Your purchase will support Steepster.
“Oh work tea (aka work brewing conditions)…. you are truly so terrible :( I almost don’t even want to drink this cup of tea because it’s just Not. Very. Good. And I know the tea is great. I think...” Read full tasting note
“I reviewed this tea 5 months ago when I was just a wee baby Steepster. Now I must be an adolescent. A teenaged Steepster, not quite respectable and wise like my elders who’ve been here for a long,...” Read full tasting note
“I followed Bonnie’s suggestion and tried this as a latte. It is a beautiful rainy day today. I love rain and most of the time it makes me smile more than sunshine! It is so relaxing to watch it...” Read full tasting note
““You’ll swear you’re drinking a cup of hot cocoa, even though there’s no chocolate in the blend” Lies! (Don’t get me wrong. It’s still a very good cup, but I can tell the difference between this...” Read full tasting note
Game on
This tea isn’t like a chess game of black versus white, it’s black and white working together. When you mix white Bai Mu Dan with black tea, coconut and chamomile flowers, it creates a rich, satisfying, chocolate flavour. You’ll swear you’re drinking a cup of hot cocoa, even though there’s no chocolate in the blend. It’s so delicious it’ll hold any king or queen in check – now that’s a winning move any way you look at it.
DavidsTea is a Canadian specialty tea and tea accessory retailer based in Montreal, Quebec. It is the largest Canadian-based specialty tea boutique in the country, with its first store having opened in 2008.
The smell of the dry leaves is amazing!!! So sweet and coconut-y! And once the tea is brewed ohhh smells so good. I find that when drinking the tea, I taste more tea than flavour, which I do not mind. The after taste is very flavourful though. I do not taste or smell any chocolate, which I dont mind because chocolate teas are okay but not my absolute favourite. Overall this is a gooood tea, I am almost out of it and I am not sure if I should buy more or not…
Oh goodness gracious, I love the smell of this tea. And watching the flowers swirl as it steeps is super relaxing. And the taste – mmm…
Each time I have this, I expect it to not live up to my own expectations. Yet, it always exceeds them. Each and every time. What a surprisingly awesome tea! I’m upping my rating for it (original rating = 80).
Mmm. I love this tea every time I drink it. Just a really enjoyable, not overly-flavoured cup of black tea. The chocolately flavour comes through without being too sweet or too bitter. The only way this tea could be better is if it were called Let This Be Our Last Battletea.
Even with all the hype that this tastes so much like chocolate, I was surprised when it actually did. The white tea base was slightly surprising, but it’s actually pretty wonderful. I think the most prominent flavour element was the richness of the coconut, and then the chocolatey taste. Only steeped this one once, and really enjoyed it with some almond milk. I’m planning on steeping it a few different ways to find out what works the best for me.
I find myself coming back to this tea frequently, and I don’t know why (maybe because it’s delicious)! When I had my first cup of Checkmate I was sort of like “meh”. Not bad, but not terribly memorable. However, I find myself continually reaching for it, and it just gets better and better each time I have a cup.
I am noting that with most DavidsTEA blends, this one included, that taking the time to make sure you have all of the various ingredients included in your steeper in equal ratios makes all the difference. I think with my first cup or two I was just getting too much black tea. After taking an extra minute or so and making sure there is enough white and chamomile hunks, the tea is much more balanced and makes for a tastier sip.
I have to admit: I’m not really getting the chocolate here. It smells and tastes quite strongly of coconut, and that mixed with the chamomile gives it a lovely sweetness that was very fitting for my after dinner tea. But it does go quite well with a bit of chocolate, even if it doesn’t taste like it.
I’ll have to try this with a dash of cream, or maybe even coconut milk.
Hmm, I feel like I must be doing something wrong with Fantasy Island. Checkmate is fantastic, but my two attempts with Fantasy Island both fell completely flat; they were gross and just tasted like black tea.
Hmm, I don’t really baby Fantasy Island – I brew it hot (just boiled) for 4 mins, and I get strong-ish but smooth, coconutty tea. I do like black tea without milk, though, so that might be it?
I’m selective about the black teas I like without milk, it seems. I drink everything without adding sugar/milk to reduce calories, but was going to attempt that with Fantasy Island to make it palatable. Ah well, I still have a few cups-worth left to try and get something good, but have little hope. I should note – I meant it tasted like an astringent, cheap black tea (or perhaps an improperly brewed one).