Mocha Nut Mate from Adagio Teas. . . .

This is tea’s answer to coffee!

If you like that full, diner coffee feel, but maybe don’t like those jitters, give this maté a try. Maté isn’t a “tea” as such; it’s a different type of plant (also caffeinated). It affects people to varying degrees, so you might want to try this in the morning so it won’t affect your sleep.

The flavor is a little bit of a bitter zing, with a nutty body, and a slight whisp of chocolate. Mate works on me very much, so I am definitely INVOLVED IN MY DAY at this point. Listening to podcasts*, talkin’ tea, and making designs 100%.

* Where IS Richard Simmons? The podcast about his abrupt disappearance is really interesting. His past and connection to the public is REALLY COMPELLING. Everyone he knows is a CHARACTER — as is he, obviously. I am chomping these developments down like peanut butter cups. Which I will obviously have to then dance off to the oldies.

This tea reminds me of Denny’s somehow. Like when you and your friends are out preposterously late and there’s literally nowhere else to go. So you wander out to Denny’s because it’s open and 1 AM. And of course, because you’re a little stupid and/or drunk, you order yourself COFFEE. Which sounds delicious, until it’s 4 AM, your friends are gone, and you can’t sleep. So you listen to the Backstreet Boys until the sun rises, eat breakfast in the dorm basement’s middle-of-the-road dining commons, and then sleep the rest of the day.

I speak from experience here. I an a connoisseur of late-night 24-hour establishments. Our Denny’s was the best one. It was by far the most beautiful one I’ve ever been to, and the staff was friendly, regardless of the hour or busyness. Note that I said “was” — even though it was one of the most popular places in my town, it somehow lost its license or something (???) and is gone.

I’ll just have to fill in with this tea.

I’m not sure how I’ll fill the hole in my heart left by Richard Simmons, though. Maybe a different tea. I’ll let you know if I figure it out.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Mate
Where to Buy:  Adagio Teas
Description

The mellow chicory-like character of our Brazilian toasted mate is a perfect platform for a favorite indulgence: chocolate! Add a bit of hazelnut and you have the perfect treat. Great straight up or enhanced with cream and sugar. If you’re a fan of chocolate mate teas, we invite you to give this formula a try. Please note that all Mate varieties contains caffeine; we would not suggest it as a nightcap.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Hazelnut. . .Chocolate. . .Yerba Mate. . . Mocha Nut Mate from Adagio Teas

Okay, full disclosure here, I was really hesitant about this blend. I am not a fan of mocha/coffee flavor at all. I switched from coffee to tea a long time ago and don’t really like tea that tastes like coffee. However, the smell of the dry leaf was enticing me because I could smell the hazelnut and chocolate and it smelled delicious. I’ve never had mate before and I hear its loaded with caffeine, so if you are looking for an energy boost this just may be a great tea for you.

The steeped liquid looked as dark as coffee and I feel like if I added a little cream you would have thought it was coffee in my cup opposed to tea! I added just a pinch of agave to this one, and that’s usual for me, but I really did it because this blend includes dark chocolate and mocha flavor- both of which can be very bitter especially in combination with each other. Not going to lie, I was not a fan of this. The only reason I didn’t like it is because it was true to its name- mocha. This tea tasted just like a cafe mocha with a dash of hazelnut and chocolate! I did not finish the cup, but my coffee-loving boyfriend did and he thoroughly enjoyed it!!!

Unfortunately this tea was not my “cup of tea” (pun intended). But that doesn’t mean that this wasn’t a good blend. It actually would have been a favorite of mine if I enjoyed the flavors of mocha and dark chocolate. It was true to its name and the flavors were bold and smooth and comforting. I think that if you like coffee or are looking for an alternative to coffee, you will really love this tea.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Mate
Where to Buy:  Adagio Teas
Description
The mellow chicory-like character of our Brazilian toasted mate is a perfect platform for a favorite indulgence: chocolate! Add a bit of hazelnut and you have the perfect treat. Great straight up or enhanced with cream and sugar. If you’re a fan of chocolate mate teas, we invite you to give this formula a try. Please note that all Mate varieties contains caffeine; we would not suggest it as a nightcap.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Chew-brew from Adagio Teas (Signature Blend)

chewbrewTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Red Rooibos/Mate

Where to Buy: Adagio Teas

Tea Description:

Warm and fuzzy or strong and bold? Either way Chewy always has your back.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

So lets start this off with saying I am a huge science fiction/fantasy/horror nerd.  The horror genre is my favorite but after having kids you learn that watching a good ol fashioned movie like Halloween or Aliens doesn’t fit into your schedule.  I learned to adjust and started watching more science fiction movies with my kids.  My boys love Star Wars.  Especially my nine year old.  It does a mama proud when you hear your son arguing Star Wars with another adult.  Telling them that the best three are 4,5,6 and naming them correctly.  Heart Swells. . .Sigh.

Anyway. . .Today is May the 4th.  So let me say to all “May the 4th Be With You”.  I had this idea to do a Star Wars inspired tea and ran it by liberteas.  Thought it might be fun. So I picked up a tea that I had in my stash for today.  One of my favorite characters is Chewbacca.  I mean, how can you not just fall in love with him? He is just awesome from the very first time you see him on screen.  From the noises and the amazing job done by Peter Mayhew, this character steals the show.

The tea I picked for this awesome day was Chew-Brew by Adagio Teas.  I am going 100% outside my comfort zone with this one.  The artwork is just awesome so I couldn’t resist.  This has the dreaded red rooibos in it.  Ugh.  But I knew that.  Again, the artwork gets me every time with these fandom blends.  Brewed this one up at work so I just used the water spout on the coffee, threw the tea in my teapot, brewed for 5 minutes and poured the brew over ice.

While this was brewing, you could smell the hazelnut and almond flavors.  It was an almost overwhelming smell.  Not bad, but just a bit much for me this morning.  As I took my first sip, cringing and waiting for that first hint of red rooibos to overtake the cup, I was 100% surprised.  I do not taste the red rooibos at all in this blend!!! How can that be?? I almost did a little dance at work but thought better of it.

As I continued to drink my iced tea, I picked up all of the nutty flavors listed.  The almond, the hazelnut, and the mocha nut flavors.  I do really enjoy Adagio’s Mocha Nut Mate.  It has this rich roasted nutty flavor that I adore and I can pick it up in this and it is amazing iced.  The honeybush hazelnut provides a creamy touch.  This would be a nut lovers dream tea.  The whole tea has a flavor profile of rich nuttiness that I can’t say I’ve had too many other times.

I can’t say that I would drink this one again even though I really enjoyed it.  I am just not a huge hazelnut fan.  The red rooibos almond must be a very small percentage of this blend.  So for people like me that really don’t like it, there is still hope for us.

There really is only one way to end this review. . . . . May the 4th be with you. . . . . .