So I first tried Teeccino several years back and at the time I remember thinking it was good but not outstanding – though I was happy that there seemed to be a reasonably well liked coffee substitute out there for the people who liked the taste but didn’t want the caffeine/jitters and such. However, in the time since it feels like Teeccino has seen some pretty dang substantial growth and, with that growth, they’ve gotten a lot more innovative in their wellness approach as well as their flavour approach. Plus, the “fake coffee” segment is booming right now! So I thought it was time I take a revisit!
I started with hazelnut because I was intrigued to see it as a flavour offering without being combined with chocolate, though to be fair the “solo nut” flavour thing is definitely a lot more popular with coffee (ex. Macadamia, Almond, etc) than with tea. I was completely unprepared for for entirely the taste of this brew would blow me away. As y’all know I’m not particularly a fan of coffee but I am a fan of a really good, strong roasty tea. Sometimes to people those two statements are at odds, but I am here to tell you that those things can both be true! The thickness of the liquor and the rich, intensity of the roast really impressed me immediately. Whether or not it was the most authentic coffee replacement is not something I feel equipped to weigh in on, but I can tell you that from the perspective of that drinker that’s chasing roasty, earthy and grain-like flavours I felt like I was seen in a way that few other roasted teas have made me feel.
It didn’t stop there though because I think this may have arguably been the best hazelnut flavour I have ever come across. If not the best a close second to the hazelnut used in DT’s Hazelnut Chocolate pu’erh blend. The thing is though that, as much as I LOVE the hazelnut flavour in the DT blend, I’m not a big chocolate tea person. There’s no chocolate here – only the naturally occurring sweetness of the trio of carob, date, and fig. So the result was very much something incredibly strong (as it needs to be to deal with the level of roast) with a rich, sweet hazelnut flavour that makes me feel like I’ve added a shot of the really fancy Torrani coffee/soda style syrups into some kind of artisan beverage. If my tastebuds could sing they would have been pulling off Mariah Carey level vocal runs.
Truly, I was in a happy place as I drank this tea!
