I only ordered two teas from Teavana during their Heavenly Sale, but this was one of them. I remembered hearing good things about this tea, and I was out of black dragon pearls, which I love. At that price, how could I not have bought 2oz? I used 5 pearls for my 12oz mug, as is my usual dose when I drink this type of tea.
It smells good, but I also can’t quite place the notes in the aroma. Some toasted grains, perhaps, and maybe a hint of chocolate, but it doesn’t smell powerfully chocolatey. The flavor is good. Definitely notes of cocoa powder, with some slight honey-molasses notes without the sweetness. In comparison to Teavivre’s Black Dragon Pearls, it’s the natural sweetness (and hyper chocolatey-ness) that I’m missing. I won’t have any problems drinking these pearls, but I won’t really crave them like I crave the Teavivre pearls. I have yet to find an example that I like better than that one!
ZenTeaLife.com has amazingly priced Phoenix Pearls that are great to me, but I haven’t tried any similar teas to compare. The Teavivre sound delicious though!