My introduction to Wise Ape’s Chocolate Hustle tea was a sister suggesting we brew it cold, in coconut milk… all of which I had no idea was even possible but wow, such a great idea for lazy mornings!!! This has since overturned my ugh totally “basic” hot water regimen. I was tempted this morning to liven up my bland, healthy cereal by putting it in here, but the scientist in me needed to have a control group first before I went too far down the rabbit hole testing the bounds of FLAVOR! (Cue that stoned cook from Blake Lively’s movie, Acceptance.)
Overnight the creamy liquid turned cocoa colored, though I saw no obvious powders in the sachet, a la the matcha plus tea leaves trend. It also definitely smells like chocolate but tastes more earthy with a hint of true mint. Oh, it’s a maté blend, that explains it. I bet hot brewed in milk would perk up more flavor. The sweet coconut taste seems to overpower some of the other flavors, let’s see what else is in here. Oh chicory goodness! Hmmm ashwagandha… but I didn’t dislike it like other mind boosting teas. Stevia?! That normally tastes “off” with chocolate recipes but I don’t notice that in this concoction.
I can’t say I necessarily felt Planet of the Apes wiser, but it did boost my alertness during my carb-coma 3 hour block of post-lunch Biology slide shows! I’m learning our bodies can be unpredictable, but fortunately advances in science can help us live full, worthwhile lives. Another great note: A portion of their profits is donated to the brain tumor society. I HIGHLY recommend trying this tea, and that’s not the cook from Acceptance talking again.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Yerba Maté
Where to Buy: Wise Ape
Roasted yerba mate tea with hints of chocolate and mint, blended together with natural brain boosting herbs. Designed to heighten your focus, energy, and clarity.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Isla de Coco from Pacific Tea. . . . .
Isla de Coco from Pacific Tea just conjures images of tropical islands, palm trees, and coconuts. While there is coconut in this blend, it’s not the pina-colada herbal tea you might expect!
Isla de Coco has an unusual mix of spices, with chai flavors like ginger, cardamom, and clove, as well as more dessert-like flavors like cocoa shells, cocoa beans, and licorice root. The result is an amazing, sweet and savory, cookie-flavored blend.
The cocoa shells are surprisingly nutty, almost salty like the sweet-and-salty mix of caramel corn. These flavors pair especially well with the buttery coconut pieces. As for the other spices, there is a little heat from the ginger on the back of each sip, and the licorice and cloves add their own herbal sweetness and silky mouthfeel.
Despite all the cocoa shells and cocoa beans, this blend is not dominated by chocolate. There is just a hint of cocoa powder, mainly adding to the warming, bakery notes of the overall blend. In fact, vanilla almost ends up being the strongest flavor, between the creamy coconut and smooth vanilla bean. No milk or whipped cream needed to get that smooth vanilla taste (though, you can’t really go wrong with adding whipped cream to a tea latte).
This is a great blend when you’re tired of the usual chai, but still want a fun herbal tea with a variety of herbs and spices. Not to mention it has a much-need hint of chocolate to reward yourself on those especially long days.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Pacific Tea
Description: Live life a little less ordinary with a grounding melody of coco-cocoa, vanilla perfection. This caffeine-free herbal blend entices with ‘natural-sugar, spice and everything nice’.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Chocolate Covered Banana from DAVIDs Tea. . .
One of my coworkers ordered Caramel Corn from David’s Tea and accidentally received this instead. (WHOOPS! Seems like somebody over there had a case of the Mondays.) Caffeine of any sort makes her face explode in treacherous boils of acne (she alleges; she’s perfect, so I doubt it). She got a refund. I got the tea.
The ingredients for this tea include “Banana, Blackberry Leaves, Chocolate Chip, Cocoa Bean Shells, Coconut, Currant, Green Yerba Mate, Natural Coconut Flavor, Pineapple.”
Though the tea isn’t currently available, there is a nice blog post about preparing a latté it here.
