Choco*Late

83 is the LOWEST rating for this one here so far. I have been wanting to try this since it was added to steepster. I was lucky enough to receive a sample of it from American Tea Room…so…here goes!

The aroma is that of a semi-sweet chocolate but certainly not over the top intensely scented. By that I mean it doesn’t smack you in the face when you open the package. there are many ‘husks’ within the ‘mix’. The aroma post-infusion seems to be 33.3%-33.3%-33.3% across the board – Semi-Sweet Chocolate and Cocoa combined with Rooibos and with Vanilla.

The taste is very good…smooth and chocolaty with a little woodsy aftertaste. It certainly is one of the better tasting chocolate-type attempts I have tried and it works well with the rooibos.

I think I am in the middle of everyone else’s ratings. Where I wouldn’t give it a perfect 100 I certainly wouldn’t go below the lowest score of 83, either. My fear was, after reading the other reviews, that this one was pumped up too much and I would be disappointed but that is far from the truth! This is very good, indeed!

Last weekend I had a craving for chocolate. I searched the tea drawer in vain not believing that I didn’t already own a chocolate tea… not that I ever remember ordering one. So, Monday morning I did A LOT of research into the best non-caffeinated chocolate teas out there and decided that this one must be it. I placed an order Monday morning and it arrived at my PO box on Weds morning!

On to the tea… everything about this tea is amazing and exactly what I wanted in a chocolaty dessert tea. The smell in the bag was like I’d opened up a tin of hot cocoa mix. The rooibos is mixed with large chunky bits of cacao husks and is quite interesting to look at. You rooibos haters stay with me. I didn’t taste any rooibos in this tea. I tasted a thin hot cocoa. I say thin because it’s tea… not a comment on flavor. The chocolate was nice and deep. The whole house smelled like hot cocoa. I think if I’d added some soy creamer to it, it would have had a thicker mouth feel, but it didn’t need it. This tea only held up for one steeping, but that is generally what I expect from Rooibos, so I was not disappointed. If you want chocolate, and nothing else, this is your tea.

I love hot cocoa and never drink it because I can’t take those kind of calories on a daily basis… so usually the hot cocoa comes out for the first snowstorm of the season. Now, I’ll bring out the Choco*late (and a lot more often than the cocoa came out of the pantry).

If you think it sounds like I am in love, you might just be right. ❤ I think this is the first 100 I’ve given out. It’ll be interesting to see if that opinion holds over a few cups.

Sweetened with a bit of agave nectar. 2 heaping tsp to 12 oz.

This is pretty good. I love chocolate, but usually it’s hard to enjoy in solid form. I think milk chocolate is often too sweet and creamy. Dark chocolate, while preferable, is often too strong to enjoy more than a bit of. It just seems that chocolate is often too intense. Fortunately, this tea allows you to control the strength and sweetness. How cool is that? Very cool.

Smells and tastes very chocolate-y. But the flavor is not too intense so I can drink to my heart’s content. It’s good without sweetener as well, which is how I prefer my drinks. If they are sweetened, I usually get tired of the sweetness at some point and switch to water to wash the sweetness out of my mouth. I know, I’m weird. I got really thirsty when I go to parties sometimes because few people think to stock water since most people are happy to drink juice or soda or other sweet stuff. I should just bring my own water. Is that rude?

Anyways! Tea! Yes, this is good. I have full control of the flavor! This tastes best hot. When it cools, it starts to taste a bit like wood. Is this because it’s made from cocoa husk? Hmm… I had considered trying this with milk, but it’s pretty good without addition, so I’m just gonna keep drinking it. :) I don’t really get much vanilla or rooibos in this, but it’s okay. Still tasty.

Thank you QueenofTarts!

Superb! This is my first tea by American Tea Room and I am thankful to Kristin for the swap! I really like this…. chocolate!!!!! chocolate!!!!!! And no caffiene such a plus. I am funny with my rooibos tisanes. I just started venturing out and buying some but this is one that I do not taste any rooibos at all. I am glad! So even if you don’t normally drink rooibos don’t let that inhibit you from trying this tea! Thanks again to Kristin!!

Thank you to QueenOfTarts for swapping this!

This smells like powdered hot chocolate in the bag. There’s a crazy amount of cacao husks in here, but I’m sure that just adds to the decadence.

Brewed at the below parameters and it smelled just as good. Upon inital taste sans additives, it tastes like chocolate rice. Not sure why, but it did. Like a very chocolatey rice pudding that was less creamy and sweet.

