Coconut Peppermint Patty Flavored Black Tea from 52Teas

Coconut-Peppermint-PattyTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  52Teas

Tea Description:

This tea was a suggestion from our friend LiberTEAs. Am I the only one who thought the white stuff in the peppermint patties was coconut? I really wish I had some of this with me right now, but it’s all at the office, I’m afraid.

Learn more about this blend here.

Taster’s Review:

Yep, you read that right … I suggested this flavor.  So, needless to say, I had high hopes for this Coconut Peppermint Patty Flavored Black Tea from 52Teas when I brewed it.  What inspired me to suggest this flavor is a chocolate bar that I received in my December Knoshy box.  The candy bar was amazing, and I loved the flavor combination of peppermint, coconut and chocolate, that I wanted more of it.  And what would be better than to enjoy those flavors with a cup of tea … or perhaps, in a cup of tea!

I’m not particularly fond of the dry leaf aroma.  I can smell the coconut and mint and those two components smell nice, but there is also a slight chemical odor to the tea that I don’t find appealing.  I could smell it while the tea brewed too.  I overlooked it though, hoping that the brewed tea would smell – and more importantly taste! – better than what I was smelling as the tea brewed.

Thankfully, I don’t smell that chemical-y note now that the tea is brewed.  It doesn’t have an especially strong scent at all, which I find kind of odd since it’s a supposed to have coconut and peppermint flavors and they tend to be aromatic (especially peppermint!)  Oh, sure, I can smell the coconut and the peppermint (as well as notes of black tea and chocolate!) and it smells delectable … but it’s not a strong fragrance.

I waited a few minutes to allow the temperature of the tea to drop slightly (no need to burn the tongue!) and YUM!  This is good.  I’m happy to report that the tea doesn’t have the chemical flavor that I feared it might have when I smelled the dry leaf.  I’m tasting chocolate, I’m tasting coconut and mint, and I’m tasting black tea!

Yay!

The black tea is a nice, solid base.  Recently, there’s been a conversation on Steepster about 52Teas’ black tea base.  I personally like this base, I think that the base that was utilized previously by 52Teas was a tad too harsh depending upon what it was blended with.  Sometimes, the blend came together just right and the flavor was delicious, but sometimes, there was just a bit of harshness to the cup.  I can’t say that I’ve experienced a similar “harsh” flavor from the newest blend of teas – a recipe that was created a couple of years ago that combines Keemun, Darjeeling and Assam.  Personally, I like this blend, but, I think the base would be even better if 52Teas dropped the Darjeeling and added a Fujian black tea instead.

Anyway … as it is, I like this black tea base with this particular blend of flavors.  The background flavor is flavorful and not overwhelming.  The malty notes of the Assam work nicely with the creamy notes of the coconut and the chocolate.

And I love that I’m tasting chocolate.  There is a nice level of chocolate here (although, as I’ve said before, more chocolate is always better.  I’m telling you, if I ever move to Wichita and go to work at 52Teas, I’m going to be adding an extra scoop (or two) of cacao nibs to the chocolate blends.  And, I’ll probably be accidentally adding cacao shells to the inventory and adding a few scoops of those to the chocolate blend too.   Frank:  cacao shells add an amazing chocolate flavor.  🙂

With the exception of a desire for more chocolate flavor in this blend, this is JUST what I was hoping for with the combination of these flavors.  It’s very yum, and I’m loving it.

Peppermint Patty Herbal Tisane from Butiki Teas

Peppermint PattyTisane Information:

Leaf Type:  Herbal Tisane

Where to Buy:  Butiki Teas

Tisane Description:

What better way to wind down the day than with chocolate and mint? Our Peppermint Patty pairs organic marshmallow leaf, a naturally sweet caffeine-free herb, with sweet organic peppermint, and mellow milk chocolate. This light and refreshing herbal works well as an after dinner treat. With each sip, the flavor grows stronger and lingers longer. Add a little sugar to intensify the chocolate flavor.

Learn more about this tisane here.

Taster’s Review:

This is a really cool looking herbal tisane with the itty bitty chocolate chips in it!  Yeah, I know … I shouldn’t get all excited by something as simple as chocolate chips.  But I’m a chocoholic, what can I say?  And when I saw that this Peppermint Patty Herbal Tisane from Butiki Teas is a peppermint tisane with chocolate AND marshmallow root … I got really excited about trying it!

And OH yum!  This is tasty!

It’s minty, of course, and the mint is strong … but it isn’t overpowering the chocolate-y notes and the creamy, sweet notes of the marshmallow come through so deliciously!   The mint doesn’t come off tasting like mouthwash … with the fluffy marshmallow and decadent chocolate notes … these flavors bring out the sweeter essence of the mint so that it tastes sweet not medicinal or too herbaceous.

What I’m liking most about this is that this herbal tisane is that it really delivers just what the name seems to imply.  The name … sounds like a candy bar (I know, duh!  right?) and this has a very yummy, sweet, dessert-y taste to it.  This is the perfect way to enjoy a sweet treat after a meal without too many calories.  Sure, there’s going to be some calories in this … but, it’s not going to have as many calories as that candy bar you might be craving!

It’s sweet, minty, chocolate-y, creamy deliciousness!   And it is delightfully satisfying to my chocoholic sweet tooth!