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.
Chocolate Toffee Black Tea from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Zoomdweebies
Tea Description:
Here’s our premium black teas blended with cacao nibs, marigold petals and organic chocolate and toffee flavors. This is a rich, decadent treat.
Learn more about this blend here.
Learn more about 52Teas’ subscriptions here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh yum! Yum, yum, yum!
Well, I had no doubt whatsoever that I’d enjoy this blend. Chocolate and Toffee in a tea? Oh, yes, please! And I’m happy to say that the chocoholic in me is even satisfied with the level of chocolate-y-ness in this blend. Oh, sure, more chocolate WOULD be better but I’m quite happy with what I’m tasting.
I brewed this in my Breville One-Touch, measuring 2 bamboo scoops into the basket and adding 500ml of water to the jug. Then I set the temperature for 205°F and the time for 2 1/2 minutes. This produced a very delicious cup – well, actually, I fill my favorite mug twice with the 500ml of brewed tea – and bonus! The Breville keeps the tea warm for me. No tea cozy needed.
The black tea base is prominent and that just may be why I find this tea so enjoyable. I like it when I taste the tea base of a blend (especially when it’s actually TEA and not rooibos or honeybush.) The black tea here is a solid, full-flavored tea. It tastes rich and there is a hint of malt to it and this complements the toffee notes. This is a bold enough tea that this would make a really nice first cup of the day. (A little treat for breakfast?) There is some astringency to this, but I’m not finding it to be a strong astringency. It falls somewhere between very mild and moderate.
The chocolate notes are really nice here. As I said, I’d love to have more chocolate, but I find that the level of chocolate to be good here. I think that’s because there is a really good proportion of flavors. The black tea is the most prominent flavor, with the chocolate and toffee notes standing at about equal levels – maybe just a little more chocolate than toffee.
The toffee is sweet and buttery. The combination of the chocolate and the toffee here is incredibly decadent. This may just be one of Frank’s best “confectionery” type of teas yet. This is really yum. It reminds me a lot of a gourmet chocolate toffee candy like these from Valerie Confections, all that’s missing is that crunch. And these might even be a little bit BETTER because there’s also tea. And tea always makes things better.
Buttercream Toffee Shou Mei from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
As I was thinking about fall teas to create, it occurred to me that white tea sometimes gets the short shrift when it comes to richer-flavored, non-fruit flavored teas. This really bugs me because I think a nice, subtle, hay-like shou mei has the potential to be more than just the sort of sorbet of the tea world. So, I decided to experiment this month and I think I’ve found a winner. This is a delicious shou mei white tea with rich organic buttercream and toffee flavors and some buttery yellow marigold petals for color.
Learn more about this blend here.
Learn how to subscribe to 52Teas’ Tea of the Week program here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh my goodness! Yum, yum, yum!
On Steepster, I was noticing that a few of the people there had issues with the flavor of the tea. That is to say, they couldn’t really taste the buttercream or toffee flavors. I was a little surprised, because I can taste the buttercream and toffee flavors very well.
Maybe it’s all in the brewing? I don’t usually use my Breville One Touch tea maker for white tea but I was feeling a little lazy this evening so I used the Breville today. I measured out 3 bamboo scoops of tea into the basket (I use a little more leaf with white teas because of the bulky size of the leaf) and 500ml of water into the jug, set the parameters for 4 minutes and 170°F and let the machine do it’s thing.
The result is a mug full of yummy. The Shou Mei white tea is a delicate base, but it’s not as delicate as say a Bai Mu Dan white tea or a Silver Needle white tea would be. And even though it’s rather delicate, I can taste the white tea notes. The light, airy, hay-like flavor shines through. And while I wouldn’t dream of wanting “hay-like” flavors on top of my cupcake, somehow, the hay-esque notes work with the creamy buttercream frosting and toffee notes.
The buttercream and toffee flavors are on the delicate side. They aren’t in your face. But I don’ t think that they should be. We’re drinking tea here. And the tea that we’re drinking is white tea and it tends to be a more subtle taste and therefore the flavoring should be subtle as well so it doesn’t overpower the base. These flavors don’t overpower the base but they aren’t absent. I’m getting a strong flavor from both (well, strong considering that we’re dealing with a white tea).
It’s creamy and sweet and luscious! After I poured myself a cup and took a sip, I decided to pour another cup for my youngest daughter to get her thoughts on it. She took one sip and said, “Mmm, it’s GOOD!” This one is a winner!
Witch’s Brew Black Tea from M&K’s Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: M&K’s Tea Company on Etsy
Tea Description:
Broo! Spooked ya, scared ya. This tea doesn’t have real witches inside (apparently that’s illegal), but it does have witch hazel bark! Witch’s Brew combines sweet Ceylon tea and hearty Assam tea with sleepy-inducing chamomile and a host of other herbs in order to blend into this secret holiday brew. Try it with some cream and sugar for a real treat!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
By now, you may have already read some of my praise of this Etsy company. One of the things that I’m so pleased with is their customer service. But I didn’t go into detail with why I’m so impressed with them. Here’s my tale:
I placed my order with them and the next business day, I received an email telling me that the order has shipped. Along with that email, I was provided a tracking number (I like that. It’s not something that all companies do, but I think they should. It would provide great peace of mind to their customers.)
Later, I received a message from M&K’s that there was a problem with my shipment. Apparently, the package that I was sent wasn’t my order, it was someone else’s, but they were sending out the correct package. They told me to keep the wrong package as well. I told them that to “compensate” for the loss, that I would be writing about the “extra” teas that I’d be receiving.
