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There’s a chocolate bar I used to be able to find in one of the local shops, not-quite-dark (68%, maybe? pretty sure it was under 70) with mushrooms and chopped walnuts; That’s No Moon is like a darker version of that, in tea form. 14 infusions (over several hours; i took longish breaks whenever the kettle needed to be refilled), 205F, 12g, 175ml (ish – i’ve been using a pyrex measuring cup as a pitcher to try to get a sense of teapot volumes; some of my pours were closer to 150, and at least one hit 200). 7s, 10s, 10s, 12s [note: these first rounds were counted off as i fumbled the lid back onto the teapot and the kettle back onto the base; i am probably not an accurate time-keeping device], 20s, 25s, 45s, 90s, 2m, 3m, 5m, 10m, 15m, 15m

After two quick rinses the cup smelled dark, mushroomy-leathery with a hint of raisins; the hot leaves smelled like whole-wheat pasta water, with a hint of old books.

The first infusion was a deep dark red-brown; very smooth, subtly earthy with faint mushroomy/chocolatey overtones. The chocolate starts coming out more over the next few infusions; it never really goes away, there’s a lingering cocoa-nib aftertaste that went on for hours after the session. My notes for the fourth infusion: “like hot cocoa made from that mushroom-walnut chocolate”. :)

Things started getting a bit sweeter in the middle – the mushroom and walnut were still there, but the chocolate was dropping down through the 60s, getting sweeter, almost fruity; there’s a hint, almost an echo, of post-peppermint coolness (but without the minty flavor). Then the sweetness fades, leaving the dark cocoa-nib aftertaste.

The color was getting lighter – still a deep honey amber – but the liquid was still smooth and creamy; I started doing longer infusions to steer it away from the sweet fruity candy-chocolate and back into earthy-mushroomy territory, and now i was getting whole-wheat-pasta-water and raw almonds mixed in with the walnuts and mushrooms. There’s a hint of bitter-dryness at the end – like i’ve eaten too many walnuts – which quickly melts away, fading to that mushroomy-chocolate that lingered for the rest of the day.

That’s No Moon is deep, dark, smooth, creamy, chocolatey; it’s a cup of warming dark cocoa, curled up in a comfy chair in front of the fire with a cat and a stack of books while the world outside is covered in snow. Will definitely buy again.