Flaming Chocolate Mate

Thanks to Kittena for this sample!
Peeeee-eeeew, does this ever have a scent to remember. Like dirty socks. Kindof like regular mate, and then with the addition of cocoa it turns kinda funky.
No matter, I don’t mind. My raspberry leaf smells worse sometimes and I get through that just fine :)
The taste is pretty good to. Not much chocolate, but there is some nice heat that I quite liked, and not a building heat either. It dissipated with each sip instead of getting stronger with each one. Odd though, adding just a few drops of agave really spiced up the cup!
Rating: 82

Oh wow! I LOVE this! This is AWESOME!

Hot and spicy and sweet, the heat that’s generated from the cayenne here is more like a slow burn, like the embers in a fire pit. I don’t feel like my mouth is on fire, but I feel the burn. The chocolate is a little on the light side (remember the formula: chocolate = good. more chocolate = better.) but it is very smooth and delicious, and the roasted yerba maté brings out the flavor of the cacao in a very rich and satisfying way.

I am LOVING this.

So, not only did I order this from 52teas, I also received it in my grab bag, so I’m really hoping to like it since I have 4 whole ounces to finish off.

Dry, it smells much like Malted ChocoMate to me, but with the kick of cayenne which, like it did to Alphakitty, burnt my nostrils when I stupidly sniffed the tea. Which I did despite reading her tasting note. Sigh.

Steeped, it still smells very much like MCM. Clearly the roasted mate, the flavour of which I do enjoy. Unfortunately, it tasted much like plain roasted mate plus some spiciness to me, which resulted in the addition of a bunch of maple syrup (that’s just what I had right there) in order to make it drinkable. The second infusion is pretty similar; although I think I could get through it without sweetener, I’m not sure I will or want to.

I’m not sure whether I’m missing the chocolate here for some reason, or if it’s just blending in too much, but I’m kind of disappointed with this blend. I liked Malted ChocoMate much better, and since I have something like 8 oz. of it, I really can’t see myself picking this one to drink over it. I wouldn’t even be likely to drink this one just for the spicy kick, because Mayan Chocolate Chai is my tea of choice for that situation, because it is utterly amazing. Bleh. I guess sometimes there are just tea misses.

Ok, I finally got up the nerve to try this. I received this in my grab bag. But I am really wimpy when it comes to spicy goods. But what the heck, I love chocolate. Lol, I accidentally sniffed the bag and ended up sneezing for about 5 minutes. oops

This tea upon first sip is really nice and smooth and slightly chocolatey. But then the spice comes out. It is a little bit too spicy for me. It really is good, but I am just a wimp.

I am not going to rate this because I really like it, and it is what the description said. Great job Frank! It just isn’t the right tea for me!

Would anyone be interested in a swap?

I have been wanting to try some spicy teas, so it was a pleasant surprise to get this in the 52teas grab bag. Spicy AND chocolate? Why yes please. I’m surprised this only has one tasting note, since it seems like anything chocolate = instantly popular.

I made the mistake of sticking my nose in the bag to sniff when I got this, and got cayenne in my nostrils. Not the most pleasant experience, but it meant that this had to be spicy! I was disappointed by the spice level in Mango Diablo, so I was kind of happy to have a burning nose. And yes, this blend has a lot of kick! It’s not “top of the mouth chili pepper” heat, but more “back of the mouth slow burning.” At first sip it’s like chicory coffee (which is what I automatically associate roasted mate with), then a bit of deep, dark chocolate and them pow cayenne! In fact, I think the spicy element is the strongest taste here: the chocolate is probably the weakest. You can definitely taste it, but it’s not super rich creamy chocolate. I actually like that it’s subtle, since it doesn’t have a dessert-y feel and is light even with all the rich flavors going on.

Sooo…what did i like about this tea? The spice :) What did i not like about this tea? The smell. I won’t share what the smell reminded me of since nobody wants to read that lol What this tea does do though is make me excited for the malted chocomate that’s on it’s way to my place!
I kinda want to feed this one to my other half to see what he thinks but sadly he’s at work while i’m my tea journey today heh.

Stupid phone ate my tasting note…. grrrrrr

I opened the pouch of tea and and took a whiff and ended up inhaling a bunch of cayenne pepper. Five minutes of pain, swearing and a red, runny nose later I have a steaming mug full of the offending beverage. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, eat your enemies with your breakfast cereal, etc.

The flavour is less chocolatey than I expected, there’s a hint of cocoa but the tea mostly has this toasted, bread-like flavour. Then the bite of cayenne pepper hits you at the end, though it’s not as spicy as I’d feared. I’ll have to do a longer steep next time to see if I can get more chocolate out of this blend.

So this one is Very interesting i can sense the bit of heat but its not overwhelming and its quick to go away after you swallow I am Quite enjoying this tea :) thanks to Tigress_al For this wonderful tea! :)

Steep Information:
Amount: 3 tsp
Water: 16oz at 212°F
Tool:Adagio IngenuiTEA 16 oz
Steep Time: a little over 5 minutes http://steep.it/5%20minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: spicy chocolate
Steeped Tea Smell: roasty, hint coco, hint spice
Flavor: watery, hint of chocolate, roasted
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: spice
Liquor: translucent red brown

I don’t like mate or spice, so this was a loser to me.

Rating: 1/4 leaves

Blog: http://amazonv.teatra.de/2013/01/13/52teas-loose-leaf-mate-tisane-flaming-chocolate-mate/

My first ever tea review from a 52 tea’s blend. I have been waiting to try this for a while and now is the perfect time for me as I have time to savour it.

While raw this tea looks like little pieces of mixed herbs but in a dark brown colour and it smells like a malty hot chocolate drink.

Steeped this is dark brown in colour and smells of a spicy malt drink, not particularly chocolate based. The chocolate does not come out very much through the taste either but the pepper truly is fiery (in a nice way) and it gives this tea a lovely element. I am thinking that perhaps a sugar in this tea may help to bring out the chocolate taste a little more or at least balance the flavours.

If you have had original mate then it tastes very much the same as that (dark and malty) but with an added spicy kick which is most noticeable in the after taste.

In honesty it’s not my sort of thing, I was hoping it would be a tad more chocolatey but I suppose it’s just more of a personal thing. It was nice to try for that something different cup of tea but I think next time a bit of sweetener or some kind will help.

EDIT: I got half way down the cup and thought I had might as well try it with a sweetener (one of the calorie free tablet kinds) and the sweetness is not the thing that I can taste first. It’s now sweet and sour tea which I think is much nicer than without it, the pepper also has more flavour now than just spiciness. I think this will be perfect for the winter holidays. :)

I brewed this with boiling water for 10 minutes and then put the pitcher in the refrigerator to cool overnight. I am enjoying a thermos of it today.

I honestly didn’t know what to think of it the first time I had it. I’m still not sure if I love it or think it’s just really odd. I mean it tastes like hot pepper, chocolate mate. I’m on the fence about mate to begin with and hot pepper in my drink seems odd to me, but I can’t stop drinking it. It is super smooth and has a kick, but doesn’t get too spicy hot. In fact I think I might like the cayenne pepper.