Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Aka Tea

Tea Description:

This blend is a passionate embrace. A spicy, warm feeling will spread from your head to your toes. Red-hot chili flakes are chaperoned by dark cherry, chocolate, and a hint of cinnamon. If this tea doesn’t inspire you to embrace the moment, then what will? Don’t forget to embrace life! 

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

Aka Tea is one of my new favorite tea shops.  They hand blend and create their blends.  Something I’m learning I really enjoy and respect from tea shops.  Their teas are bright and pop with flavor.  This one is no exception.

Embrace Me is a black flavored tea with a unique twist.  Chili flakes, dark cherry, chocolate, and cinnamon flavors make up this blend with a black tea base.  I have never had a tea with this sort of ingredient line up before and you can smell each individual ingredient from the dry leaves.  A very interesting combination!

I brewed this tea up like a black tea- 212F-2 1/2 min and worked on a few projects while this steeped.  When I would get close, I would get a sweet aroma emitting from the tea pot.

After the tea had steeped, I poured a mug for myself and continued working on my projects.  I took my first sip and was greeted with a sweet chocolate cherry like flavor. I didn’t get any of the chili flakes or the cinnamon flavor.  Just a chocolate covered cherry flavor.  So sweet and decadent.  This steeping really curved my sweet tooth flavor.  This cup was gone in no time so I decided to make another cup with fresh leaves thinking I may not have shaken the pouch up enough to get all the flavors.  I repeated my last routine but steeped this for 3 min and brought the water to 212F.

This time tho, from the first start of this tea prep, I could smell the chili flakes.  Took my first sip and yes this tea was completely different than the cup I had just had.  This tea was spicy hot.  Like so hot that the chili flakes was the only flavor I could pick up.  All the other ingredients were muted and I ended up sadly tossing this cup.  I just couldn’t do it. The chili flakes just were too dominating. I couldn’t imagine what the flavor would be if you allowed this to steep longer.

I love the idea of this tea, but not sure I am on board with the actual taste.  The first cup I had was fantastic! The chocolate didn’t have the artificial flavor that I’m used to with chocolate teas and the cherry flavor brought a slight sweetness.  Just delicious.  But I think this tea needs a bit more experimenting on my end to see if there is a way to enjoy the chili flakes.  That or maybe I just need to find this delight a new home.