70
drank Chocolate Rooibos by HEB
2171 tasting notes

Michelle recommended a full ten minute steep for this one, so I steeped this according to her suggestion. It smells very much like chocolate liqueur right out of the bag, a definite alcohol aroma, but while steeping I’m getting something different. I’m immediately reminded of a hospital cafeteria. Weird. Why? And then I realized —> IT’S COFFEE. This smells like coffee. Huh? I don’t know where that’s coming from. I can taste the rooibos above all else, followed by the chocolate, but I’m still puzzled by this coffee element. I’ve search all over the internet for the ingredients to this tea and can’t seem to find them anywhere. I do hope there isn’t actually coffee in this one though, since I’m drinking this late in the afternoon and I’d really like to sleep tonight. Even though it specifically says rooibos, I have come across a couple of blends before that say herbal (for example) in the title and they ended up having puerh and black tea in the mix. Definitely misleading.

Side note – I’m so excited to have finally received my first dose of the Pfizer vaccine! Thanks, Leafhopper, for the encouragement earlier this week. :) I’ve felt so behind since I haven’t been able to get it yet. Many people I know are already fully vaccinated, including my husband. I’ve also been especially anxious about it these last few weeks, since my dad was in the hospital and my father-in-law isn’t doing so well health-wise. I was supposed to have gotten it already, but I got sick with a cold and had to postpone. Anyway, I’m typing all this out because I feel super proud of myself today and wanted to share. I have Dysautonomia which causes my autonomic nervous system to act irrationally, so I was very nervous and worried about having a reaction and/or blacking out during the vaccine. I really had to mentally prepare myself for this, as silly as that may sound, and I was so proud of myself for making it through. I came out of that pharmacy grinning ear to ear. :D

Flavors: Alcohol, Chocolate, Coffee, Rooibos

Preparation
Boiling 8 min or more 8 OZ / 236 ML
Martin Bednář

Yay for vaccine! And for you that you have decided to go through even you could have serious side effects.

Shae

Thanks, Martin! And surprisingly I don’t feel too bad today, that’s a bonus.

Martin Bednář

That’s indeed a nice bonus!

Michelle

It could be a coffee flavor in the herbal tea, but I was curious so I got out my other HEB favorite tea, Cinnamon Spice. A large ‘Caffeine Free’ banner is on the Cinnamon Spice packet and I remember that it has mostly chamomile and cinnamon. So it could be there is some coffee in the Chocolate Rooibos. HEB stores don’t all have the exact same inventory, and I while I looked for it during my last visit to Houston, I might have to search HEBs until I find a box again. I like a challenge, I’ll figure out if there is coffee in this or not!
Yay for vaccines, and thanks for sharing that you are proud to get one without incident. Things that seem simple and mundane for some are difficult and nerve wracking for others, you never know what people are going through by just looking at them. It’s awesome you recognize your triumph and are happy with it!

Shae

I would be curious to know! I don’t remember that it kept me up or made me jittery, so maybe it was just a flavoring added to enhance the chocolate. And yes, you’re so right – we really don’t know what others are feeling or what might have happened to them earlier that day or week. So many people juggle so many things. I feel like sometimes it’s just enough to make it day to day.

Side note – I’m about to drink the Cinnamon Spice tea you sent! Looking forward to it since you said it’s your favorite HEB tea.

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Comments

Martin Bednář

Yay for vaccine! And for you that you have decided to go through even you could have serious side effects.

Shae

Thanks, Martin! And surprisingly I don’t feel too bad today, that’s a bonus.

Martin Bednář

That’s indeed a nice bonus!

Michelle

It could be a coffee flavor in the herbal tea, but I was curious so I got out my other HEB favorite tea, Cinnamon Spice. A large ‘Caffeine Free’ banner is on the Cinnamon Spice packet and I remember that it has mostly chamomile and cinnamon. So it could be there is some coffee in the Chocolate Rooibos. HEB stores don’t all have the exact same inventory, and I while I looked for it during my last visit to Houston, I might have to search HEBs until I find a box again. I like a challenge, I’ll figure out if there is coffee in this or not!
Yay for vaccines, and thanks for sharing that you are proud to get one without incident. Things that seem simple and mundane for some are difficult and nerve wracking for others, you never know what people are going through by just looking at them. It’s awesome you recognize your triumph and are happy with it!

Shae

I would be curious to know! I don’t remember that it kept me up or made me jittery, so maybe it was just a flavoring added to enhance the chocolate. And yes, you’re so right – we really don’t know what others are feeling or what might have happened to them earlier that day or week. So many people juggle so many things. I feel like sometimes it’s just enough to make it day to day.

Side note – I’m about to drink the Cinnamon Spice tea you sent! Looking forward to it since you said it’s your favorite HEB tea.

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Profile

Bio

Lifetime student. Lover of books and paper and ink. Kitchen dweller. Aspiring herbalist, excessively proud cat lady, and tea fanatic. Thirty-something elder millennial. She/her.

I love flavored black teas most of all, always with cream and honey. I enjoy floral and fruity teas, as well as flavored or scented ones. I’m not overly fond of green or white teas, but I’ve found a few that I enjoy.

I’m open to tea swaps and/or just sharing what’s in my tea cabinet! Please reach out if you see something I have that you’d like to try. I do my best to update my cupboard regularly.

Favorites
Any and all black teas, smoky teas, raspberry, strawberry, red fruits, bergamot, chai spices, floral teas, caramel/toffee, jasmine, rose, vanilla, peaches, plums, valerian root, cinnamon, cardamom

Not a huge fan
White teas, green teas, artificial sweeteners, sarsaparilla, licorice, lemongrass, lavender, hot hibiscus, hibiscus in black tea blends

Rating Scale

1-20: By far, one of the worst teas I’ve tasted. I most certainly will not finish my cup and will likely “gift” the rest to my sweet husband, James, who almost always enjoys the teas I dislike (and vice versa).

21-49: This tea is not good, but if I mix it with another tea or find another steeping method I might be able to finish it.

50-69: This one is just okay. I might drink it again if someone were to give it to me, but I probably won’t be buying more for myself.

70-79: This is a consistently good tea. It’s reliable but not necessarily special.

80-90: This one is a notch above the rest and I would gladly enjoy a cup of it any day of the week. I’ll likely be keeping this in my cupboard, but it isn’t one of my all-time favorites.

91-95: One small change and this tea would be perfect. I’ll definitely have a stash of this in my kitchen if you come over for tea.

96-100: No words can describe this tea. It’s an experience, an aha moment. Closed eyes, wide smile, encompassing warmth. Absolutely incredible. Perfect.

Updated May 2022.

Location

Alabaster, Alabama

Website

https://www.goodreads.com/sha...

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