Crio Bru

My daily breakfast drink since I had to stop drinking coffee for health reasons. I serve it with Joi oat milk, frothed, which helps emulsify some of the fats present in the beans and gives it a nice creamy body.

2022 Sipdown 16/365!

So good. I hope this company is still around; these are really tasty and an excellent substitute for sweet hot chocolate because of the depth of flavour.

Delicious delicious. I love these chocolate drinks so much; it’s the decadence of chocolate without the guilt of sugar! I can’t differentiate any of them, so will just say that it’s very tasty.

This seems more bitter and less chocolatey than the Ghana Light Roast/Cavalla that I’ve had before, but it also seems a bit richer. It was more like baking chocolate than the milder dark chocolate I prefer It’s best in a blend. I tried it with a bag of Celestial Seasoning’s Roastaroma and some milk and it was bitter, but also quite rich. I also tried it with a Strawberry Rose tea and that was a glorious combination.

Decaf & Herbal TTB

I just got this TTB yesterday from AllanK and figured I’d have something from the box before I headed out for the night last night. This is. perfection. in. a. mug. I love tea, clearly, but I wouldn’t call this one tea. It’s much closer to hot chocolate (especially when you add a teaspoon of cream like I did) but it’s fantastic. It’s creamy (even without the cream) and chocolatey. There’s really no other flavors to it but it’s not disgustingly sweet like hot chocolate and I really enjoy that. I’m so excited to try some more things from this box later tonight after I pack up the Holidays TTB to send off!

I probably wouldn’t drink this plain, but it’s great for adding a chocolate flavor to blends. My favorite way to drink it is one teaspoon of this, one teaspoon of cocoa nibs (nuts.com), 1/2 tsp of hazelnut honeybush (adagio), 1/2 tsp of barley tea (from amazon), and a touch of sweetener. Then brew it for about 10 minutes. It has a rich, decadent, dark chocolate flavor that is very different from hot cocoa, but quite appealing in its own way.

I took a sample of this from the GCTTB and was saving it for when I got a day that was a bit more relaxed. Life has been so hectic lately.

I think this sample was put in by Sil. Thanks Sil. I was pretty excited to try this tea.

I brewed for 10 min at 205F. Added just a little almond milk and a tiny bit of sweetner. It’s like having a cup of hot chocolate. Very nice! I can also pick up a bit of vanilla in there. Really enjoy this tea and might consider ordering if they have a good sale on in the future.

GCTTB

I was so excited to see this in the box. I’ve read quite a few reviews about it and was really wanting to try it. Whoever added it….thank you, thank you, thank you!

Ok, YUM!!! I let this one steep and then steep some more. I added a splash of creamer and a tiny splat of sweetener. This is just really delicious! Who needs hot cocoa when you got this? Taste is dark chocolate with some nuttiness. I didn’t find those cherry notes, but that’s ok. I’m happy with what I got.

OMG!!!! OMG!!!! Where has this been all my life?!!???
2 tsp in my perfect mug just under boiling for 12 minutes and it is AMAZING. Yes I added a little sweet and a little milk and it’s amazing hot chocolate. It’s not thin, it had a really nice mouth feel.
This one has just a hint of cinnamon and just a hint of coconut – but those are really in the background. This is just chocolatey goodness.
Thank you OMGsrsly for sending this sample my way. I need to find a place to buy some for myself.

It was my daughter’s birthday weekend (my youngest, turning 10!), so while I drank tea, I didn’t find the time to log what I drank.
I will log this, though, since I drank it last night.
Tea Friends have been talking about this, and I just kept on walking by it in the store…and I am so glad that the last time I was shopping, I threw this in my cart.
When I opened the bag, I couldn’t stop smelling… of course it smells good; it’s ground cacao! But, somehow I was surprised at HOW good it smelled. Like those chocolate covered almonds imported from Spain in the cheese shop…. That good. :)
My first cup I used 2tsp and steeped for 10 minutes. It was really good, but I wanted to up the chocolate flavour for my next cup.
3tsp/13 minutes was fantastic…. deep and chocolately. (I know. 3 tsp is a TBS, but I was holding a tsp, so that’s how I’m writing my measurements… haha)
I didn’t get a bitter note with either cup, which is something I was afraid of after reading the reviews, especially since I didn’t want to add anything to this (trying to avoid sugar and dairy right now…).
I’m really glad I have this available as a night time cup! :)

Thank you to Sil for this sample, that I am only now getting around to trying. And omg I’m glad I did because this is delicious!

Incredibly rich and creamy – not at all watery tasting like I half expect from anything that’s supposed to be a chocolate tea. I thought I was going to have to add milk and sugar to this, but it’s pretty perfect the way it is (though I’m sure it’d be amazing with milk and sugar.)

Smooth, creamy chocolate, with a hint of nuttiness and yes, I can even see the cherry, though it’s subtle enough that I wouldn’t have picked it out without prompting. Not at all bitter.

So tasty. I think I will need to order some of this when my sample is done.

1tsp, 8oz, 96C, 10min.

My Crio Brüs are down to just Cavalla and Pumpkin Spice. Cavalla will stay, permanently.

This one is tasty, but came out ever so slightly bitter. I compare all these to Cavalla. Regardless, I’ve been feeling off tea as of late, and this one is sitting great this afternoon.

