A review of Chocolate Vanilla Mate (Yerba Mate) by Tea District
Company: Tea District
Tea Name: Chocolate Vanilla Mate
Tea Type/Varietal: Mate
Region:
Steeping Vessel/Amt. Leaf: cup/ loose leaf
Plucking Season:
Liquor Color: dark reddish / rich chocolate
Leaf Characteristics: grounded mulch like leaves with the nibs of cacao giving it a roasted and chocolaty aroma.
- Steepings
1st Steeping:
Water temperature: 200 Fahrenheit
Time: 5 minutes
I have selected as my tea of choice this chocolate yerba mate that I had purchased from the folks at Tea District, after having sampled several of their teas; I found this one to be quite nice, so much so that I ended up placing an order. I guess this is how it should work; you sample teas and find some that you like and place an order for keeping in stock in your cupboard.
I scoop out one heaping tea spoon and put this in my cup, adding the boiled water to my cup, I leave it to steep for five minutes. When done I strain out the tea grinds with strainer and observed as the tea is poured into another cup, how it has a lovely dark reddish color; similarly to coffee and the aroma is heady with roasted chestnut or more correctly hazelnut.
I enjoy taking sip after sips of this tea; and find that I must keep reminding myself that this is indeed tea and not coffee; having none of the astringency that some teas have and it is smooth and creamy and on the sweeter side of things, more-so than I remember it to being; perhaps having more of the cacao nibs than the sample packet contained.
Overall, tea is smooth with a lovely aroma of a strong heady roasted cup of coffee like tea and tea has the coloring of a fine cup of malt-like Goya drinks; and one again I find this tea to be very sweet; sweeten with the natural cacao-nibs and combined with the yerba mate.
I like this tea for all that it offers.
2nd Steeping:
Water temperature: 200 Fahrenheit
Time: 4 minutes
I continue to enjoy this tea with more steeps for shorter time and find it to be as enjoyable as the first cup. In all this tea has a lovely color and a delightful chocolate/roasted flavoring!
