Black Forest Cake

Okay tasting tea, less sweet than expected. Drinking it as part of the CommuniTea box. It’s not terrible and not something I would go out and buy a bag of. Just okay. Has a sort of salty aftertaste, not really getting the alcohol flavor other people are getting, maybe it’s sort of bourbon like, but not out and out rubbing alcohol. It’s a tea that doesn’t commit to anything.

Back log of Day 15 of Advent Calendar – boy, I’m behind on these.

Light on the tea base, but the cocoa and chocolate is spot on for a chocolate cake type tea. Really does make me think of chocolate cake crumbs once the main meal is done. Not bad at all just wish the tea presence was heavier.

Decent black tea with a hint of sweetness

Day 6 of 2022 Advent Calendar

Adventaggedon Day Six – 3/5

This is probably one of the teas in the advent that I was most excited to try, so I was pretty thrilled to see it pop up so early on. I actually almost ordered a bag of it back when I was placing my advent order in the first place, but I figured I’d wait and try it…

I was just saying to Marika a few days ago that I don’t usually love Adagio’s chocolate flavouring because it leans a little bit too “chocolate liqueur” in taste to me most times and I definitely smelled that coming off the dry leaf. However, I think this is one of those rare cases where the profile that they were aiming for benefits from that quality.

Firstly, let me just say that Black Forest Cake is a deceptively tricky profile to do well. On paper you would think that it’s just chocolate, cherry, and maybe cream – but in practive it’s so much more complicated than that. You need a specific kind of cherry note that’s like a cross between a maraschino, with a more candied quality, and a black cherry. Syrupy, dark and just a bit juicy. You can’t use only milk chocolate because that will just read as a chocolate covered cherry but it can’t be as bitter as straight dark chocolate either, and if you’re not careful with the cream it will over power and dilute the richness of the cake.

So, with all that considered… I think this is a damn good attempt. Probably one of the better Black Forest blends I’ve tried. If I had to pin point a criticism it’s definitely the cherry though. Kudos for not using hibiscus as a crutch and ending up with a weird tart mess because of it, but it’s still a little medicinal. I didn’t mind it (though it got more pronounced as it cooled), but my coworker who sits at the desk next to me couldn’t get past the medicinal quality in the smell/taste. Maybe a bit of sweetener would help.

I’d still drink this again though. In general, I think I’m more forgiving when it comes to medicinal cherry flavours than most people though.

Today’s Advent Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cl16y9KOY7N/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-zqAcS2Uc8

No, I really didn’t love this blend. It smelled good and sounded like something I’d be into but steeped it was super bitter and had a cherry + rubbing alcohol scent. It tasted like hot, cheap, cherry alcohol and I didn’t taste the chocolate.

Not sure if this is the same as what I am drinking but the ingredients seem to match. And I didn’t feel like making a whole new one… I can see where the name comes from. Chocolate notes along with forest berries and such. But overall it’s kinda meh.

I don’t really like how this tea turned out. The cherry flavor is pretty fake, and the chocolate comes through sort of strangely. Adagio’s black tea isn’t the best, so this was just not good all around. Not my favorite tea from the TTB unfortunately.

Steep:
212°F
3 min
Metal Strainer

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: alcohol and cherry
Steeped Tea Smell: bakey
Flavor: bakey, cherry
Liquor: opaque dark red brown

Post-Steep Additives: sugar
the chocolate and cherry pop more, still primarily black bakey tea

Comments: sugar makes it enjoyable otherwise it would be boring, if i had more i might have tried 5 min steep

Rating: 2/4 leaves

Leaf system:
1=Bleh! not again if it were free
2=Acceptable, if it were free or there were limited other tea options
3=I might purchase this tea from time to time, or select it while out
4=A staple in our cupboard from now on, I will purchase and keep purchasing

Purchase Link – https://www.adagio.com/flavors/black_forest_cake.html

Steepster Link – https://steepster.com/teas/adagio-teas/99633-black-forest-cake

YouTube
opening the calendar – https://youtu.be/8-RQEgO6VVI
first steep – https://youtu.be/jdOMTxzlnsU

TikTok
opening the calendar – https://www.tiktok.com/circuitswan/video/7149187891376278827 first steep - https://www.tiktok.com/circuitswan/video/7149190685306998058

Twitter https://twitter.com/CircuitSwan/status/1575887530805067776

Blog Post – https://amazonv.blogspot.com/2022/09/adagio-teas-loose-leaf-black-tea-black.html

Statement of Sponsorship or Advertisement:
I received this product for free in return for writing a review.

Disclaimer:
All my reviews are as unbiased as possible, whether I buy or receive free product. I accept no other compensation other than free product.