Peppermint Bark is a holiday classic which is why chocolate peppermint teas flood the market at Christmas time. Almost each company has their own take on it and any holiday celebration doesn’t really feel complete without a peppermint bark tea latte. As such, these types of teas are cold weather teas in my mind.
So about a week ago when we had an unseasonably cold day, I set up a cold brew of Sunshine Cottage’s Peppermint Bark Tea in chocolate milk. I then forgot to drink it that day. Then the weather got significantly warmer and I just didn’t want to drink it tbh. Instead I favored my more spring-like teas. However, as the cold brewed milk has been sitting, I figured best to drink it before it goes bad. For comparison sake, I also brewed a hot tea with the remainder of the sample I had left.
This tea sets itself apart from the others, ingredients-wise at least, as it adds sunflower petals to the more typical ingredients of black tea, peppermint, white chocolate pieces, and natural flavors. However, flavor-wise as I sip on the hot tea, it tastes similar to the many other chocolate peppermint teas I have had before. In fact, it may even be a bit blander than most. There is a lot of peppermint flavor but not much else. The sample is a bit old so perhaps there is some flavor deterioration. Alternatively, there didn’t appear to be any white chocolate pieces in my filter while there was a ton of peppermint leaf so that could be causing the lack of flavor as well. Whatever the reason, the hot tea fell short of my expectations.
The cold brew, on the other hand, had a lot going on. The silky chocolate milk was made richer by the flavor of the black tea base. There is hints of white chocolate as well, though they are easy to miss under the strong chocolate milk flavor. The peppermint, on the other hand, comes through loud and clear leaving the aftertaste all minty. It is certainly more interesting than the hot tea was but even still I think this might become another in a long blurred line of chocolate mint teas.
Enjoyable but not really noteworthy.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Sunshine Cottage
Description
Creamy white chocolate and crisp mint make this holiday tea a real treat. Perfect for a toe thawing, pick me up after an afternoon on the slopes, or for sipping by the fire after a wonderful meal!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Dirty Girl Scout from The Necessiteas. . . . .
Every January, as eggnog season ends, my mom panics and buys like 6 cartons of the stuff. Now this would be excessive for a household of eggnog drinkers and yet it is not for a family…it’s all for me. She presents them to me as if they are a gift which is really nice but then I realize I have like two weeks to finish them off or they’ll expire and be thrown out. So, it’s not the healthiest plan but January becomes the month of eggnog latte experiments
This tea is my eggnog latte of the day. I love that the dry mix incorporates real pieces of Andes mints because it imparts a different sort of flavor when compared to the standard chocolate mint teas. This is creamy and sweet and deliciously milk chocolate with an incredible smooth mint flavor. No dark chocolate or harsh peppermint here. Add to that notes of Irish cream and buttery white chocolate and you have a winner. The black tea base gives the blend body so the drink remains decadent and rich. Top it all off with eggnog and milk and you have one really awesome dessert.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: The NecessiTeas
Description
We want to commemorate the solemn and depressing end of Girl Scout Cookie season with a tribute tea, the Dirty Girl Scout! We have put a twist on this treat by flavoring black tea with natural flavors of white chocolate and Irish cream then sprinkled a generous amount of organic peppermint into the blend and topped it off with real Andes mint pieces. If you want to get real dirty, add sweetener of choice and a splash of milk.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!