79 Tasting Notes
I ordered 2 ounces of this blend the other day (after drinking some at my boyfriend’s house.) I then drank those two ounces within a week. Cacao Mint became my breakfast, afternoon, and after-dinner tea. I normally hate tea with any sort of strong chocolate note. I’ve already ordered a bit more!
The mint is delightfully cool & refreshing. The chocolate is smooth and delicate. Unfortunately, the tea base itself is weak. I could never steep this a second time without it being completely watery and weak. I tried and the color was just off, and it tasted like hot water with a little bit of mint and no cocoa. I was rather disappointed by that, but would just add fresh tea and drink some more. That’s PROBABLY why I went through 2 ounces so quickly.
I’m sensitive to wheat/gluten, and this tea gives me my chocolate-mint fix … seeing as I’ve been so deprived of my favorite Thin Mint cookies these past few years! :D
Preparation
This was unusual….. I received an online backorder of Amandine Rose from the Teavana website, an order I had placed as soon as the new teas were released. I had gotten what was previously in my cabinet from a retail store (god, what a nightmare that was) and found that it was IDENTICAL in every which way to Almond Biscotti. I opened up the baggies to add to the existing tin, and paused. I smelled ROSE, I smelled something floral. Something not Almond Biscotti.
I peered into the bags and poured the new Amandine Rose into an empty tin. It had pieces of candied violet. It had little bits of cinnamon. It had things that were different than what I was told. I was told, repeatedly, that Almond Biscotti and Amandine Rose were exactly the same. What I bought in the store was supposedly “legit” but now I am certain they were short on Amandine Rose and just poured Almond Biscotti into the tin and labeled it revamped. Teavana’s stance on sales ethics wouldn’t surprise me on that one. They’re not at all the same.
This tea is lovely. The floral flavor is very subtle, and the almond isn’t as prominent as Almond Biscotti. It is a darker black tea and gets bitter easily if oversteeped. The rose scent is noticeable from the dry leaves, but brewed it fades into the almond and cinnamon. Nothing is cloying, nothing is overpowering. It is a delicately flavored tea, and I am enjoying the REAL Amandine Rose.
Out of the bag this smells like … bubblegum. It wasn’t what I expected, but I figured, hell, I’ll try it! I brewed it up and still got the heavy bubblegum scent. I took a sip and thought, “It’s like bubblegum, Flintstones vitamins, and rooibos had a baby.”
The fruity flavors tasted artificial and somewhat medicinal (like Flintstones vitamins & cherry Benadryl syrup.) I got no hint of the florals because the other notes overpowered them. I’ve loved everything I’ve gotten from NM Tea Co. thusfar, but this tea was just … not at all for me. :’(
This smells like orange juice! Super sweet citrus. I sniffed it once and knew drinking this straight would NOT go well — I love citrus in moderation, but this blend would have been too much for me! I mixed it with some floral Tie Guan Yin and … sigh it was perfect.
The tea carried a nice fresh orange flavor into the vegetal qualities of the Tie Guan Yin. Almost candyish, but not quite! The aroma was subtly sweet and not overly cloying or artificial.
Lovely tea for me to mix into my other oolongs when I need a little bit of a pick-me-up, but certainly not for me to drink straight. I’m certain my citrus-loving friends would enjoy this one unaltered though!
This is a wonderful green chai! I brewed some up last night and was surprised by the almond flavor. It is a strong note in this blend, and it plays well with the spices. I’m not really accustomed to drinking green chais (I prefer mine strong and dark) but this was enjoyable! Light on the tongue with a good snap of spice at the end. I added some raw honey which really highlighted the almond flavors. Good for cool nights where you don’t want the heartiness of a black chai, but want a good spicy blend.
This is Almond Biscotti “tweaked” and renamed. It is good, exactly the same as Almond Biscotti (I heard from someone that they’re using a higher quality tea base & fresher ingredients), but don’t buy thinking you’ll be getting a brand new blend of tea! I brewed the two side by side in exactly the same way and I tasted no difference whatsoever.
Definitely a good, medium-bodied dessert tea!
I received a tin of this tea while suffering from a pretty painful migraine. I was worried that the rosiness would exacerbate my symptoms (as perfumed things tend to do) but brewed up a teapot of it anyway! It was so fragrant … my kitty sauntered across the house to inspect the new smell!
The aroma is lovely. Soft, not TOO perfumey, but considerably more sweet rosey in fragrance than Upton’s Rose Congou. The tea is medium-bodied and quite gentle, and the rose oil/petals compliment it well. Thankfully, the warmth and smoothness of it actually aided in some migraine relief (as well as the caffiene, I assume.)
As a lover of rose teas, this was quite enjoyable. I recommend it to anyone who loves perfumey rose scents & flavors, as well as a sweeter cup of tea. :)
Brewed a bit of this in my cast iron. I put this and a floral Tie Guan Yin in there, and I find that the two rarely conflict flavor-wise. It is a light green liquor and the flavor of cherry is sweet enough to merit no additional honey/sugar. It is always refreshing and light.
So glad this tea wasn’t discontinued to make room for their new blends!!! If they got rid of Almond Biscotti I don’t know what I’d do (… I would probably spend a small fortune stockpiling the stuff.)
Today I decided to try something new! I love this tea on its own, it is nutty, fragrant, sweet, and hearty. I added a bit of cream, a drop of vanilla extract, a touch of meadowfoam honey, and stirred. Holy cow. It paired perfectly with the batch of Italian wedding cookies we had sitting on our counter! Mixing it with cream made this blend utterly decadent!
This is the last time I’ll be logging this tea. I found a wee bit I had stashed away after the discontinuation. :( I opened the container and was hit with the lovely perfumey scent of the candied rose, and couldn’t help but sigh. This is my absolute favorite tea, and I’ve yet to find a good replacement for it. I’ve even been considering buying a rose tea and trying to supplement it with my own candied flowers.
The scent after brewing it just as sweet, but not as powerful as it was when dry. The tea itself is quite sweet on it’s own, but I love adding a touch of lavender-infused honey to amp it up a bit. It is a delicate rose flavor that compliments the black tea well.
It isn’t a complex tea, or anything super special. It was definitely one of my favorites, though, and it’s discontinuation adds to the bitterness I feel towards Teavana’s fruit-takeover. I seriously feel like they’re purposefully getting rid of the non-fruity teas sometimes.
