Aha! A morning tea to appease coffee drinkers. The loose leaves of this hazelnut (also known as filbert if you’re botanically savvy) tea smells earthy, warm and dare I say sweet!?! It creates a rich, henna colored infusion. Seriously, I want my hair this color… you are what you drink, right?
Oh, somehow a milky taste snuck in for a full rounded, creamy mouthfeel. I had my rock sugar on standby, wary of bitter tannins, but no sweetener was needed, which is really saying something. It is bold and at the same time, smooth, with a lingering earthy nutty aftertaste.
This tea is the highlighting and contouring of tea, emphasizing what’s already amazing in a way that seems natural. Still tasty after 3 steeps, this is definitely making its way into my regular stock, for my coffee snob friends.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Description:
This flavor combines the full, bright taste of Ceylon black tea with the cozy creaminess of hazelnuts. Very nutty and aromatic, slightly roasty with a rounded, sweet flavor. Toasty dryness. A mellow, very well-blended cup of tea. Great with just a touch of brown sugar.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Using Heavenly Hazelnut from BlendBee to Create A Nutella like Latte!
Back when I was in grad school, I worked as a nanny. And among the many, many things I adored about the wonderful family I worked for, near the top of the list was the CONSTANT supply of Nutella they always had in their cabinet. You guys? I was obsessed.
So as soon as I took one whiff of this tea from Blend Bee, I was instantly transported back to the tablespoon I’d smear in my oatmeal every morning, or lick off the knife after I was done making a treat for the little ones. This tea is one hundred percent, spot-on hazlenut in scent and flavor, and I knew there was only one way I wanted to brew it– by making it into a Nutella latte.
I simply steeped the tea in about 3/4 the normal amount I’d use of hot water, and when finished, stirred in a tablespoon of dry drinking chocolate mix we had in our cabinet, and topped it off with some steamed coconut milk. The result? Nutella in a cup! It was pure, decadent perfection, while still feeling light and not overly-sugared from the tea base. I don’t think I’ll ever brew this tea any other way– as it is an herbal tea, it made for a lovely, caffeine- and guilt-free way to end the day.
Yum!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: BlendBee
Description
A delightful and highly beneficial Honeybush tea blend. Paired with rich ingredients like Chicory Root and Carob Bean. Rounded out with super nutritious Agrimony Herb and infused with exquisite and nutty Hazelnut & Vanilla extracts.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Anxi Tie Guan Yin from Teasenz
I can’t remember the last time I drank a Tie Guan Yin, which is something of a surprise as it’s become one of my favourite oolong varieties. I was more than pleased when I came across this one, not least because it’s a good opportunity to reacquaint myself. This particular Tie Guan Yin is from the Anxi Nature Reserve in Fujian Province, a major Chinese tea growing region (although one I seem to associate more with black tea than with oolong, strangely enough!)
I used 1 tsp of leaf for my cup, and gave it 3 minutes in water slightly cooled from boiling. The resulting liquor is a clear, pale green with a light yellowish tinge. The leaves are beautifully variegated, encompassing pretty much all shades of green from the palest to the darkest, and just a hint of brown. It’s like walking through a forest in the sunlight! The leaves are rolled, and after three minutes they haven’t entirely unfurled, suggesting that this one might be good for at least another couple of steeps.
The scent of the brewed tea is light but noticeably floral. It reminds me primarily of orchids, lilies, and jasmine – heady, scent-heavy flowers. This carries through into the taste, which initially is very heavily floral. So floral, it almost tastes thick. It doesn’t cross over into territory that’s too perfumey or cloying, but it’s definitely distinctively floral. The mid-sip brings a green beany sweetness that helps to freshen up the overall flavour profile, and towards the end of the sip there’s a hint of nuttiness that puts me very much in mind of hazelnuts. It’s an interesting flavour combination, but one that ultimately works well.
I’m also pleased to find that it very smooth in terms of mouthfeel, with an almost-silkiness about it. There’s no bitterness or astringency at all,
even though the water was quite hot and the brew time reasonably long. As the cup cools, it develops a creaminess that complements the flavours (and particularly the lingering nuttiness) beautifully.