But add some sweetener and a bit of creamer…. OMG – crazy good! And it’s made even more awesomer (urban dictionary!) by the fact that it’s caffeine-free! I already have plans to stock up on this for winter because this might be all I drink outside a good strong morning cup.

Thanks so much to QueenofTarts for this sample I’ve been wanting to try…

This stuff is so weird looking, I mean it’s full of husks! There isn’t as much rooibos at all in this blend. Perhaps that is a blessing in disguise, I don’t know.

I used about 1 tsb in my small $4 Daiso teapot. This definitely needed 5 minutes of steeping time and I think I should have used more of the sample because it was kind of thin. But this is a little teapot that makes only about 8 oz. of tea. It really does smell exactly like chocolate! The taste is… well it’s interesting. It’s certainly palatable but I don’t think I am in love with it. It reminds me of a chocolate liquor or something of that nature. I can’t help but wonder if this would be better with something added to it. In any case I will certainly try a resteep soon using more of what I’ve got!

Another randomly chosen sample from my box from LiberTEAS! Thank you!

The smell is the most hot chocolate-like of any tea I’ve encountered so far. It’s a very familiar smell. Like homemade hot cocoa! With milk, cocoa powder, and sugar. I should also note that the tea looks quite interesting – rooibos mixed with huge chunks of what look like nut shells! I assume it’s cacao or something (and can’t read the tea description right now).

The familiarity continues into the taste. I’m still thinking it’s homemade hot cocoa, but…. I feel like that’s not quite right. It’s definitely chocolatey/cocoa-y though. Sweet, but not overly so. It’s also a little weaker than I would have liked, but I went with the low end of the infusion range. I can’t detect the rooibos at all, which is fine by me, although I wouldn’t mind some stronger background flavour.

Overall, it’s good and chocolatey, but it is most similar in my mind to 52teas Malted ChocoMate, which I prefer as there’s a stronger, roastier flavour along with the chocolate that just makes it more robust and interesting. Interesting to try regardless though!!

ETA: Second infusion smells quite similar. I’m wondering if this tea is reminding me of DavidsTea’s Chocolate Cake. I don’t think it’s quite the same though. I still feel like somethings missing, like it needs a stronger background flavour to hold up the chocolate so it doesn’t taste so much like chocolate water. I bet this would be better with milk and sugar, but I’m not going to cave…. haha.

Kristin said, “You rooibos haters stay with me. I didn’t taste any rooibos in this tea.” And that was the reason I chose to try it. She was talking to me. I’m the total rooibos hater.

Wow! I’m so glad I put aside my pre-judgement and tried this. It is chocolate and absolutely delicious! Full chocolate taste with no unpleasantness. No bitterness. Little astringency. Not even that awful dusty taste that rooibos often has. Even the aftertaste is yummy. The smell is pure hot cocoa. I will be ordering more of this. Thanks to Kristen’s great review I’ve found a new favorite for the no-caffeine part of my day. Mmmmm!

Cocoa goodness. Try with some almond milk for a creamy treat.

I’ve been drinking this stuff almost every night since Kristin was kind enough to send me some here in language-camp hell. It’s like an adult hot cocoa, and I don’t actually like hot cocoa despite my general love for all things chocolate. I definitely want to try this one in a tea latte sometime. In the meantime, I don’t think it’s possible to oversteep this stuff. It’s good and rich without being sweet. Chocolate tea sounds kinda grim to me, but this is just delicious, and if you dislike rooibos generally I cannot even taste it in here.

The most chocolate-y blend ever. Do not be afraid of the rooibos. The chocolate smothers the ickiness of the rooibos……So far, I have been impressed w/the quality of American Tea Room…..

I got a one-shot of this (again) from a Twitter friend, and this time…did it up as it should be done. As a latte. You won’t find a more healthy hot cocoa substitute anywhere. Well, unless you add vanilla syrup to the latte, which I did. Who cares? Lattes are guilty pleasures…the healthy base just makes it – uh – less guilty.

Full Review: http://www.teaviews.com/2010/07/29/review-american-tea-room-choco-late-8/

Just got a bit of this from TeaEqualsBliss … thank you, oh, thank you …

2TB for 500mL water, lightly sweetened with stevia, no milk.

From the aroma, I expected a thin-bodied, faintly cocoa-tinged woody rooibos. Which can be just fine, so I happily set it steeping. For quite a while in a covered mug — hey, it’s rooibos, and I also had a cup of Assam brewed.