When the wrong order arrived, I was aghast at how many samplers were inside the box! Wowza! It was an exceptional opportunity to try so many of this company’s teas – teas that I hadn’t ordered in my original sampler.
A couple of days later, the teas that I had ordered arrived. Inside the box was not only the five samplers that I ordered but a free sample as well (I like that too. Again, not something that all tea companies do, but I think they should. It not only feels like a “free gift” for the customer, but it may well turn into additional business for the company. If the customer likes the sample that they try, they might order it again.)
In addition, there was a handwritten note thanking me for my order. I really appreciate those little touches. It makes me feel like I’m buying from a real person and not a company. It makes me feel like that person sees me as a real person and not just a number.
So, even though this company made a mistake with my order, they more than made up for the error. I appreciate that a lot. And while the mistake was an “error in my favor,” I have no doubt that M&K’s made it up to the person who was “shortchanged” with this mistake. That just seems to be the kind of company that they are. And that’s the kind of company that I appreciate and want to do business with. And because it seems like companies like this can be a rarity (I’ve found quite a few WONDERFUL tea companies that are a pleasure doing business with), you want to continue to do business with them so that they stay around!
Let’s get on with this review, shall we?
This Witch’s Brew is actually the first tea from my actual, original order with M&K’s. The ingredient list intrigued me:
CEYLON AND ASSAM BLACK TEAS, TOASTED BLACK RICE, CHAMOMILE, HONEY-ROASTED LICORICE ROOT (LICORICE ROOT, HONEY), CAT’S CLAW, HELICHRYSUM FLOWERS, WITCH HAZEL BARK, SKULLCAP HERB, ENGLISH TOFFEE NATURAL FLAVOR BLEND.
It looks like a recipe straight out of a witch’s recipe book, doesn’t it? Well, except for the Ceylon and Assam tea.
I wasn’t sure how I’d like it, as it does look like a lot is going on with this blend. But, I was intrigued by it so I decided I’d give it a try. That’s one of the cool things about these samplers. You get just enough to “try” out the tea and the cost is minimal.
The black tea offers a solid background of flavor without being too powerful. It doesn’t overpower the herbs and spices in this blend – and this tea does seem to be a little more about the whole of the ingredient list (at least for me!) so I’m glad that I can taste these other flavors.
I am getting a fair amount of flavor from the licorice root and I taste the honey roasted-ness of it. I don’t know that I’ve tried honey-roasted licorice root before, but I do like the way the honey roasting softens the bite that I’d normally experience from licorice root.
Don’t get me wrong, I love that sharp snap of the licorice root, but it’s nice to get a sweeter, more subdued licorice note too. I also am getting a sweet flavor from the toffee notes and the honey notes meld nicely with the toffee. I think that these two components work together to complement each other and bring out the best in one another.
The chamomile is a fairly strong flavor which actually kind of surprised me. I hadn’t expected to taste much of the chamomile in the presence of other strong flavors in the cup, but I am getting that apple-y note that I often get from chamomile. And I think that the floral notes of the chamomile accentuate the helichrysum flowers as well, because there is a flowery note to this as well.
The tea, toffee, honey roasted licorice, chamomile and helichrysum are the strongest notes, but I’m also tasting a light nutty flavor from the rice, and other herbaceous flavors. Notes of bitter that I attribute to the skullcap. I think that the bitterness might be accented by the witch hazel bark and the cat’s claw.
Like I said, this tea has a lot going on. Maybe a bit too much going on, and I could have done without the bitterness that I experienced from a few of the herbs in this. That said, even with the notes of bitter, I’m enjoying this beverage and am nearly finished with the cup. I find that the flavors become smoother and more unified as the cup cools, so if you do get try this one, I recommend letting it cool for a few minutes first.
Steeping parameters I used: 1 heaping bamboo scoop of tea in the basket of my Kati Tumbler, 12 ounces of water heated to 205°, steeped for 3 minutes.
Oh Canada! Rooibos Blend from David’s Tea
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos & Honeybush
Where to Buy: David’s Tea
Tisane Description:
Looking for a taste of Canada? Try this red rooibos tea. It’s sweetened with (what else?) maple syrup and sprinkled with delicious maple leaf candies. Plus it’s 100% diplomatic (well, caffeine-free) and tastes great in both our official languages. With green rooibos, honeybush, caramel and toffee bits to shake things up. A truly authentic Canadian experience.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The brewed tisane smells scrumptious! It smells like a pancake breakfast and it’s making my mouth water!
To steep: I used my Kati Tumbler and added 1 1/2 bamboo scoops to the basket of the tumbler. Then I added 195°F water to the tumbler and allowed the tisane to steep for 10 minutes.
And it tastes a little bit like a pancake breakfast too. The nutty notes from the rooibos and honeybush add a “pancakey” like flavor to the rich maple-y notes of the flavoring. The toffee and caramel notes enhance the sweetness (this is a very sweet pancake breakfast, mmm-kay?)
But really, even though I’m getting notes of rooibos, honeybush, toffee and caramel, this tisane is really about the maple! Sweet, delicious maple. Not like the weird corn syrup with maple flavoring. This has a real maple-y flavor to it. It’s sweet and luscious!
If you’re a fan of maple, this is a tisane you should try. It has a very dessert-y quality (obviously) so it would make a tasty low-cal/non-fat substitute for dessert or a great treat for the sweet tooth late night craving! And it’s naturally caffeine free!