This one has cocoa husks as well as cocoa beans in it, making for a pretty heavy and visually interesting blend, and has a very strong chocolate aroma. It also tastes authentically chocolatey with a touch of hazelnut flavor. As usual with chocolate/cocoa flavored teas I fear the worst in terms of stale/bitter/just-plain-off flavoring, but it wasn’t bad! The tea itself is pretty light, and I couldn’t really taste the base or have much to say about it. There’s something a little too sweet about the finish, possibly the caramel flavoring that had been added. It’s not bad as a dessert-ish tea, but not among the best either.
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Science writer and a cat that learned to type.
I grew up in a tea-loving family, and tea has always been a part of daily life. I’m still astounded by the amount of tea and teaware back home every time I visit! While I’m most familiar with straight Chinese teas, I’m growing to explore and appreciate other types of tea, including blended and flavored ones. A good blend can reflect the thought and creativity that was put into making it, instead of being too sweet or busy in a way that gives the “genre” a bad rap.
Likes:
-most black teas (even lapsang)
-most oolongs, especially Fujian teas, baozhong and dancong
-houjicha
-straight white teas
-citrus
-almond/amaretto
-coconut
-vanilla
Variable (some are great, some not so):
-most green teas
-tie guan yin
-flavored white teas
-assam
-rooibos
-melon
-mint
-grape
Ratings:
90-100: definite repurchase if possible, recommended
80-90: enjoyed, possible repurchase
70-80: fair to good
60-70: fair with some shortcomings
50-60: there’s still a chance I’d take this if it were free
under 50: absolutely not
Location
Southern California
Could be the licorice. It’s often cloyingly sweet in the finish.
It could be that! I’m not very good at identifying licorice…the last time I tasted it, I had to go back to the ingredients list to find just what it was too :)