Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tisano
Tea Description:
In India tea has it’s roots in Ayurveda, a wholestic approach to medicine focusing on food and lifestyle. From there, India’s most popular beverage – Masala Chai, “Spiced Tea,” was born. Tisano takes this 5,000 year old tradition into the 21st Century – we source estate grown Assam Black Tea leaves, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and other spices to create a unique sweet and spicy chocolate Chai Cacao Tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I was so excited when this tea was offered on sale on the Tisano website recently, because I’ve been wanting to try it ever since I heard that it had been added to the Tisano line of teas and tisanes. I’m really fond of Tisano’s original cacao tea which I reviewed previously (and plan to review again for this site soon!) That moment when I first sampled the original was my first introduction to cacao shells (rather than nibs) as a source for chocolate-y infused drinks. And seriously, there’s nothing better to infuse than cacao shells to get a rich, true, chocolate-y flavor!
When I visited the Tisano website to start prepping for this review, I learned that this wasn’t just a simple blend of cacao shells with spices like I first thought it was! No! This is actually a tea with camellia sinensis leaves, as well as cacao shells and spices.
Mmm! This is so yummy! The chocolate note is rich and prominent. It’s the first note that I taste when I take a sip. Decadent, rich, delicious chocolate! Just beneath the chocolate-y surface is a satisfyingly smooth, malty note of Assam. Then I pick up on the spices.
The spices here are not strong or “spicy.” The spice notes are warm and I love the dimension that the spices add to this cup. There is a really nice balance of the spices. No one spice takes center stage, it is a well-rounded collection of spices that add warmth to the cup without overpowering the cacao. Instead, the spices elevate the earthy notes of the cacao.
The cacao shells are the perfect representation of chocolate. It’s rich and intensely flavorful. It tastes like true chocolate much more so than any chocolate flavoring that I’ve experienced with flavored teas, and it’s also a better chocolate-y representation than cacao nibs. This tastes like a deep, dark, rich chocolate with notes of bitter and sweet. It tastes amazing as a latte too. Perfect!
This is THE CHAI for chocolate lovers. If you love chocolate, you really must try this tea!
Pumpkin Brownie Honeybush Blend from 52Teas
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tisane Description:
I think this one might just speak for itself. Caffeine-free honeybush, cacao nibs and marigold petals with organic pumpkin and fudge brownie flavors. This is a big cup of delicious!
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
I don’t remember ever tasting a pumpkin brownie before, and I’m pretty sure that if I had tasted a pumpkin brownie before, I would remember it! So, for the purposes of this review, I’m going to just have to imagine what a pumpkin brownie would taste like.
And while I’ve never tried pumpkin brownies, something I have tried (and I LOVE!) are pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. When autumn arrives, something I’m always keeping a look out for at my grocery store bakery are those cookies … and I’m happy to say that this reminds me a lot of those yummy treats!
But getting back to the subject of pumpkin brownies, I think I’m going to have to find a recipe for pumpkin brownies too. This might just have to be the Thanksgiving dessert for this year’s Thanksgiving. Because … yeah. Pumpkin … Brownie. Do I need to say any more?
And if my pumpkin brownies wind up tasting anything like this yummy tisane, I think it might even be something that is requested more often than on Thanksgiving. This is YUM!
The honeybush base is a nice choice for these flavors, because it has a naturally sweet, nutty taste that goes really well with a fudge brownie flavor. It adds some depth to the brownie notes. And I like the way the honeyed flavor works with the pumpkin too.
This is a sweet dessert-like tea, but I like that even though it’s inspired by something that is really rich and sweet, it isn’t an overly sweet cup of tea. It satisfies the sweet tooth without overwhelming it. There is a balance, ad the pumpkin, while it is a sweeter vegetable, it adds an element of savory to the cup so that it’s not cloying.
The pumpkin is sweet but not too sweet, and adds a compelling contrast to the cacao flavor, and I really love the way pumpkin and chocolate taste together. There’s a good amount of chocolate flavor, a good amount of pumpkin, and I can still taste the nutty flavors of the honeybush too.
YUM!
Organic Jasmine Cacao Green Tea from Spicely Organics
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Spicely Organics
Tea Description:
This chocolaty jasmine flower and green tea blend has a lingering effect . The gentle jasmine flowers add a hint of relaxation to the invigorating combination of antioxidant-rich green tea and cacao nibs. INGREDIENTS: Organic Houjicha, Organic Jasmine Flower, Organic Cacao Nibs, Organic Carob
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about the Spicely Organics Monthly Tea Membership here.
Taster’s Review:
This Organic Jasmine Cacao Green Tea from Spicely Organics is not at all what I expected – it’s so much better than I anticipated it being! When I see jasmine and green in the name of a tea, my immediate thought is not a houjicha tea. But that is what Spicely Organics used for the base of this jasmine green, and I think that is what makes this tea so good.
Because the base tea flavor is toasty and nutty rather than vegetative, the chocolate-y notes meld well with the sweet, exotic jasmine. I don’t know that it would have worked as well with a grassy green tea that has been scented with the jasmine blossoms.
The jasmine here is rather subtle, and takes a back seat to the nutty flavors of the houjicha and the earthy cacao notes. I still taste the distinct flavor of jasmine, but it isn’t a dominating flavor.
