94

How am I the first to write a tasting note for this one?!? Another from Octavia Tea… thanks so much! I was intrigued by this one and for good reason. I have no idea how bergamot works so well with chocolate, but it just does. Maybe it’s like those chocolate oranges. They seem like an odd combination, but they work. There are so many chocolate chips in the blend… BIG chocolate chips. Also plenty of rose petals. So not a lot of room for the black tea leaves, at least in my sample. For that reason the color of the brew looks more like a milk chocolate than a dark chocolate but the flavor is divine. Plenty of that chocolate melted. But there is also a lovely bergamot, sweet, that pairs very well with the chocolate. Basically the perfect type of bergamot that will work with chocolate. I’m not tasting very much rose from the petals, but it’s fine with me if I’m tasting mostly bergamot and chocolate. Also included is some carob, that gives it that extra level of flavor, a nice tang of bittersweet. I like that the base tea is Chinese black tea… if I had to say which base is most like chocolate on its own, I would say a Chinese black. So it’s a good choice here. All of the ingredients really compliment each other. The second cup was just as delicious, probably allowing the chocolate chips to melt the rest of the way. If you like Lupicia’s Earl Grey Chocolat, you’d probably like this. (Incidentally, to make sure I had the name correct on the Lupicia, I noticed I also gave that tea a rating of 94.) This cup is quite the indulgence, absolutely delicious, a dainty appreciative slow sipper. A favorite from Octavia, definitely.
Steep #1 // 2 teaspoons for a full mug // 19 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 4-5 minute steep

Flavors: Bergamot, Chocolate

Kittenna

When you mentioned rose petals, I immediately thought of DavidsTea’s Earl of Chocolate. I bet they’re similar blends – I adore that one. I do have a chocolate EG from Upton that I believe is just chocolate + bergamot. Can’t recall my thoughts on it though.

tea-sipper

I don’t think I’ve tried either one of those teas. But up until last year, I wouldn’t have sought out the chocolate/bergamot combination… much like I avoided chocolate oranges forever and then thought the one I eventually tried was really good.

Martin Bednář

Chocolate and bergamot? Weird but apparently working good.

gmathis

Sounds wonderful! I’m always looking for an EG that isn’t an EG!

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Kittenna

When you mentioned rose petals, I immediately thought of DavidsTea’s Earl of Chocolate. I bet they’re similar blends – I adore that one. I do have a chocolate EG from Upton that I believe is just chocolate + bergamot. Can’t recall my thoughts on it though.

tea-sipper

I don’t think I’ve tried either one of those teas. But up until last year, I wouldn’t have sought out the chocolate/bergamot combination… much like I avoided chocolate oranges forever and then thought the one I eventually tried was really good.

Martin Bednář

Chocolate and bergamot? Weird but apparently working good.

gmathis

Sounds wonderful! I’m always looking for an EG that isn’t an EG!

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Hi! I love tea and trying new ones – it adds a bit of variety to my day! Books, music, TV & movies are my thing… and tea, of course.

Some of my favorite tea shops (still operating):
birdandblendtea.com
teavivre.com
52teas.com
svtea.com
whisperingpinestea.com
justea.com
harney.com
Dammann Freres
fusionteas.com
Javateaco.com
Lupicia
Octaviatea.com
Davidstea
eco-cha.com
what-cha.com
singleoriginteas.com
teasenz.com
tealyra.com
Mandala
verdanttea.com

Favorite tea shops (RIP):
butikiteas.com
steapshoppe.com
steepcityteas.com
aquartertotea.com
dellaterrateas.com
zentealife.com
angrytearoom.com
theteamerchant.net
joysteaspoon.com
tealiciousllc.com
Rivertea
Specialteas

My icon photo is Richard Mayhew from the graphic novel ‘Neverwhere’ by Neil Gaiman, Mike Carey & Glenn Fabry.

Most of the teas listed in my cupboard are actually sample sizes. I don’t really have 2,000 ounces of tea around here! Many of my teas have only one teaspoon left… maybe two. But I like keeping them in my cupboard list for reference to what I could be sipping. Usually, I write tasting notes once for each tea. I’m still drinking them, just not writing tasting notes each time!

I’m always in search of: Hattialli, Qu Hao black, Jin Jun Mei, teas using marshmallow root.

My dislikes: hibiscus, ginger (unless in chai), turmeric, bee pollen, charcoal type flavors

My ratings:
95-100 – Super awesome deliciousness favorites – cupboard essential
80-95 – Also pretty delicious
65-80 – Pretty good
50-65 – Okay
1-50 – Probably won’t want to sip it again

I’m planning on being a Steepsterer as long as there IS a Steepster, so if you’re not hearing from me, that means something happened to my health… if you know what I mean. (Or as evidenced by the great computer hiatus of 2019, something happened to my computer… I have a dumb phone so can’t access internet on that. As of 12/20/21 my wifi might start getting unreliable.)

Happy sipping!

Location

USA

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