It was odd that in the middle of my quest for the best chocolate tea that this was offered by 52 Teas….I’d never ordered with them and hey, chocolate! So it was ordered. There were several things I really liked about 52 Teas: The shipping is reasonable for a small amount of tea, which will actually make me look at their offerings closer in the future. Also, their packaging in small amounts is ideal, so you can try without the fear of adding to your tea stash too much. The packaging itself is attractive and well thought out which I also appreciate. On to the tea….
When I opened the packet, the immediate smell was of cacao nib. The problem with cacao nib is that there is a sour-like smell that comes with them that my nose immediately picks up on and sends straight into the flavor profile. After a 3 minute steep I found that this was the case. The black tea used is nondescript in this blend…it almost reminds me of the base that Lupicia uses for their Au Chocolat blend. There’s no astringency, but the mouthfeel of the tea is rather flat. The marshmallow root adds a touch of vanilla-esque sweetness to the blend, but it doesn’t really have all that much to work with. I did take this with milk, and it did bring out the “silk” that is in the title, but I think there are much better chocolate teas to be had out there. What was attempted by Black Silk chocolate Milk Qu Hao is obvious in the cup, but somehow it seems to fall short of it’s goal for me. I will try again with a longer steep and update this review in the very near future.
Flavors: Cacao, Marshmallow, Sour
