Chocolate Chamomile Curiosity Brew

Alright…so i picked this tea out today to take a work break and practice using a gaiwan with. I figured it would be forgiving and would really just let me practice a little with handling the gaiwan. I have a bunch of reserve teas from verdant as well as some other teas that I really want to try brewing gongfu instead of my usual western brew. I wasn’t originally as much as fan of this, the first go round as others…but i think the blend is growing on me. On a side note, I am for sure going to do up a cold brew of this as well just to check it out!

First few steeps were mostly mint and chamomille..the chocolate didn’t hit until later. Bumping the rating up on this one a little because as the tea is run through it’s steepings, it changes and becomes a nice little gem that I quite enjoy. Need to add that uh…this gongfu thing is going to take a bit of practice but i’ll get there haha

I really like this tea. The mint is so refreshing while the chamomile is calming. I probably should have chosen it for later in the evening as I could use more caffeine right now. Gonna sip all night!

Shut the door!

I mean really, I would never have guessed that the yammy Laoshan Black Tea that I LOVE could taste any better…and with mint?!
How in earth is it possible that these two flavors, and all the other abracadabra alchemic additions here-to-with inside-eth this tea are workin “a spell on me”! Oh yeh!

All I was doing was mindin my own business. I received a package from Verdant today (choir sings) with two (2) of the new tea’s. I can’t review them yet because they are NOT listed on Steepster. I shot a quick note to Mr. David at Verdant “HELLOOOO, I would like to write about your tea.” And, in the meantime, I was snakin on some dry goat cheese and steamin some cauliflower in Lapsang Souchong (you know that I do). Why not, smells good.
There was this OTHER packet of alchemy blend to try in my box today. Verdant got me! Got me again! “Uncle!” I cried on this alchemy blend!

I steeped this little gem 4 minutes. I wanted to take a spoon and eat it like cake it smelled so good. I imagine the gremlins at Verdant were rolling on their backs laughing!
“Got another one in Colorado!” they giggled along with the cats. The bakery spice cakeness of the Laoshan Black with the gentle mint cooling everything down…and then cocoa so natural and warm…teases me…laughs at me…and throws me a shot of fennel like a point of light at the end. The Chamomile is a hug. It surrounds all the flavors and keeps everything together in lightness. What a cuppa!

I have to get more of this. More and more. And more!

Crazy. I still can’t believe that I like this one, given that it has my three top despised ingredients in it! It’s a bit overly minty for me tonight, but I’m still appreciating the absolutely amazing chocolatey base and flavour combination. The aftertaste is absolutely to die for here (I think it’s primarily Laoshan Black that I’m tasting). I’m really not getting the cinnamon in here tonight, unfortunately, but it’s enjoyable nonetheless.

What is this delicious concoction?! dark chocolate mint and chamomile??? I think this is tea heaven.
Well… colour me impressed! this is amazing. SO worth the investment.
At first sip, I tasted mostly mint and some chamomile and I was thinking… where is the chocolate? but wait for it, the cocoa builds and by the time you are halfway through the cup, dark chocolate sings like a bird true and clear. Really good chocolate mind you. Like that 75% cocoa bar you get at specialty shops. Wow.
Soon, by the time I finished one sip, my tongue was crying out for MOAR MOAR NOW!! and it’s not very often I find a brew like that.
Second steep was great as well but not as sparkly. Third steep… well I never found out because our kettle broke at work. We are supposed to have a new one by Monday.
I am in love with this tea. Might even be a cupboard staple. Thank you, David Duckler/Verdant for your genius innovation!
Rating: 98

Going on the shopping list! Verdant never disappoints! I too, like other steepsters do not really care for a few of the flavor components in this tea yet masterfully blended by Verdant with their fairy dust, I love this!
Chocolate that just swarms the senses, a light but not over whelming mint, chamomile that knows its place, and joined when cooling by marigold that leaves you smiling!
The light sparkly nature of this tea makes you almost think you are drinking chocolate champagne!
GAWD!
Thank you Kyrstalyen! Dang I will be getting this as soon as my tea budget allows!

I was looking through my stash and realized I haven’t yet tried this one though I requested a sample of it with my last order. I’ve wanted to try this one for a while because I love the idea of Verdant doing a chocolate Alchemy blend, although to be honest I wasn’t totally sure about all the other odds and ends. I mean, I’m not a huge mint tea person, and I never seek out chamomile, but I was intrigued all the same. I figured this morning the black tea could help me wake up and the chamomile and mint can help calm my nerves and stress of moving.

A quick sniff of the dried leaf yields a minty and herby aroma. I started out intending to steep this with different parameters but once I saw the steeping instructions in the description here I was able to pull up and adjust before actual steeping. The steeped tea has a really interesting smell. First I get mint with perhaps a light, hayish, appley chamomile accompaniment. But then some serious chocolatey aromas come out to play. It’s definitely a little chocolate-minty in the aroma.

The combo of flavors in this tea reminds me a bit of an Andean herbal blend I got in Argentina, if it had a chocolately black tea base instead of being an herbal. That’s a good thing because that tea is also one I liked way more than I thought I would. This tea is slightly sweet, chocolately, minty, and a bit fruity (I always think chamomile tastes appley). It all works really well together. And it is having the added benefit of making me feel alert as well as calming my nerves. A good choice for this morning!

My taste buds are a bit off due to sick, but woah! The chocolate and chamomile are so interesting together. At first I went sip…sip…what the heck does this taste like…
And then I thought, oh it tastes like the name! The tea smells very dark chocolate and as it cools I’m definitely tasting mint.

This has been in my cupboard for quite some time. I’m not really hoarding it, it’s just not that exciting of a blend for me.
I love Big Red robe, I love Laoshan black, I love chocolate, I don’t mind a little chamomile. I want to like this blend. But for me, it’s just ok. I drank the first 2 steepings plain (2 min, then 3) & on the 3rd steeping I tried a little honey. :P meh…
I have enough to drink it one more time, which I plan to do soon, & I think I’ll up the first steep to 3 minutes, as it just doesn’t seem all that exciting (I already upped the amount of tea to a Tbl).

MY WORD! What is this CRAZY Concoction!? I LOVE Concoctions!!!!

It smells like Adagio’s Foxtrot (but better) with cinnamon, chocolate, black and oolong teas – more specifically – Red Robe and that quesi-charcoally aroma of a oolong, and various other flowers and gentle herbs!

And THAT’S just the aroma!

On to the taste…

Chocolate at first, then chamomile, then mint. The mint lingers. Then Cinnamon. The cinnamon is more subtle than the previous noteable ingredients but it lingers very nicely. Then I taste various other flowers, then more mint, then a bit of herbal-likeness, THEN more chocolate – but a sweeter chocolate, then a creamy-type-texture…then a charcoally type oolong, then more chocolate (but a more dark chocolate taste), and – if that wasn’t enough – a chamomile/cream/chocolate/cinnamon/mint/Flavor Combo! Very interesting, indeed! The aftertaste is a neat sugary/powdery cocoa powder type texture and flavor, too! The after-AFTER-taste is a gentle mint! WOW! This is involved but fun and super tasty!

I really like this and appreciate everything that went into it!!!! Excellent!