So if I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times, I love chocolate… I also love chai teas. Chocolate & Chai… Hmm… throw in a bit of chili heat and I think I might be in love yet again. This is another tea from DT’s that disappeared before I had the chance to try it and now that it’s back I immediately got some to sample.
Dry this tea looks amazing, the bright pops of color from the chili, red peppercorns and lily petals contrast nicely with the black tea and chocolate. The aroma contains definite chocolate notes, with some earthy undertones from the black tea. The chili is present but fairly subtle in its scent profile, it doesn’t scream heat to me in this form so I’ll have to see how that translates in the fully brewed version.
Steeped this tea comes out a clear medium brown; there’s a touch of a film on the top but given the oils present in the chilies and the chocolate I’m not that surprised. The scent profile has changed some… the chocolate notes have deepened but the lily petals start to shine which helps to brighten up the whole thing. Still not much in the way of “heat” but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
The flavor of this tea is… surprising. The chocolate notes are definitely present, and I can catch some higher notes from the lily petals but the spice is quite mellow. It’s certainly there but more as a sensation than a flavor; every once and a while I’ll get a few up-front hits of the chilies or the peppercorn but for the most part, for me, the heat is coming out as a mild tingle that starts mid-swallow. I kept coming back for another sip, just to try and figure it out, the flavor/sensation combination was quite compelling, and the ingredients worked together to create a robust mouth-feel that while hot, wasn’t overly heavy.
What a wonderful tea to have on a cold winters day!
