99 Tasting Notes
This tea seems to be regarded by some as one of the most chocolaty teas out there. So, being the chocoholic that I am, I had to try it. :P
The tea itself smells chocolaty, with a hint of maltiness and a touch of roasty.
I originally steeped it for about 6 mins, but it was still pretty light, so I left it in for an extra couple of minutes while I let the water cool down to not-burning temperature.
The tea tastes chocolaty, as one would expect. Not as chocolaty as a chocolate bar, but still chocolaty. :) There’s a hint of malt in there too, which adds to the tastiness.
It’s nice and smooth, which I like, but it doesn’t really have a strong flavor. I think next time I’ll add more leaf and see how it goes. What’s there is yummy, but I would like it to be a bit more flavorful. (Could be that I used the not-boiling water at work instead of actually boiling water, as is suggested.) But I definitely like it, and I can see myself having this in the morning (when caffeine is needed) quite often. :)
Preparation
I looooove the chocolate with the chili powder added. Also, a friend of mine made fudge around the holidays with chili powder and cinnamon and it was sooooo good. I loved the extra kick! So with that said, I was really excited to try this!
The dry leaf scent kind of reminds me of Teavana’s Azteca Fire. However, unlike Azteca Fire, this is actually spicy. :P (To be fair, Azteca Fire is kind of spicy, but it’s at a much lower level.)
This is a very tasty tea! It definitely does remind me of my friend’s fudge, though I would like it to be more chocolatey. (You can never have too much chocolate! :P Well, maybe you can… but I ♥ chocolate.) I definitely like the kick from the cayenne pepper. I can understand why others wouldn’t be a fan, but I like it!
This definitely isn’t something I would want every day, but it’s great for cold winter days when you need some warmth. :) I bet it would be a good wake-up tea for the morning, too. :P Nothing like spice to wake you up! Mmm.
It hits the spot today! :)
Preparation
OM NOM NOM.
Definitely wanted to start my day out with my new favorite tea! :D Glad I did! Yummmmmm.
Preparation
I will get my hands on this tea one day! ONE DAY.
I definitely hope you get some! It’s sooo good. :) If you would like me to send you a sample of it once I get some for myself (I just have a little sample right now), let me know. :)
Oh, that would be awesome. If you could, when you do (if you don’t mind shipping to Canada, that is).
There is a teashop downtown from me that apparently used to deal in Mariage Freres exclusively, but switched companies (to about a year and a half or so ago to O Dor). If only I had known of its existence then.
I don’t mind! :) I’ll probably get some this week or next week. I’ll let you know! Do you have a Williams-Sonoma near you? Apparently they sell it in their stores (but not online). I’m hoping the one near me has it. Otherwise, I’ll have to order online somewhere, and then I’ll have to wait! Horrors! :P
Hmm, the nearest one to me (so says Google Maps) is still quite a ways away and would take a complicated series of buses to get to, I suspect.
The O Dor is supposed to be really good, though, AJ! Have you tried any of their tea?
One, in-store (tea to go); ‘Place Saint Marc’. I’ve only been there that once, though I plan to go back (I just haven’t yet, because it’s fancy and intimidating, and I am uselessly shy), but mostly just to try teas in-store (aside from their high tea, they’ve got tea to go, and a tiny little bar area where you can buy a pot and sit) until I find the one I’m willing to commit thirty dollars to (those tins are expensive).
They have a tea-taster and tea-tasting area, but I missed the person last time, it seemed.
AJ – Good news! I was able to procure the last tin of Marco Polo from my nearby Williams-Sonoma! :D If you would still like me to send you a sample, PM your address to me, and I’ll get it out this week. :)
You just made my day! Which was already going pretty well.
Hmmm…maybe I need to check out the Williams Sonoma store in my local mall…I would love to try this tea….
I highly recommend it, Lori! :)
While it was extremely tempting to have another cup of Marco Polo today, I decided to go for this one today. This is another tea that JacquelineM sent me. :)
The scent of the dry leaves kind of reminds me of Teavana’s Cacao Mint Black – without the mint, of course. It must be because they both have chocolate and hazelnut. So that would make sense, right? :P
Brewed, you get more of a black tea scent than with the dry leaves, but the chocolate and hazelnut scents are still very much there.
Mmmm, this is another delicious tea! It’s so smooth! You get the nutty and the chocolatey, though neither flavor is too heavy or overpowering, and then a lingering sweetness on the tongue. Yum!
I don’t feel quite the urge to own this, as I did with Marco Polo yesterday, but this is a very yummy tea, and I’m really glad I tried it! I will definitely have to try this with milk and sugar before my sample is gone, because I bet that would be amazing too!!
Thanks yet again, JacquelineM! :)
Preparation
JacquelineM was kind enough to send me some of this in a tea swap! I decided to try this one first because it smells too good to resist! Definitely smells like a good tea for this icky, rainy day! It really does smell like strawberry shortcake. YUM.
Brewed, this tea still smells delicious, but not as much like strawberry shortcake as the dry leaves do. There’s definitely black tea in there with a hint of fruity. It kind of smells like what Thomas Sampson tastes like, but with fruit too. YUM.
Since I rarely put anything in my tea, I decided to try this first without adding anything.
:sip: OH. MY. GOD. This tea is delicious! It’s like… PERFECT. Even without anything in it. It’s got a light flavor, with a little bit of sweetness and fruitiness. It’s the perfect balance between the flavoring and the tea itself, and it’s just heaven!!
Unfortunately, I think this means I’ll have to buy it now. :P Goodbye, sweet monies! Hello, delicious tea! :D
Thanks again, JacquelineM! I LOVE IT. ♥
Preparation
Yum! I was about to go for a complete repeat of yesterday’s tea selections with Mighty Leaf’s Kyoto Rice, but I decided to go for this one instead, and I’m glad I did! Light and refreshing. Exactly what I needed after a lunch out! :)
