115 Tasting Notes
At first, the aroma is very pungent and the deep chocolate smells emanate strongly from the dark colored liquor. I added a little milk and honey to soften the kick of the black tea flavor. Upon tasting I was definitely surprised, but a little disappointed. The chocolate hits you hard and fast but its more of a harsh malty chocolate flavor than a smooth milky chocolate flavor. I can maybe get a hint of the strawberry in the aftertaste and the vanilla softens the blow of the chocolate, but the chocolate remains king. Its quite powerful and lingers even after you have finished the sip. I actually found this aftertaste to be the truest chocolate flavor and most enjoyable of the tea. Overall it was a decent experience, but being that I prefer softer more fruity teas and blends, I don’t think I would come back to this. But if you like darker richer blacks, this could be a nice treat for you.
The peach hits you first followed closely by the lemon with a hint of apricot. I have left the tea bag in so its been steeping for a while (about 15 mins) to try and keep bringing out the fruity flavor. This has made the smoother more simple flavor of the tea much more strong and potent. Also added a little honey to keep bringing out the variety of fruity flavors, adding a trace of sugary sweetness to an already sweet tea. After all its a nice and smooth tea that is still able to stand up on the strength of its own flavors.
The black tea is not very overwhelming for a morning tea, a subtle tea (no pun intended) flavor. The fruity flavor is a little more than I would expect for this type of tea, but a nice surprise. I added a decent helping of honey to sweeten it up a bit and it adds a nice depth to the flavor while taking off a little of the bite of the black tea.
Although extremely hot when I first tried it (not a fault of the tea, just Starbucks), once at an acceptable temperature the tea became quite enjoyable. The lemon flavors give the tea a refreshing punch that cleanses the palate without overpowering the tea. The subtle mint flavors are a nice touch as well. It is a little generic in flavor as far as green teas go, but it seems like a decent option if you’re looking for a green tea.
The leaves and tea have an almost overpowering fresh apricot aroma that leaves (no pun intended) a lasting fruit taste. The tea is a nice golden color and it finishes with a good apricot aftertaste, which is surprisingly more subtle than what I would expect from the smell.