I didn’t prepare it that way. I can’t even begin to even. That sounds nice, though. If you have a tea on hand that has a similar flavor profile, please try that and report back.
The primary thing I taste in this blend is the cocoa shells, which is like slightly watery hot chocolate from a packet. There’s also a slight inkling of the freeze-dried banana/pineapple, which adds a little bit of a tartness/sassiness to the blend.
Would Elvis approve of this? I’m not sure.
This tea reminds me of one of those tropical-themed parties that happens in the winter. “We’re going to have a boardwalk treat!” the party-owner says, wearing a parrot-head hat and pretending to lean on a plastic, inflatable palm tree. The crowd is wearing leis over their sweaters. They are not sure they can handle the Jimmy Buffett/hula/reggae playlist forever. The basement they are in is not fully heated.
I’m not sure I love this mix, but if anyone ever wants to engage me in a Tea Trade, I will happily send it along!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Yerba Mate
Where to Buy: DAVIDs Tea
Description
This tea is not currently available but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Dark Obsession Chocolate Rose from MarieBelle. . . .
When I was younger, I preferred milk chocolate and found dark chocolate too bitter. The older I get, the more I love dark chocolate.
This tea was a gift from a family member, and it was so good that I put it on my wish list for the following year. Opening the tin and inhaling deeply, I could have sworn I was sniffing a box of rich, fine chocolates.
This brews up to a very adult cup of dark chocolate tea. I have had a few chocolate teas that (sadly) smell like mildew instead of chocolate, although they tasted all right. My husband hates the smell of those! But this one is pure dark chocolate aroma. I am reminded of a tisane I drank years ago that was made of pure cacao nibs and nothing else. The rose petals are more for eye appeal but there is a hint of rose flavor.
The website says that their two ounce tin makes about ten cups of tea. I always get more than that, and I find that most good quality teas can be steeped again. I usually make a steep and immediately resteep, combining the two together instead of drinking a weaker second steep by itself. This one does well for me and makes a very drinkable resteep.
I think this would be a great Valentine’s tea. Chocolate and roses – what could be more romantic?
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: MarieBelle
Description
Our Dark Obsession tea is a blend of loose leaf black ceylon tea exquisitely scented with chocolate extract and embellished with pink roses. A perfect pick me up to satisfy a sweet tooth!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
“Idris” Hot Chocolate Infused Chai from Calabash Tea. . . . .
A tea friend and I rather randomly ended up at Calabash Tea Bar & Cafe last time I was in D.C. The owner of this gorgeous cafe is an herbalist, so the blends focus on the medicinal value of tea, herbs, and spices. It started raining just as we got there, so we decided to settle in and stay a while. I’m so glad we did. We got to try several of their teas and both fell in love with this one (though really, who could resist Idris?). I ended up buying this and the anti-inflammatory Triple Goddess blend to take home.
I have brewed this tea a few times now. I always brew it hot – it just seems wrong to drink a chocolate chai iced. My favorite way to enjoy it is with a splash of chocolate almond milk, which turns this into a creamy chocolate bit of heaven in a cup. Even without any additions, the chocolate flavor is rich with a bit of the bite that dark chocolate has. The most dominant chai spice here is clove, but it is not overwhelming. I’m also picking up maltiness from the base tea, cinnamon, and a hint of citrus (though I am not at all certain that there is either cinnamon or anything citrusy in the blend). The clove, malt, and chocolate notes linger after the sip, with the clove lingering longest because of that tingling sensation clove can cause. This blend can be steeped a second time, though it loses the cocoa notes and comes out a tad watery. Some almond milk fixes that right up though.
Overall, this makes for a great fall tea that doesn’t require milk but does benefit from it.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Calabash Tea
Description
Add an extra dash of spice makes Calabash’s Hot Chocolate Chai a delight!. This organic chai is strong, spicy, sweet and unapologetic about waking you up for a lil’ lovin’ in your cup. INGREDIENTS: The highest quality Assam Black Tea, Cocoa Powder, Chai Spices, Chocolate Buttons & lots of love.
