Where to Buy:  52Teas
Description

This tea is no longer available.  Click below for teas that are.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Sophia

Hi, my name is Sophia. I am a first time mother to a beautiful little girl who will be 1 in July 2017. I spend my days at home with her and when I get a minute to myself, I usually spend that time making, drinking, or researching tea! My love for loose leaf tea is relatively new. When I was pregnant with my daughter, my mother (a tea addict herself) brought me to DAVIDsTEA. I enjoyed a cup of their Coconut Cream Pie Oolong and was instantly hooked! Since then, my addiction has grown to fill entire cabinets, and shows no sign of stopping. I am the creator of the Facebook group CommuniTEA where we have one big tea discussion. It is a great group for those new to the tea-world. I feel strongly about spreading the joy of loose leaf tea. I like making instructional videos and helping those that are new to the art of tea-making so that they, too, can share in the happiness that tea brings. I am excited to see where this hobby takes me and I will continue to spread the joy!

This post was posted in 52Teas, Honeybush

Root Beer Float from The NecessiTeas. . . .

by VariaTEA

When I cracked open this tea tin and smelled the creamy vanilla and root beer flavors, I knew there was only one way to try this tea…as a latte. That is how I have enjoyed all my root beer float teas from the various companies that have made them. This prep method helps sell the float element by boosting the vanilla creaminess.

This particular tea is delightfully creamy as a latte, starting the sip with a silky vanilla bean ice cream sort of flavor. The rooibos is strong so the middle of the sip is all base but that gives way to the familiar root beer flavor. Given the strong smell, I was surprised when that flavor was rather mellow. I want more root beer. Lots MORE! Yet I can’t be too mad because the lingering note is a slight hint of marshmallow.

Given I had a whole tin of this tea and the mouthwatering root beer scent, I thought this might also make for a good iced tea. It definitely has a sarsaparilla taste but that is equally matched by the base, which is a little bit woody and a little bit honey. It is nice enough but I think I would stick to making this as a latte.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Rooibos
Where to Buy:  The NecessiTeas
Description

This blend will take you back to your childhood days, sitting on the porch, sippin’ on those old fashioned root beer floats. Add a touch of sugar and splash of milk and you will swear you were drinking the real thing! Perfect hot or poured over ice and naturally caffeine free!

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

VariaTEA

Hey there! My name is Rachel. I’m a twenty-something from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who loves dogs and has a bit of an obsession with tea. As a child I hated the stuff since all I ever knew was Red Rose (no offense to Red Rose). However, a few years ago that all changed. I was on a diet and desperate for new flavors without adding calories and that’s when I turned to tea. I started off by going to DAVIDsTEA and Teavana for all their dessert-inspired flavors, and since I didn’t know any better, I bought 100 grams each of about twenty-something different teas. This was okay for the teas I liked but for those I didn’t I needed to find some way of getting rid of them. Enter Steepster.com. This is where I met some incredible tea friends, discovered tea swaps, and learned of so many amazing tea companies. My desire to try all the teas grew and since joining three years ago I have tried over a thousand different teas. I have learned what ingredients I love and I have learned what flavors I don’t like. I determined my go-to brewing method is Western-style with no added milk or sweeteners, though I also enjoy cold brewing, iced teas, teapops, lattes, and smoothies. I have yet to brew gong-fu style but I hope to do so just as soon as I get the proper teaware to do it. About a year ago, I actually stopped drinking tea but as my stash of over 200 teas started aging I decided I needed to respark my interest. I chose to take a 365 days of tea challenge on Instagram in which I post a new tea picture every day. So far it has been rather successful as I find myself drinking (and buying) more and more tea each day. Plus it enabled CuppaGeek to find me and invite me here to SororiTea Sisters.

This post was posted in Rooibos, The NecessiTeas

My Favorite After-School Special: Marshmallow Krispy Treat from The Necessiteas

by MrsPremise

The Marshmallow Krispy Treat, the staple of after school snacking or easy, no-bake sweet treats.  And now, we can taste this simple dessert in tea form.  This blend uses a black tea base sweetened up with mini marshmallows and puffed rice cereal pieces.  The dry leaf smells sweet and buttery like the crispy breakfast cereal.

When brewed, the blend tastes more caramel than marshmallow.  This tea is best with a bit of milk to pump of the mini marshmallow sweetness, otherwise the black tea base takes over the other flavors.  This is a tasty blend, but it doesn’t quite match its name or ingredient list.  I think this blend might have been better-suited for a genmai chai blend with lighter grassy teas and toasted rice built in.

However, I understand that green teas aren’t for everyone.  If you’re a black tea lover this will be a unique dessert flavor with enough bold black tea tannins to suit your preferences.  Or if you’re skeptical of a tea with puffed rice, rest assured that this tea tastes much more like creme brulee or caramel drizzle than rice cereal.

Next time, I’ll have to top off my mug with some added marshmallows of my own!

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: The NecessiTeas
Description:

Why not take the awesomeness of Marshmallow Krispy Treats and transform them into a tea? Well that’s exactly what we’ve done! The outcome is an incredibly tasty blend filled with ooey- gooey goodness!

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

MrsPremise

Growing up, I drank herbal teas like fresh ginger tea during New England's harsh winters and iced blueberry tea during its humid summers. Over time, I was tempted into trying a wider variety of loose leaf teas by the fandom-themed blends available online. I have since gone on to design my own blends, and I greatly enjoy drafting up flavor ideas and drawing tea labels. When I'm not thinking about tea I can be found reading novels and comic books, playing video games, or watching movies; my favorite genres being history, humor, sci-fi, and fantasy. Generally, I prefer bold teas: spicy chais, rich black teas, even smoky lapsang souchong on occasion. But I have also dabbled in herbal rooibos, flavored oolongs, and traditional matcha. I'm glad to be expanding my palette by tasting and reviewing new teas and blends. Find me on Steepster: http://steepster.com/A2shedsjackson Fandom blends: http://www.adagio.com/signature_blend/list.html?userId=292149

This post was posted in Black Tea, The NecessiTeas

Chocolate Chip Pancakes from Bumble Tea. . . .

by SuperStarling

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!

SuperStarling

"Hey, everybody! I'm Leah, a graphic designer from Pennsylvania, United States. I live with my husband and rescue mutt in a house with colorful walls. I love fonts, colors, animals, flowers, novels, illustration, geeking out, and -- obviously! -- tea. I've only been heavily into tea for about a year, but I've found I tend to prefer loose blended black dessert teas. I normally drink them hot western style without anything added; if I add in some vanilla almond milk or honey, I promise I'll mention it! When I'm not blogging here, I'm blogging at leahlucci.com/starling or posting to Instagram (super_starling), so come say hi!"

This post was posted in Black Tea, Bumble Tea Shop