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!
Vanilla Cacao Tea from Herbal Infusions
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Herbal Infusions
Tisane Description:
An exotic and spicy blend of ancient Mexican vanilla, forest garden cinnamon, spices using a base of authentic Mayan cacao shells – truly medicine for your soul.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh my goodness. This Vanilla Cacao Tea from Herbal Infusions is incredible! When I was perusing their website and saw that they had authentic Mayan cacao shells in this blend, I knew I had to try it. I’ve tried a tisane of pure cacao shells before and I loved it, and so I was really excited to try this blend that is cacao shells, vanilla and cinnamon.
YUM! This tastes a lot like a “Mexican” hot chocolate. The chocolate is rich and decadent tasting and the vanilla adds a sweet, creamy element to the cup, while the cinnamon adds just a touch of spice. It’s not overtly spicy or hot. The three components in this tisane work in a synergistic way to deliver a flavor that is warm, sweet, and deliciously chocolate-y.
The best way I can describe this is that it’s like a really good hot chocolate, except that it’s a little thinner in body than a hot cocoa. It’s not milky,although I suppose you could steep this in a combination of hot milk and water like stove top prepared chai. I prepared this the way I would prepare most tisanes, using 195°F water, and instead of steeping it for 6 minutes (my usual time for a tisane with hibiscus) or 10 minutes (my usual time for rooibos or honeybush blends), I went with a 15 minute steep for this. And it’s perfect!
Rich with chocolate flavor. Just enough cinnamon and vanilla to add some interesting contrasts to the cacao flavor. If you’ve ever had an authentic Mexican hot chocolate, this tastes a lot like what you might have tasted … although I find that this is not quite as spicy as some of the Mexican hot chocolate drinks that I’ve had (I think that they also sometimes use cayenne pepper in them.)
This is a tisane for chocolate lovers. Like I said before, it doesn’t have that heavy, milky body. But, I personally prefer it this way. I rarely fix myself a cup of hot chocolate/hot cocoa because I find it to be too heavy and too sweet for my liking, but, this is just right. It’s a little thinner, and not quite as cloying. It’s just right!