HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!
Product Information:
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Product Description:
They say life is like a box of chocolate teas; you never know what you’re going to get.
Here’s an assortment of eight different hand-crafted chocolate teas, each in a keepsake tin with a clear window, all bundled together in an elegant gift box. There are a few of our bestselling chocolate teas and some created just for this sampler. Each tin contains enough tea for a 5-6 cup pot of tea: enough to share–if you feel like sharing.
All of the teas in this collection are vegan-friendly, and make a perfect gift for your sweet-toothed sweetheart, or yourself. Quantities are limited, so don’t delay, order yours today.
Review:
This is my kind of Valentine’s Day present! A beautiful little box filled with an assortment of chocolate flavored teas … I mean, seriously, what could be better than that for this chocoholic tea addict?
The box is gorgeous. It measures 4 inches long by 4 inches wide by 2 1/2 inches tall. The base is a deep, chocolate brown color, and the top has the same brown color with pale pink polka dots. The box is then accented with bright pink grosgrain ribbon with cute white stitching along with a coordinating pink and white polka dot ribbon. It’s so adorable!
Tucked inside are eight tins of 1 inch tall round tins with clear tops. Each of the tins is filled with approximately .25 ounces of tea … just enough for about 4 cups of tea.
The assortment includes a few favorite chocolate teas from 52Teas collection, including Chocolate Mint Black Tea and Malted ChocoMaté, and SIX (count ’em, six!) chocolate teas that I have not yet tried! Yippee! The only thing better than having chocolate tea that I have tried and enjoyed is having a new chocolate tea to taste! These new teas are:
- Cherry Cordial Black Tea
- Almond Happiness Black Tea
- Smoky Chocolate Black Tea
- Chocolate Caramel Black Tea
- White Chocolate Strawberry Black Tea
- Chocolate Raspberry Honeybush
While I have previously reviewed the other two teas (click on them to check out those reviews), I will be reviewing each of the new teas separately, starting with the White Chocolate Strawberry, and that review will be published this evening at midnight (or 9 pm for those of us who are on the West Coast).
This Box of Chocolate Teas was offered from 52Teas several weeks before Valentine’s Day and a limited supply is still available. If you didn’t get what you wanted for Valentine’s Day, now is the chance to treat yourself! You deserve it!
Rosy Earl Grey from Teas Etc
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black & Green Teas
Where to Buy: Teas Etc
Tea Description:
This inspiring blend of Jasmine green tea, Earl Grey black tea and rose petals has become one of our most popular.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The dry leaf looks absolutely beautiful and smells incredible. Lots of red rose petals throughout, and the aroma is an engaging combination of roses, bergamot and jasmine.
And it tastes as good as it looks and smells, too. I’ve tried this a couple times now, the first time, I brewed it without realizing that there was also jasmine green tea blended with the black tea, so I used boiling water. This did not seem to have a scorching effect on the green tea, or at least, not one that I could discern.
However, for the second time that I brewed it, I wanted to try a lower temperature to see if I could encourage more of the jasmine and green tea flavors to emerge. And while I was successful in achieving this goal – brewing at a lower temperature of 185°F brought the jasmine green tea notes more into focus – I think with this particular blend, I prefer the results when brewing with boiling water.
When I brewed it with boiling water, I could taste the “Rosy Earl Grey” notes more prominently, the bergamot and the rose were very distinct, while the jasmine and green tea notes were a little lost. Not completely lost, as I could taste hints of jasmine and green tea as I sipped, but, there was no real distinct jasmine or green tea flavor.
This time around, using a lower temperature, the jasmine is much more distinguishable, as is the green tea flavor. I can still taste the rose and the bergamot, but, these become a little more muddled as the jasmine emerges. Even though I do adore jasmine, I think with this blend, it is best served as what it should be: Rosy Earl Grey.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed both cups of tea immensely. In that first cup, the rose was so strong, almost evenly matched with the tangy bergamot notes. The blend of teas provided a nice background of flavors: primarily that of black tea, I could taste earthiness and hints of vegetation as well as a pleasant sweetness.
In the second cup, the jasmine emerged as the focal point, sweet and exotic, and the rose notes accented the jasmine tones very nicely. There was a hint of sharpness to the cup, something I noticed less with the first cup than now with this second cup. The bergamot was light but it still had that zesty tang to it, and the tea flavors were more vegetative than earthy this time, lighter and not quite as sweet.
If you have an Earl Grey enthusiast in your life, this would make a perfectly romantic Valentine’s Day tea gift for them! I am really glad I finally got around to trying this tea, it is spectacular!
Chocolate Rose Tea from Culinary Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Culinary Teas
Tea Description:
This house blend is a heavenly blend of our rich Chocolate Tea and our delicate Rose Tea. The combination is truly romantic. Last years blend received rave reviews but this year the blend is even better with the addition of roasted cocoa bean pieces.
This tea is only available for a limited time.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I was especially interested in trying this limited edition blend from Culinary Teas. Chocolate – as many are probably aware – is one of my favorite flavors for tea, and I love the combination of chocolate and rose flavors.
And am I satisfied with this blend? Absolutely! I found this blend to be both surprising and very pleasing.
What surprised me is that the flavors of the chocolate and the rose are pretty equal. Neither ingredient overwhelms the other, both seem pretty happy to share the spotlight with one another. A beautiful marriage!
And what pleases me is that the chocolate is a plentiful flavor in this blend. Normally, when reviewing a chocolate tea, I am stating my wish for more chocolate in the blend, but I won’t be doing that today. This has a very rich, delicious level of chocolate flavor, enough to satisfy this chocoholic!
Which also means that the rose is also a strong flavor, but these two ingredients work so well together. The rose is sweet with a sharpness to it, which cuts through some of the rich, deep flavor of the chocolate without surpassing it. It is a lovely balance of flavors that really pleases the palate.
If you’ve a tea drinking Valentine, this would be a well-received gift. Or, why not give a gift to yourself, and indulge in some chocolate and roses? This tea is the current Featured Tea of the Week at Culinary Teas, and that means extra savings!
A Girls Best Friend from White August Tea Company
Tea Type: Black Tea
Where To Buy: White August Tea Company
Product Description:
You’ll be distracted by this bright and shiny Tea. A luxurious strand of Sri Lankan black tea, faceted with blueberries, elderberries and hibiscus gems.
Tasters Review:
First…I would like to say HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY from SororiTEA Sisters!
“Diamonds are a girl’s best friend.”
Well, I can honestly say they aren’t THIS GIRLS BFF! I would much rather have tea! That’s why I thought this was a perfect tea to review today!
I really LOVE White August Tea Company’s Creative Tea Names and Descriptions! Most of which are trademarked, I might add!
This one lives up to it’s name! I really enjoyed it…A LOT!
A Girls’ Best Friend Tea from White August Tea Company smells wonderful! It’s filled with various plump berries and black tea! The black tea is pretty strong in flavor and I like that! The flavor of the berries is lovely too! It’s slightly tart but more importantly juicy! AND…ya know what!? The Hibiscus is subtle and more than tolerable! This surprisingly has a velvety yet floral finish. YUM.
Companies who over-do hibiscus in their blends need to take some notes from White August Tea Company! They do it right! Just enough to tie in and play nice with the other flavors! This is really something special…a good tea to give as a gift or to sip with friends! A pure delight!
