Florence

I have been shamefully neglecting to log this, despite Doulton’s kind swapping when I specifically wanted this one! I just seemed to keep drinking it at times when I would have had to give a really rushed tasting note that wasn’t worthy of the tea. So, consider this a backlogging x 5!

I’m not usually a big fan of chocolate teas: I figure, if what you want is chocolate, make some cocoa! But the luscious descriptions of this kept drawing me in. First I tried it plain, and I thought: Okay, it’s not bad, but what’s the big deal? Then I tried it with milk.

Om nom nom nom nom!

Oh! So I get it, now.

With milk, there’s a chocolate taste, yes, but there’s also a thoroughly creamy hazelnut that blends in perfectly, and supporting both of those there’s a strong black tea base to remind me that this isn’t a cocoa experience. Cocoa is a comfort drink, a lazy drink, something to sip while doing something else. Tea is its own justification! Mmm, tea.

I apparently was totally offline this weekend. I drank tea, but no logging. And I didn’t do much else on any other social sites, either.

But, wow, Florence should have prompted me to stop by. I got this one from the Traveling Tea Box, and now it’s on my shopping list.

I couldn’t remember what to expect out of it. I just knew it was one I wanted to try. So, as it steeped, I was surprised by the lovely chocolatey/hazelnuty scent coming from the cup. And wow! It was flavorful! This definitely strikes me as a dessert tea, and reminded me a tiny bit of dragon balls. But, really, a more grown-up version of dragon balls.

Yum! I can’t wait to get some more!

While it was extremely tempting to have another cup of Marco Polo today, I decided to go for this one today. This is another tea that JacquelineM sent me. :)

The scent of the dry leaves kind of reminds me of Teavana’s Cacao Mint Black – without the mint, of course. It must be because they both have chocolate and hazelnut. So that would make sense, right? :P

Brewed, you get more of a black tea scent than with the dry leaves, but the chocolate and hazelnut scents are still very much there.

Mmmm, this is another delicious tea! It’s so smooth! You get the nutty and the chocolatey, though neither flavor is too heavy or overpowering, and then a lingering sweetness on the tongue. Yum!

I don’t feel quite the urge to own this, as I did with Marco Polo yesterday, but this is a very yummy tea, and I’m really glad I tried it! I will definitely have to try this with milk and sugar before my sample is gone, because I bet that would be amazing too!!

Thanks yet again, JacquelineM! :)

Steep Information:
Amount: 1 tsp
Additives: none
Water: 6 ounces
Tool: Mesh basket strainer in cup
Steep Time: a little over 5 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: chocolate, it reminded me of a tobacco store
Steeped Tea Smell: chocolate
Flavor: very smooth, lightly chocolate, black tea
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: astringent, slightly bitter very breifly
Liquor: dark brown

Steepster Traveling Teabox tea

MilitiaJim did not like it at all.

Neither of us got the hazelnut, maybe that was what I was mistaking for tobacco?

Either way a delicious chocolate tea.

Either way after everyone rating this so highly on Steepster I was expecting too much. This is a great tea and I will probably purchase it occasionally but to fall in love perhaps I need to tweak my preparation methods?

Post-Steep Additives: none

Resteep: 6 minutes, lighter color and taste but still good

images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/03/harney-and-sons-loose-leaf-black-tea.html

I drank a whole (small) pot of this at a teahouse tonight (don’t know steep time/temp used). Had it with dinner but it’s really more of a dessert tea. Great chocolate flavor with a hint of hazlenut. Adding a bit of sugar makes the flavor sing. Didn’t bother with cream as it was rich enough already. Doesn’t seem too high in caffeine given that I drank a lot and am not jittery. I would consider buying this if I wanted to own some chocolate tea. I would have it again.

Thanks cheeta_pita for the sample! Pretty much exactly what I expected. Nutella tea! Chocolatey and smooth.

Appearance: standard dark, broken, black tea leaves, with minimal stems. Liquor: dark brown – more brown than the red I often associate with black teas. Smell: So nice! Loose and brewed, there is a strong hazelnut flavor and underlying cocoa. I keep searching for hazelnut chunks. The smell is amazing. Taste: This is surprisingly sweet without milk or sugar. The hazelnut is quite pleasant, and there’s just enough chocolaty flavor that it could stand in for a hot cocoa. Like many H&S teas, as it cools the flavor develops some citrus notes that don’t really work with the other flavors. I don’t think it needs sugar, but adding it does make it very decadent. Adding milk makes it a really good hot cocoa stand in. This may be my favorite milk and sugar tea so far. Very nice way to start a weekend morning. 8/10

I have a sample package of this tea and there is no way that I’m not ordering more of it next time I order from Harney! Truly delicious. It reminds me a bit of my other nut-chocolate tea, the Chocolate Almond Allure from Talbott. Chocolate and hazelnut were made to go together, and they work very well in this tea.

What can I say about this tea that hasn’t already been said in other notes? This is definitely a chocolatey tea, and it’s one that makes the whole room smell like cocoa. The hazelnut flavor is strong as well, and there’s something about the roasted-nutty taste that warms me all over. This isn’t nutella, this is those other, better European chocolate-hazelnut spread brands, the ones that are more hazelnutty. There was one I used to get when I lived in Athens for a short while that was fantastic. Anyway, this is exactly the kind of tea that’s made for me, so it’s not surprising I love it.

Thank you for sending me some of this Doulton. I finally decided to have some of this. Dry I can smell the black tea and the chocolate with abit of hazelnut. This is my second cup of this in general but my first cup today. I steeped this up. And can now smell the hazelnut abit more. This tastes like black tea with chocolate and some hazelnut. I think this tea is extremely good.