This reacquaintance with a Tie Guan Yin has reminded me why I enjoyed these teas so much in the first place. I’m impressed with the quality of this tea, and I’ll definitely be checking out more of Teasenz’s offerings in the future. Impressed!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Teasenz
Description
An all-time favorite of Chinese oolong tea lovers. This beautiful emerald green tea is named after the Chinese Goddess of Mercy, Guan Yin. Poets of the Middle Kingdom have described this premium tea for its purifying taste, bringing you into a peaceful, meditative state of mind.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Chocolate Hazelnut Decaf Tea by Stash
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Stash
Tea Description:
Our Chocolate Hazelnut is a deliciously smooth and rich dessert tea. Chocolate, hazelnuts, vanilla, and premium black tea combine to create a fascinating blend of flavors. Sugar and a splash of milk bring out the taste of the chocolate and hazelnuts. The black teas are naturally decaffeinated, so you can savor this tea any time of day.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I am always on the hunt for good decaffeinated black teas. My desire to drink tea late into the night is often at war with my desire to eventually get some sleep. Of course, herbals or tisanes are great alternatives, but sometimes I just want the comfort of a tasty cup of black tea. So, when I have the chance to try a decaf black tea I jump at it in the hopes that I’ll be able to add some more teas into my nighttime drinking rotation.
While I was excited to try Chocolate Hazelnut Decaf from Stash I have to say that I do not like this tea. The flavoring of both the chocolate and the hazelnut was fake and had an off-putting sour aftertaste. The base tea was slightly astringent but otherwise had no defining characteristics. Perhaps a base tea with more body or a strong biscuit-like note could help balance out the other flavors, but as it is I did not find this tea enjoyable. I did add both sugar and milk to my cup in an attempt to make this something I’d like, but I could not escape the sour note this tea left at the end of the sip.
Chocolate Hazelnut Decaf has too much working against it between the artificial tasting chocolate and hazelnut flavorings and the weak base tea. My hunt for good decaf black teas continues. This is one tea I’ll pass on.
Chocolate Toffee Crunch from theBeesTeas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black.
Where to Buy: theBeesTeas
Tea Description:
You’ll be amazed at how decadent tea can be when you try this delicious blend. The best part about it (well, besides the taste)? You won’t feel guilty after having it! Tea contains a trace amount of calories, therefore you can have all the flavor without all the calories! In this black tea blend you will enjoy the flavor and aroma of chocolate, toffee, and hazelnut. This tea is caffeinated more than white tea or green tea, yet still a considerable amount less than coffee. Add a splash of milk for a real tasty treat
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I recently discovered an adorable shop on Etsy and picked up a sampler or two of the teas they offered. So far I have enjoyed all that I have tried. Since I am really trying hard to break out of my box I find myself in (always drinking green or herbal teas) I thought I would try a few new styles for me. This one really takes me outside my typical tea comfort zone just with the simple fact that it has chocolate in it. And not just chocolate.
This tea truly is a decadent tea. Toffee bits, black tea, hazelnuts, cocoa beans, cocoa rice rice, and carob chips. Basically chocolate lovin’ in a cuppa. The dry leaves smell like a chocolate marshmallow rice krispie treat. My mom used to make those when I was a kid with Coco Krispies. They were so good. It was just about the only chocolate treat I would eat when I was younger.
Brewed up like a traditional black tea in my Breville, I could smell the tea in the other room. The chocolate toffee like aroma filled up the kitchen telling me the tea was almost done. Filled up my cup and sat down with my new paranormal book from the library. Took a sip and wow. This tea is like a chocolate dessert of some kind. The chocolate isn’t the overly sweet kind. It has a raw cocoa taste to it, which I enjoyed. I didn’t pick up the hazelnut or the toffee but those flavors could just be adding to the deep rich coca base I’m getting. Almost dark chocolate like. I almost wish the smell of the tea would have transferred over to the taste. I would love to have a chocolate marshmallow krispie treat tea. Yum!
If I played around with it more, I might be able to bring out more of the flavors or maybe it was because I didn’t shake up the bag enough to get an equal amount of each flavor into the teapot.
All in all, I enjoyed my tea with this tea. I think others may enjoy it more than me since my true love is peanut butter and not chocolate. I think I may have to send this to our Liberteas for her to have a taste of it and see what she thinks, along with a few other tea pals.
