Maté Cacao Amande

Sipdown! Pretty sure this came as a sample with last year’s advent calendar order? Or was that the year before? Or did someone send this to me? Honestly, I can’t remember where this came from. But I was very tired today so maté seemed like a good idea. The cacao flavor is very nice – slightly bitter in the way dark chocolate is, with the almond flavor coming in during the second half of the sip. Basically a tea version of dark chocolate-covered almonds. And I got two good steeps out of it!

Here’s hoping I’m able to sleep tonight now…

Having a tough month caring for my Pachinko kitty. She looks so healthy… Her fur is still so silky soft and she continues to groom herself but I know that she isn’t feeling well. So hard to believe that a vibrant healthy cat has cancer spread all over her body in a matter of months. :( The oncologist told me recently to let her have her little quality time left before putting her down since she is still eating and drinking well. It’s a difficult time for me as I am closer to my pets than people. I think it’ll be some time this month. The second that her palliative meds aren’t working, I’ll call an At Home euthanisia so she doesn’t have to be scared in an unfamiliar place and then I’ll send her to be with my other kitty Fushi who I lose 2 years ago. Thank you again for all your supportive words.

I really liked this tea. Warm, comforting. Cocoa, almonds, very slightly grassy for a yerba mate. I drank it with one of my bombilla sets. So kinda like grandpa style, using 170F (my typical temperature when I drink Yerba Mate) and filled it up all day, no timing… Etc. Many yerba mate have a very strong flavor but not this one. I felt the cocoa and almonds shined in this one. Highly recommended. Thank you Derk!! :D

Mini Note backlog:
Liked this one, it tasted almost exactly like DT’s Jumpy Monkey tea that was a family favorite for years. This one tasted more natural though and I would imagine the flavor consistency between cups would be much better. The DT blend had more ingredients including white chocolate which made Jumpy Monkey slightly oily at times on the surface. I definitely wouldn’t mind picking up some of this when I eventually order from DF. Thanks Derk! These DF teas are indulgent.

Dammann Frères Advent Day 4 (4-February 2021)

I really enjoyed the dry scent, like a sweet almond cookie, which translated to the steeped scent as well. The chocolate flavour is the same as Mon Petit Chocolat. The chocolate flavour is more prominent and the almond highlights. A loved it too!

Edit March 2023: Now that I’ve made it through 100g of this, I think I’d rather a sample in the future to see if another 100g is needed.

Dammann Freres Advent Calendar Day 4 I liked this one! That was my first time trying mate and it was a fun discovery. Loved the almondy cocoa and sort of liked the vegetal part. I couldn’t quite decide how I felt about it to be honest. I’m assuming it was the mate and it worked with the cocoa. But it was definitely present and surprised me at every sip. I definitely enjoyed my cup and would love to try it again but because I love chocolate teas, so I suspect it might not be the one I run to. But on its own, if I don’t compare it to other chocolate options, it was very good.

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar – Day 4 (from November backlog)

I was quite surprised at the steeping parameters for this one, as I would normally treat green maté much more gently. But I followed them anyway, as I’m trying to do with more teas lately. This sachet was in a gorgeous metallic lime green wrapper that made me smile. Dry scent was mostly maté herbaceousness with a bit of sweetness. The water turned a bright green as soon as it hit the tea.

Unfortunately, I’m finding this very underwhelming. I feel like the high temperature did have a negative effect on the maté, as it has a sharper edge than I would expect. I don’t really get much, if any, cocoa or almond here though. There is a little bit of sweetness, and perhaps a light roastiness that could be cacao shell.

Meh! A disappointing tea given how good the concept sounded.

Advent 4.

Imagine, if you can, a cocoa mix… Blue Diamond cocoa dusted almonds, warm cocoa butter, Cocoa Pebbles cereal… not sweet, not at all bitter but fragrant, soothing and mild. And mix it with equally mild grassy yerba maté. These flavors were meant to be together, people. Such smooth harmony.