Hmmm…this is pretty good! Thanks, Stephanie, for this sample! When I steeped this up, I was a little worried, because it smelled like the chocolate malt honeybush tea that didn’t reblend well. Probably has some of the same flavoring. Fortunately, this tasted good! I definitely get chocolate malt flavor, and maybe a little banana. It’s pretty smooth too. I steeped it at 190 degrees for 5 minutes. This is my first mate, so we’ll see what kind of effect it has, if any. Definitely doesn’t have that tea taste…more like an herbal, which turns me off a little. I like having that tea taste in the morning, and with the energy boost of mate, this has to be a morning tea for me. Not sure if I’d pick up more, but I’m glad I got to try a mate, and even happier that it tastes like it’s name implies!
This is You :-D
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Bio
Another profile facelift! My tastes have changed a lot from when I first discovered loose leaf tea.
I can trace my tea journey back to October 2012, when I discovered DavidsTea. Before that, I had the occasional cup and enjoyed high tea at An Afternoon to Remember, which has since closed.
I went through a period of wanting to try all the teas, and was really into flavored teas, especially dessert blacks, but my tastes have substantially changed over time.
I still enjoy the occasional flavored black or rooibos, but I’m more into unflavored black teas right now and recently, puerh. Chinese black teas are amazing…with their notes of chocolate or sweet potato, who needs a flavored tea? I had a much steeper learning curve when it came to puerh. I used to dump out cups of puerh for tasting like leather. Now, I am really enjoying them. I think it took finding good quality puerh and steeping them gong fu style to really enjoy them.
I also, on occasion, enjoy a good oolong, white, or green tea.
Favorite tea companies right now include: Mandala, Teavivre, Butiki, Golden Moon, Lupicia, and DavidsTea (for teaware mostly).
Just a note: I don’t rate my teas numerically because my iPad doesn’t like the scroll bar. Maybe someday that will change…hint hint, steepster! ;)
P.S. My profile picture is of one of my 2 cats, Holly, who is a little princess but very photogenic, and she loves boxes, including those that bring me tea! :)
Location
San Francisco Bay Area
I get banana too!
Oh wow your first mate! :)
Ya, my first! I didn’t notice any crazy caffeine boost, so I guess I can handle it!