I haven’t had a cup of cocoa in ages; when I was a child, my mom used to make it once in awhile as a treat and although I have drank it as an adult, it has been some time.

This ground cocoa is really fantastic and much more delicious and satisfying than the regular powdered cocoa I have had before – so much chocolate in both smell and taste!! I added a small amount of sugar and milk to my brewed cup and it really was perfectly delicious. I’d say that I can detect subtle coconut but not so much cinnamon.

I brewed 2-3 heaping teaspoons in about 6 ounces boiling water in a brew basket for probably around 15 minutes. Later on I used the grounds again with leftover tea leaves from the morning and it was even more delicious – super chocolate tea!! Very happy with this yummy comforting treat!

Now that I have the Breville milk cafe, I decided to try a new prep technique for crio bru. I took 16 oz of milk and topped it off with 2 tbsps of “leaf” and just let the frother do it’s thing. However, as I watched, it just didn’t appear to be blending as much and I feared it would be too weak so I added another tbsp. unfortunately, the crio bru and milk blended way better than expected so the last tbsp really pushed this over from rich chocolate to almost bitter cocoa. If I had to compare it to a chocolate bar, it would have to be at least 80% cocoa and that’s just not what I was hoping for today. Oh well…

Infused for 8 minutes but I have been advised to try a longer infusion for next time (10 to 20 minutes). I used 1.5 tbsp for 375 ml.

Brewed infusion smells like dark hot chocolate. Flavour is quite dilute but I think the longer infusion time will give a better representation of the actual flavour.

Thanks Sil for sharing with me!

From the SSTTB2…following the directions on the package to use 1tsp to 1tbsp and steep 5-30 minutes, I opted somewhere in the middle. I used 2 heaping tsp and steeped about 15 minutes. I did add a touch of coconut sugar and milk to this. It’s way better than the HI stuff I tried a while back. This is still thin, but it feels and tastes creamier and richer. I’m glad I could try this!

Ooh, another Crio Brü cacao beverage! This sample came from Sil, and she was kind enough to send me two servings worth. I’m going to try the first serving with the traditional method of using plain water for steeping. I think I may try vanilla soy milk for the second. Dry, the powder smells sweet and chocolaty with some vanilla notes. I steeped it for 10 minutes in a brew basket.

These are always a bit too bitter for me plain, so I added a bit of raw sugar and a splash of soy milk to my cup. I can definitely taste the caramelized nut flavor listed in the description, and perhaps a tiny bit of vanilla? I’m definitely not getting cherry. Otherwise, it’s a lovely rich and thick cup of cocoa love. Can’t wait to try this with the soy milk. :)

Sipdown!

Yum yum. I did quite enjoy this cup of hot chocolate/pretend tea. Thanks again VariaTea!

I have a stomachache :( Or maybe I’m just hungry. It’s tough to tell sometimes.

Either way, this was a nice tasty cup of chocolate for today, thanks VariaTea! A bit of bitterness, so probably middling between the smooth one and the more bitter one (names escaping me; I will have to look up both names and ratings later). Really fond of these ‘teas’, though I admit I kind of want some sweetener in them to make it more decadent… I might try and make some into an eggnog latte later tonight if I do indeed pick up eggnog with my groceries.

SSTTB take 2!

This one befuddled me when I opened the box. Hot chocolate powder? Mixed with cacao nibs and cinnamon bark? WTF? And a note very boldly stating NO paper filters? Well then. Tea Frens – HALP! haha

Threw a tablespoon of “leaf” in a steeper basket and let it steep for about 13 minutes (aka the time it took me to shower and shave, haha).

Oh. Em. Gee. Dark chocolate explosion!!!! The cinnamon takes a backseat and offers a bit of a tingle on the tail end of the dark chocolate goodness. Mmmm, reminds me of the chocolate my sister brought me back from her trip to Ecuador a few years ago!

This is actually a fascinating “tea” and I’d be interested in trying some of the other types if it weren’t for the fact that Herbal Infusions is terrible. I wonder if I could find it anywhere else…..?

Thank you SSTTB frens for the chance to try such a unique cuppa!

This one came from mj, and I’ve had it for a little while. Tonight I was craving some hot chocolate, so I thought I’d give it a try! Dry, it looks like a course milk chocolate-colored sand. It’s a mixture of larger, darker, flaky pieces with smaller, lighter, more powdery looking granules. Dry, it smells amazing, just like hot chocolate. I let my cup steep for 10 minutes.

Whew, this is rather intense. It’s definitely strong dark chocolate flavor, but I had a hard time drinking it straight, so I added some sugar to my cup. I would be curious to see how this comes out if you try to steep it in soy milk instead of water (I have a sample of Maracaibo so I may have to try that). I can definitely taste a touch of cinnamon warmth. I’m unsure whether I can taste coconut, but I have a feeling the flavor notes described on the different varieties will be hard to find unless they’re all tasted beside each other. Overall, a good substitute for hot chocolate, but since I added sugar to mine anyway I don’t suppose it’s any better for me. :P

Sipdown! 47/365

I’m not sure I ever did a real comparison with all of these cocoa teas, but I believe I enjoyed most of them. This one was no exception, and I had a delicious cup of it (and 2 resteeps). Not particularly bitter, I still think this is a great choice for cocoa without the high calories. Similarly satisfying.