The chocolate notes are nice. Yeah, I would like a stronger chocolate flavor – but when do I not? As it is, though, I think that there is a good balance between chocolate and toasty, nutty houjicha. This is a warm, nutty tasting tea with mid-notes of chocolate with hints of jasmine that peek their way in and out throughout the sip.
A really unusual and tasty tea. This is one I’d recommend to someone who typically doesn’t like jasmine teas because it isn’t like a typical jasmine. It would also be a great tea for those who love the roasty-toasty teas like houjicha with a twist. This one is familiar, but different enough to shake things up. I like it.
Turtle Cheesecake Flavored Black Tea from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Our newest Tea of the Week is a Turtle Cheesecake flavored black tea. We combined premium black teas, organic roasted cacao nibs, pecans and organic flavors to create a cup of awesome. This tea is vegan-friendly! Our Cheesecake teas never last long, so get yours today.
Learn more about this blend here.
Learn more about Zoomdweebie’s fundraising campaign to reopen the Tea Bar here. (There are only a few days left to contribute!)
Taster’s Review:
OK … I was pretty much jumping for joy when the tea for the week of September 2nd from 52Teas was announced. Turtle Cheesecake Flavored Black Tea? Um … yes, please!
The aroma when I opened the package immediately enchanted this chocoholic. I could smell the notes of the roasted cacao nibs, and hints of nutty goodness from the pecans. It smelled sweet and my mouth started watering at that very moment.
Now that the tea is brewed, I can still smell the chocolate and the pecans, but, I also smell caramel! Mmm! There is also a note of earthiness from the black tea base.
The black tea is rich and substantial. It provides a nice, full taste on the tongue … a very satisfying flavor. It is a little bit sweet and a little bit earthy. There are notes of malt to the flavor as well, and these notes accentuate the caramel flavoring.
This is a really delicious tea … but, right now, it’s still quite hot, and I’m thinking it needs a couple of minutes to allow the flavors to develop. Right now as the tea is piping hot, it is almost as though there is just too much going on to be able to really focus on individual flavor profiles … so … I’ll allow it a few minutes to cool down just a bit.
After a few minutes cool time, the flavors really DO develop. Now I can taste not only the black tea notes, but, also the chocolate, the caramel and the pecan … as well as the tangy cheesecake!
The chocolate is delicious, but as a chocoholic, I find myself wanting a little bit more chocolate in this. It’s delicious as it is … but more chocolate is always better. Ha! I was just imagining myself as an assistant to Frank during the blending process of these teas. I’d be adding more cacao nibs when his back was turned.
When the tea cools to a point of still being warm but not what I’d call “hot” I notice more cheesecake flavor. It is tangy, smooth and rich. Sometimes, I swear I could even taste a hint of buttery pastry for the crust. The caramel has notes of “burnt sugar” to it and I like it, because it’s a slightly bitter intonation and it adds an interesting taste to the cup.
In one sip, I taste notes of toasted pecans, sweet caramel, rich cheesecake and decadent chocolate notes … as well as a solid background of black tea flavor. I like that I taste all of these things … and they are very harmonious. The key with this tea really is patience, because when sipped after it’s been poured from the teapot – when it’s at its hottest temperature – the flavors are a little bit muddy. But, allow the tea to cool to a drinkable temperature and the flavors really come out.
This is a very tasty tea!
S’mores Genmaicha Green Tea Blend from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green & Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
So, you liked the Marshmallow Treat Genmaicha (one of the reblends, by the way…), and you liked the Browncoat (Chocolate) Genmaicha? Well, you’re going to LOVE the S’mores Genmaicha! Toasty genmaicha blended with marshmallow root, roasted cacao nibs and just a tiny touch of smoke from a bit of lapsang souchoung. This is a heavenly treat to warm your bones and soothe your sweet-tooth.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Wow! Just … WOW! This S’mores Genmaicha Green Tea Blend is probably the tastiest Genmaicha blend that I’ve tried from 52Teas yet! From my very first sip, I was totally blown away!
The smokiness from the Lapsang Souchong comes out, but it isn’t an overpowering smoky tone … it is just a hint of smoke … just enough to evoke thoughts of toasting marshmallows around a campfire and making s’mores!
The roasty-toasty, nutty flavor of the Genmaicha comes through too, and it gives the overall cup a sense of “crust” … like the graham cracker crust of a s’more. The flavor of graham doesn’t really come out strongly with this tea, but the nuttiness of the tea seems to give the flavor just what it needs … because it is almost like I’m sipping on liquefied s’mores!
The chocolate … well the chocolate could be stronger. But then, I’m a chocoholic, remember? There is never too much chocolate as far as I’m concerned. But I think that for this particular dessert tea, there is a fair amount of chocolate flavor.
But what really MAKES this cup for me is the marshmallow notes. The marshmallow, together with the Lapsang Souchong and the Genmaicha … tastes like a freshly roasted marshmallow! YUM! I can almost taste that hint of char on the marshmallow, and the gooey, molten, creamy marshmallow that would ooze out of the marshmallow and help melt the chocolate as it comes in contact with it when sandwiched between two graham crackers.
This is really so good … I’m on my second infusion of this tea (each measurement of leaves is worth at least two infusions!) and it tastes just as good as the first … no loss of flavor! If you are looking for a delicious, chocolate-y, marshmallow-y tea treat … you need look no further. 52Teas has got you covered!