Delicious, rich, wonderful hazelnut chocolate flavor. Especially good with half and half and sugar. A great dessert tea; in fact, a dessert by itself.

Finally got around to this sample. I don’t remember actually ordering it… But whatever :) this tea is ok. It very nutty. I’m not really getting any chocolate notes. Just strong roasty hazelnut flavors.

I’ve had a rather stressful day today, so I was thrilled when I got a message in my inbox saying that I’d received a package to be picked up over at the dorm office. It was my sample for this tea!

I opened the packet and out came the delicious scent of hazelnut and chocolate. I could have sat there for an hour just enjoying the aroma from the dry leaves.

One hour (just kidding, more like three minutes) later:
I brewed a cup of this following the suggested temperature and steep time— 4 to 5 minutes with boiling water. I opted for 4 minutes, since I added an extra half-teaspoon to the suggested amount of one teaspoon per cup.

I took my first sip. For those who have seen the Pixar film “Ratatouille”, I’d like to point out the scene where Anton Ego, the food critic, has his first bite of the ratatouille he’s served. Time stops, and he’s transported back to memories of his childhood and his mother’s cooking. I basically had one of those moments. Minus the food memory. Time just stopped and there was nothing except for me and the cup of tea in front of me.

The chocolate and hazelnut complement each other wonderfully, and there’s never a moment where one flavour really overpowers the other. There’s a sort of creaminess to the tea, which is lovely, but I honestly don’t really know where it comes from— the chocolate or the hazelnut.

There was a lot of happy, incoherent babbling here that got edited out, as I was sipping away at the tea while writing this note. Bottom line: If you like Nutella or Ferrero Rocher chocolates, this tea is for you.

I’ve gotta get more of this tea. Excuse me as I go and place an order.

I was never thrilled by the idea of chocolate flavored tea, and actually when it arrive with a couple of other teas in a Harney & Sons order, I couldn’t remember what made me order it. This was quite pleasant, though. I thought about adding milk and sugar, but it truly doesn’t need anything of the sort, and I enjoyed it plain.

I don’t really have a lot to say about this tea other than that it is definitely not what I was expecting or what I wanted. I wanted something that was either even parts chocolate and hazelnut or leaned more towards the chocolate end of things. And when I opened up the tin I was sure this was what I’d got. Chocolate is definitely the overwhelming smell of this tea.

However, the taste swings drastically the other way. Every sip of this is largely hazelnut with just a light hint of chocolate in there. Which is obviously great if you’re a huge fan of hazelnut, but I’m really not. I just wanted a hint of hazelnut to keep it from being too sweet and chocolately and this was not that.

It’s a smooth tea though, so if you want a nice relaxing cup of something hazelnut flavored this might be something to try. If, like me, you don’t like much hazelnut flavor I’d advise you stay away from this tea.

I’m not going to score this one, because I knew going in that I was unlikely to enjoy it. I just hate chocolate teas. They all just taste really chalky to me, and I’m not sure why I keep trying them and expecting something else.

I figured I’d give Florence a try because if I ever liked a chocolate tea, it would be a Harney & Sons blend, especially one with hazelnut in it. Also, because I love the idea of teas that capture the essence of places, because I am a nerd.

And I really, really wanted to like Florence — especially once I smelled it, oh my gosh does it smell wonderful — but it’s just not happening, and after two days of trying to force it, I am throwing in the towel. I am done with chocolate teas. I give up.

That said, if you do like chocolate or hazelnut teas (and don’t actively loathe one ingredient), I could see this tea being really amazing. So I’m not going to spoil that for someone else by giving a low rating.

What a wonderful aroma that comes from this tea. Chocolate kind like cocoa and nuts yumyumyum!
Brewed it for 5min. wanted to make sure that it did not get bitter and tasted it. It was a really smooth nutty black tea. I added just a touch of sugar because I like my tea sweet and then sipped again yum! It is pretty good, it still has the wonderful cocoa aroma that I love. when it cools I can taste the cocoa a bit better but it is just the last hint of chocolate. Good but still not that chocolate tea that I am looking for!

What more can I say that hasn’t already been said about this tea? I TOTALLY agree with all the other reviews. It’s nose is spectacularly chocolate mixed with hazelnut. And the flavor is awesome black tea (probably Ceylon) and the same as the nose, chocolate and hazelnut. It just works! Yum.

UPDATE: I find myself craving this tea more and more Thanks to Amazon V for fueling my addiction (she is a tea enabler). Bumping it up.

The dry leaves welcomed me with a “hello” of hazelnut with a hint of cocoa. I couldn’t wait to try the fragrant, dark amber infusion, and I was not disappointed—a true nuttiness with cocoa undernotes—oh, yeah. Although the aroma stayed true during subsequent infusions, the cocoa-nutty flavor diminished, but a delicious cup remained. This tea made me happy!

If I had to pick just one absolute favorite flavored tea – this is it. I miss it the most when I run out, and long for it until I have more.

I ordered the sample size of this since I am in the search for a good chocolate tea to drink in the evening in lieu of eating handfuls of dark chocolate peanut m&ms.

I loved the smell when I opened the bag. I could easily smell both the chocolate and the hazelnut. It reminds me a bit of Nutella, which is not a bad thing.

I used 1 teaspoon of tea leaves and steeped for approximately 5 minutes. I cheated a bit and opened the lid to smell it while steeping and I could now clearly smell tea. The chocolate and hazelnut were still there, but faintly.

The tea is pleasant, very reminiscent of Nutella. I think 1 teaspoon is a bit weak; I can barely taste tea, forget about chocolate and hazelnut. I added a splash of milk, as I always do to my black teas and a dash of sugar. I don’t like the added sugar. I will have to use more leaves on the next brewing, but this has potential.