Chocolate Cherry Latte Oolong by A Quarter to Tea

by Sensiblyscript
Steeping at 190 degrees for 4.5 minutes as recommended, I prepared this tea with one tablespoon of leaves and around 10 ounces of water.

The high-quality oolong leaves swell and uncurl while steeping–something I always find fascinating (in addition to comforting because I know it means I’m about to drink some excellent tea!)

Once the steeping gets going it smells strongly of chocolate and cherry, which I take as a good sign! Actually it smells almost overwhelmingly of cherry while steeping, but after steeping that abates somewhat. The cherry flavor still hits your nose first but as you keep inhaling you can dig down and find the grounding, comforting chocolate smell too. It’s rounder and creamier. and the oolong lends butteriness and a floral note to the scent.

First sip: The butteriness from the oolong and the sharper floral, also from the oolong, and the fruity cherry notes hit all at once. The chocolate flavor seems to have melded with (and mostly been superseded by) the oolong butteriness. The chocolate itself is more of an aftertaste now. And yet sometimes you can detect it mingled with one of the other flavors.
Color: the tea is dark, but brown-tinted. Mahogany, perhaps; not really chocolate-colored though.

 

With milk: the cherry and the creamy oolong flavor come to the front along with a green-tea flavor (possibly from the houjicha?), the combination of which really reminds me of a matcha latte (not a bad thing at all). It’s not too astringent this way and not at all bitter.
A Quarter to Tea has come up with a great flavored blend here, and the company has great values too; not only do they use vegan ingredients but they also avoid using gluten, and try to avoid using potential allergens as well. While this blend is fun and satisfying, chocolate is not necessarily the dominant flavor here, so it’s important to be aware of that and enjoy this tea for itself rather than feeling like you’ve been tricked into drinking a not-chocolatey-enough tea. <3

 

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Oolong
Where to Buy:  A Quarter To Tea
Description

Roasty enough to appease the coffee lover in you! The blend of hojicha and oolong makes a robust, coffee like base without the jitters. Mellowed out with chicory, chocolate, and cherries.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Sensiblyscript

Hi! My name is Tabitha and I'm an uprooted PNW native living in the South with my husband and my cocker spaniel. My favorite teas are usually dark and strong and go well with milk and sugar. I like to combine tea-drinking with all of my favorite activities, such as listening to music, reading YA fiction, knitting, and writing blog and website content for businesses. Because I'm a well-rounded person, I also have other interests, such as wearing mismatched socks and pretending to be ambidextrous.

This post was posted in A Quarter To Tea, Oolong

St. Nick’s From Simpson & Vail

by CuppaGeek

stNicksTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy: Simpson & Vail

Tea Description:

“Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there….”

Add St. Nick’s Tea to your holiday wish list because this blend is Nutty & Nice! Black teas are enhanced with the flavors of chocolate and roasted nuts with a hint of maple. The tea brews to an amber cup with a smooth, nutty, slightly sweet taste. It’s the perfect blend to enjoy on winter nights while you’re sitting by the fire. A definite crowd pleaser!

Ingredients: Black teas, almonds, organic cacao nibs, vanilla beans, flavoring and orange blossoms. Contains Tree Nuts.

Brew tea at 212º – steep for 3 minutes. Certified Kosher

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

I adore Simpson & Vail.  They are a great company.  Fantastic customer service and a great line of teas, you really want for nothing when you shop with them.  I was fortunate to be able to review some of their holiday teas and this one I’ve been quite excited about.  Almonds, chocolate, vanilla bean, orange blossoms. . This tea just sounds like a festive sweet treat!

I brewed this up at work with water I prepped at 212F and allowed the tea to steep for about 3 minutes.  This is a black tea and I wasn’t sure how forgiving the tea would be if I oversteeped.  I didn’t want to ruin any of this holiday goodness!

After three minutes, my entire desk had this wonderful aroma of chocolate.  Yum! I’m not a huge chocolate fan but even this tea was getting my attention.  Like all other Simpson & Vail teas, this tea doesn’t disappoint!

In each sip, you can taste all the different flavors.  The nuttiness, the citrus twist, the sweet creamy vanilla, and the rich lush chocolate.  All in one sip.  The flavors mingle so well together and really give you a tea that makes you sit back and saw “Wow”.  I think my favorite part of this tea is the black tea base that creates a smoothness that all the other flavors can play off nicely. This tea would for sure make an amazing latte so I’m keeping the remainder of my sample to do just that later tonight.

If you are a fan of chocolate teas, check this one out.  It even impressed a non chocolate eater like myself!

CuppaGeek

I am a late 30s something mom who loves her family, will be getting married to a wonderful guy and has 4 kids (2 mine-2 his). We have a beautiful life together and I wouldn't change a thing. Tea is a passion that quickly turned into an obsession, very similar to my love for polka dots, the horror genre, and anything that is geeky and fun. I drink all kinds of tea and will try a tea twice to make sure I didn't bumble the first infusion. Besides SororiTea Sisters, I'm also the blogger and genius (I use that word very loosely) behind CuppaGeek, where I review tea, books, and the horror genre.

This post was posted in Black Tea, Simpson & Vail, Tea Company, Type Of Tea