Chocolate Pineapple

When I first tried this, I thought I must have underleafed it because the flavor was quite weak. Once I added milk and extra sugar, the flavors really shined. I love the pineapple used by 52teas. It’s so fresh and authentic. I also taste the chocolate and almost a roastiness. This one is unique and fun. I think it tastes best at room temperature. The resteep was super delicious as well.

Okay, I’m one of the weirdos who really likes this one. It fits my personal niche really well. I look for chocolate qualities in black teas as well as fruity ones, and this one tastes like a blended version of a unroasted Lapsang to me. I know I’m being subjective.

It’s one of those teas that taste like home to me. Waxing poetic, it makes me think of the sunset on Kualoa mountains on the beach while drinking pineapple orange guava juice, AKA POG. I know, weird comparison. The pineapple is actually subtle and highlights the finish more than the body, like how you get orange at the end of a Blue Moon or a belgian ale. Mom got that POG taste too. She mostly tasted the chocolate qualities, and same as her boyfriend, Rich. Both liked it. I really liked it. The darker chocolate and earthy/rye qualities made me think of mountains. I’ve been able to brew this MULTIPLE times. More pineapple. This is a very light black tea reminding me of very light weather.

I have a feeling this is a very limited limited edition tea because it’s so off kilter for a lot of people who think the combo too odd. Granted, people are particular about how pineapple is combined. YES, I will eat pineapple on Pizza-I GREW UP IN HAWAII with REAL Pineapple on Pizza-that is Da Big Kahunas using Hawaiian sweet bread. Hence, I’m digging this tea and am actually ready to rate it higher. I’m holding back a little bit because light tea, but I see a higher rating in the future. I barely used more than 3 grams, so I’m getting a lot out of it.

Mastress Alita’s Sipdown Challenge – “A pineapple tea”

So I placed an order from 52teas the other day. I don’t remember what led me to look at the website, I think maybe I wanted to try Marshmallow Treat Genmaicha again, even though I’ve always been a bit underwhelmed by it given the hype. But I’ve had the same reaction to similar marshmallow treat-type blends from other tea companies, so there you are. Anyway! I ended up ordering something like 16 samplers because everything sounded amazing… Sipdown, what’s that? XD

This was one of five teas that I got in a mystery grab bag. I love pineapple, so I thought it sounded super interesting, plus there’s a pineapple prompt in Mastress Alita’s July sipdown challenge! Perfect! The pineapple aroma when I opened the pouch was absolutely intoxicating.

The taste is very interesting. I’m not sure if it’s the base tea or the combination of flavors, but something here is really reminding me of rye bread. Needless to say, it’s a bit odd when combined with the pineapple and chocolate. And neither of my fellow reviewers mentioned anything close to rye, so I feel like I might just be crazy ha ha… Sometimes Fujian black teas have a bit of a caraway vibe, but I don’t see any in the base here.

I do taste both pineapple, which is very juicy and sweet, perhaps a tiny bit leaning toward the Haribo side of things, and a fairly creamy-tasting chocolate. Is it the combination of the two that’s giving me this decidedly grainy note? No idea! Regardless, a very interesting tea. I’m honestly a bit flummoxed at how to rate this one…

Sipdown theme: Pineapple
Preparation: Western
Tasting Note: I don’t exactly know why but this tastes like a craft beer or flight that I have had but I cannot remember which ones. The pineapple brings this juicy sweet note and the cocoa and black tea brings this malty/coffee like notes. This is a really interesting pairing and I like how it keeps you thinking about it. It is an excellent distraction from stress. lol.

From earlier in the week.

This cup ended up being mostly chocolate with just a hint of fruity, sweet pineapple. I’m not usually a big fan of teas that are just chocolate flavoured, but something about this cup in particular was very delicious to me. I think it’s because it wasn’t exactly creamy but also not dark and bitter either, yet it still tasted very rich. I couldn’t put my name on the exact chocolate bar it was reminding me of, but something that I’ve tasted before from a British/European import store that I actually liked a lot.