Instead, I’ve got a heaven-is-chocolate-scented silky, medium-bodied cup of bliss. Tastes a lot like a properly-made cocoa, but no powdery mouth-feel. So smooth, almost creamy, and I haven’t added milk. The vanilla is an inspired touch and smooths everything out.

I’m astonished at how good this is. No caffeine. No calories! A puntload of antioxidants! One of the tisanes, and one of the best cocoa-based drinks I’ve ever drunk. The rooibos itself is a tiny bit woody on the aftertaste, but then I did steep it for 15 minutes. Highly recommend.

The loose tea smelled like olives to me! It was very strange, but since I like olives I actually liked the smell.

I think this tea is a pretty good idea (as in, they came up with clever ingredients to achieve the flavor they were going for), and its probably as chocolatey as you can get without actual chocolate pieces in the mix. However, while I enjoyed the cup, I found myself thinking – "if I want something chocolate flavored, I might as well drink hot chocolate! Chocolate is just one of those flavors I don’t think can (or rather, should) be imitated.
To me, it’s like fake sweeteners – either drink real sugar (honey, agave, etc.) or drink/eat something else!

Anyway, this is an enjoyable tea, well made for what it is.

If you are a fan of real dark chocolate, 71% and up, this is the tea for you. I always buy myself a 71% Valrhona chocolate to nibble on, and this tea is exactly that. Deep, robust…wait…is this coffee? When it cooled down, I liked it even more. I have a teaspoon left, I am brewing this in my milk next time. This is an okay chocolate tea, but I prefer Numi’s Chocolate tea. I’m still on the outlook for the best chocolate tea! Thank you Doulton for a sample! :)

Backlogging a bit here, but I seriously have been drinking a ton of tea so this is only from laste night.

This is probably the strongest chocolate tasting tea I’ve had. I’m not a huge roobois fan but the reviews here convinced me to get a sample to try and I’m happy I did. I needed just a few more dollars to get me to the right size order and I had no idea what I wanted to sample.

ATR actually forgot to send me this sample but as I posted in the discussions they were super fast in getting it out to me when I called them and I couldn’t be more pleased. This will probably be a reorder for 2oz next time. I’m happy to find a roobois I actually like because they are few and far between. I’m usually a honybush person for my evening teas.

This tea is among a few other assorted teas that Kristin handed to me a few weeks ago. I’ve procrastinated with trying it, because of the coarse leaf texture and hence the longer steep time.

It’s well worth the wait. The aroma is pleasant, which is similar to a very light hot chocolate. The chocolate taste is very full as soon as it hits your tongue. I guess it would be safe to say that this tea has a roundness to it. (I am reading these terms as I write this.) The finish is light, but has a shift in flavor that is quite pleasing.

Opening the sample packet was like opening a box of gourmet chocolate truffle liqueurs. The smell of boozy bittersweet chocolate permeated the air. The aroma of the brew smells exactly like hot chocolate. One sip and O.M.G.! Chocolate bliss! The chocolate flavor is not overwhelming. It is smooth and well rounded by a woody aftertaste. The chocolate lingers on your palate long after the sip. This doesn’t need additives it is enjoyable on its own. But with sweetener and milk, it is mind-blowing! If I didn’t know this were a tea, I would think this was hot chocolate. Choco*Late is the most authentic chocolate flavored tea I’ve ever experienced and dare I say the best I’ve tasted so far. It is a perfect decadent dessert without the guilt. It tastes so good that you forget it has zero calories and caffeine! I think I may have found my holy grail chocolate tea.

What a find!!! I was attending the opening night of Food and Wine – Taste of Beverly Hills and what did I find under one of the big tops – nothing less than the best tea I have every tasted. I must say that I am fan of anything that reminds me of dessert without all the guilt. American Tea Room had a exceptional booth that smelled like chocolate, at first I though it was coming from the cookie vendor next to them but I was soon corrected. The booth was so crowded with people trying to get a taste and it was worth the wait……. I final got my sample cup of Choco*late, which is what they were featuring at this event and it was out of this world. They were handing out samples, which I took of course and made it the next morning and it was even better.

I went to American Tea Room’s store on Friday and bought 2 bags ….. all I can say is that it tastes fantastic and it is fat free and no calories!

This is a new permanent addition to my tea closet!

I thought I just didn’t like chocolate teas/herbals because I’d never had one I liked, but this changed my mind. Bold, balanced, beautiful.