I’ve only ever tried one or two chocolate teas and those have consistently tasted like they were watered down. I guess I shouldn’t expect tea to be on par with a hot chocolate, but a little creaminess would be nice. We’ll see how this one goes.
Of course, the first thing I noticed when I opened the bag was the chocolate. There is also another scent I can’t seem to place. I’ve never tried mate before so maybe that’s it. There are chocolate flakes mixed in with the tea as well as some dried orange/yellow flower petals. I really like the way this smells and looks so hopefully it exceeds my expectations.
The liquid here has a shiny film on top and is very dark and murky. It tastes bitter and has coffee notes. With cream, it feels more like a black tea – I’m not tasting any rooibos. That being said, it actually has more flavor than I expected it to. I’m not sure that I like this one, at least not yet. There’s something about it that I cannot place.
I did my normal pre-steep, but I’m still feeling like I have some caffeine in my system so perhaps the mate has more than others I’ve tried. I read that the mate is supposed to make a person feel more alert without the jitteriness of caffeine, but I don’t feel that way at all. In fact, I feel sluggish and a bit like I just ate a big piece of sugary cake. Oh well.
Flavors: Bitter, Chocolate, Coffee
