Chocolate Tea

SIPDOWN! also… go me for getting to under 200 teas today. Did i mention i’m going to ignore the fact that i have orders on the way as well as teas not logged in my cupboard living with kittenna and raritea? :) Because what’s in my house at the moment in time? well that’s less than 200…so NYAH! Now to try and keep it going so that i stay under 200 when i get my tea from the two of them :)

This tea? Not so much a fan. it’s kind of like brown water with a murky filmy layer on top. eeesh. Thanks to kittenna for the sample though :)

Thanks so much Kristaleyn for this sample!! I like it!
Though I do think the tea has been mislabeled. Caramel Chocolate would be more apt as both flavours are strongly present!
At the beginning of the sip, I taste chocolate syrup which quickly morphs into caramel. I notice alot of caramel on the swallow as well. There is some astringency but I only notice that in the aftertaste long after the sip is done.
The chocolate part, well I am very picky when it comes to my chocolate teas and this one comes off a smidge artificial tasting. but then, that’s just me. I feel the same way about chocolate milk!
Also, I see what Kristaleyn means about a woodsy note. I’ve seen it in caramel type things before… and given that caramel is pretty much burnt sugar, I am guessing that is where it comes from, the “burnt” aspect? That’s just a guess…

This tea is from my sister’s cupboard – she’s only a fan of rather flavourful/sweet teas, and this one didn’t fit the bill. She had been given a whole box (100g) of it, so when I visited at Christmas, it came home with me! My first attempt at this tea back on my birthday in January wasn’t bad, but since then I have learned quite a bit about tea and steeping times, etc., so I’m thinking this cup will be better! I also feel like I should note that the box for this tea is covered in greek writing – I don’t know if this is a greek company, but the tea was possibly purchased in Greece :)

The instructions for brewing call for one level teaspoon per 2 cup pot, steeped with boiling water. I was just using a mug, so went with a generous half teaspoon and boiling water.

The dry tea looks like a typical black loose leaf tea, with a couple small caramel-coloured chocolate chips. I made sure to get one into my tea ball, but am skeptical that I’ll have enough for one per cup by the end of this bag! It smells a bit chocolatey, but isn’t particularly aromatic. I tend to find that with flavoured blacks and many straight teas, so am not too concerned. Steeped, the smell is of chocolate and caramel… yum!

Ok – this is definitely better than I remember! I can taste a mild black base, mixed with creamy and vanilla-y flavours with a hint of chocolate. There’s no astringency at all, which is lovely. I am getting a bit of a strange taste at the end of the sip, after the delicious flavours have faded. Can’t really place it though. A part of me wants to say cardboard, but that would be very harsh, as that’s not really it. Maybe… it’s a bit woody?

I think I’d try this one again at 1 tsp/cup just to see if I can strengthen it a bit. It’s not really all that weak, but I would like to give it a shot stronger, and given that there was absolutely no bitterness or astringency, I figure I have a bit of room to play around! Overall a pretty tasty straight chocolate tea! I’m impressed :)

ETA: Second infusion is a bit weak, but still pretty tasty! A bit caramelly sweet and smooth. Worth it, IMO.

To me this tea tastes a little like coffee – slightly mocha in its flavour. Its aroma is fantastically chocolately, but as everyone else says, caramel sweetness comes through. It’s a really interesting tea to taste. I like to blend it with assam to make it even richer.