Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: The Rabbit Hole
Tea Description:
Chilli and chocolate, such strange bedfellows. Throw a black tea in the mix and you’ve got one mind-blowing brew. Perfect for when you need to spice up your life.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
When I shop for snacks and treats, one thing I find myself looking for is flavor contrasts. My favorites are salty and sweet – like chocolate and bacon, or salted caramel – and spicy and sweet – like chocolate and chili … as in THIS tea! I find the palate is much more satiated when I appeal to different taste receptors, and right now, this tea is satisfying a certain “hunger” for flavor by appealing to the spicy and the sweet taste receptors on my tongue.
With the first couple of sips, I didn’t notice much of the chili or the chocolate flavors. But by the time I was taking my third or fourth sip, I began to notice the spicy-hot sensation on the back of my throat. This quickly spread to my tongue, and now I am feeling the full effect of the chili pepper in this tea.
The same is true of the chocolate … it wasn’t until about the third or fourth sip that I began to pick up on the cocoa flavors which are more like a dark chocolate-y flavor than a milk chocolate. It is rich and bittersweet and delicious, and helps to balance the spicy hot chili thing going on in my mouth! A fantastic contrast, indeed!
Despite the explosion of heat and sweet in my mouth, the flavor of the black tea is not going unnoticed. It is smooth and richly flavored. It has a solid kind of flavor that this tea needs for a back drop, something even-tempered and mellow to allow the bold flavors of chili and chocolate to express themselves fully.
Another awesome offering from The Rabbit Hole!
Organic Rabbit Hole Chai from The Rabbit Hole
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: The Rabbit Hole
Product Description:
Sweet, smooth and spicy. Sounds like the recipe for a steamy love affair. Brew our chai with milk and a squeeze of honey then cosy up to this gorgeous hottie.
Taster’s Review:
This is a mighty fine chai!
The spices are well-balanced. I’m not finding that one spice overpowers the others, which is nice. The overall flavor is spicy, but it isn’t spicy-hot. Warm, yes, but not what I would consider hot. Definitely cozy and comforting!
I agree with my SororiTea Sister’s review of this chai – the dry leaf aroma is very memorable and quite delightful. I don’t think I’ve ever smelled a chai quite like this one. It really does have an almost bubble-gum-y like scent to it. Of course, this does not translate into the fragrance of the brewed chai (or the flavor), but it certainly makes for a very intriguing scent as I was measuring the tea into my Breville One-Touch.
The base used in this blend is a delicious black tea. It is smooth and strong, but it is playing a supporting role to the robust spices in this blend. This chai is all about the spice, but, as I mentioned before, even though this chai is about the spice … it isn’t spicy. Instead, it tastes warm, cozy and exotic. I can taste notes of ginger and pepper, but they don’t overwhelm the cup. I can taste the sweetness of the cinnamon and the warmth of the cloves. And I can even taste a hint of licorice-y goodness from the star anise. I can taste all these notes, but they are quite seamless at the same time. It is blended in such a smooth, delicious way.
This is an awesome chai! Quite delicious as a latte, but I found it to be equally as delicious without the milk, too!
Organic Grey Rabbit from The Rabbit Hole
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: The Rabbit Hole
Product Description:
Delicate and fragrant this beautiful Earl Grey tea with a Rabbit Hole twist will have you bouncing around in no time.
Great little black that can also handle a splash of milk and some sweetening.
Taster’s Review:
Ah, Earl Grey… it seems like it’s been so long since I’ve had a cup, when in reality it probably has only been a couple of days. But for me, Earl Grey is one of those teas that I always look forward to, and when I’ve gone more than a day or two without drinking Earl Grey, I find myself missing it and mentally chastising myself for forgetting about my dear Mr. Grey.
The aroma is exactly what I expect when I open a package of Earl Grey. There really is no scent that is quite like bergamot, and the bergamot fragrance here is so very vibrant (or ZESTY as this tea can be found under the Zesty category on The Rabbit Hole website).
I am really enjoying this cup of Grey Rabbit. While this tea has a very strong scent, flavor wise this is a softer, gentler kind of Earl Grey. That is to say, it isn’t “in-your-face” with the bergamot flavor. It is very delicate and has a very smooth, subtle approach.
The black tea is a delicious, robust black tea that provides a solid background flavor. It is somewhat astringent, and there is a slight bitter note to it – just a hint of bitterness – and it compliments the tangy flavor of the bergamot quite nicely.
The bergamot is so wonderful in this particular tea. I generally do prefer my bergamot to be much stronger, but somehow, this lighter touch of bergamot is absolutely perfect. It is tangy, slightly sweet, and distinctive even in its subtlety.
As an Earl enthusiast, I can appreciate the softer tones this tea has to offer, and I enjoy that it is different from an ordinary Earl Grey. I think that those who have found Earl Grey to be a bit too overwhelming in the past will really find this Grey Rabbit quite appealing as well. This is an excellent Earl Grey.
Organic Breakfast Blend from The Rabbit Hole
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: The Rabbit Hole
Product Description:
This classic little black will get those peepers open with its great smooth and hearty flavour.
Taster’s Review:
I’m sleepy. I didn’t sleep very well last night, and unfortunately, I cannot head back to bed because I’ve got things to do today. So, I’m hoping that this breakfast blend will help me shake that desire to sleep and help me get going!
Smooth! It has a robust flavor. It’s good and strong. Sweet undertones that can be enhanced by the addition of sweetener if you like your tea sweeter, but, I am finding this to be quite nice without any addition. This would also be very nice served latte-style with a splash of milk.
There is some astringency to this, it develops as I sip. I didn’t really notice much astringency with the first couple of sips, and now as I’m nearly finished, I am noticing a slightly dry astringency toward the tail.
A very fine cup of tea to start the day, and yes … I’m feeling much more awake than before I started this review. A delicious cup of gusto!
Organic Fiery Temptress Tea from The Rabbit Hole
Tea Type: Black Tea
Where To Buy: The Rabbit Hole
Product Description:
Chilli and chocolate, such strange bedfellows. Throw a black tea in the mix and you’ve got one mind-blowing brew. Perfect for when you need to spice up your life.
Tasters Review:
I’ll be up-front and blunt here…I have had some go-arounds with chili and chocolate in tea and there are some really hard-to-handle ones out there!
THIS is a WINNER! The Rabbit Hole really did do a great job with this one! Both the Chili and Chocolate are tasty without being over done! Both taste REAL and not super fake – like other companies tend to do with the flavorings!
I would say there is a tad more chocolate than chili…just what I was hoping for! This is one of the best Chili/Chocolate combo’s in a tea I have tasted!
Nice Job – Rabbit Hole!
The BEST part? You can still taste the black tea! Lovely!
