drank Inka Chokolade by Tante-T
316 tasting notes

Courtney very kindly shared some of this tea with me, and I’ve been waiting to try it till the time felt right. Now it’s a Friday morning, I have the day off, and I’ve retreated back to my bed with some homemade muffins and some schoolwork. Enter this tea!

(As a side note, I was actually a little hesitant after smelling the dry leaf, because something about it was a smidge off-putting. I think it’s the barley malt.)

…well, I was so caught up in my reading that I oversteeped my tea by about 10 minutes. I was kicking myself for not doing this sample justice until I tasted it. Because… it still tastes delicious. That odd scent note I caught in the dry leaf is not present in the taste. It’s rich and deep and chocolatey, almost unctuous, but in a good way. I’m definitely tasting the ginger and black pepper, probably more than I would have with a normal-length steep, but they add a pleasant spiciness to the dark chocolate flavor. The base is remarkably muted for such a long steep.

I won’t rate this one yet because I didn’t do it justice and I still have at least one more serving’s worth of leaf. I’ll be savoring that cup and paying better attention!

Flavors: Black Pepper, Dark Chocolate, Ginger

Courtney

I’m so happy it turned out, even with the long steep! :)

Kelmishka

Me too. Thank you for sharing!

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Comments

Courtney

I’m so happy it turned out, even with the long steep! :)

Kelmishka

Me too. Thank you for sharing!

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Bio

I was an anxious child who didn’t like change, so when my parents flew across the country for my grandfather’s wedding and left us kids with my aunt and uncle, I was a nervous wreck. Our first night at their house was tough. I couldn’t sleep, so I got up and padded into the kitchen, where my aunt was puttering around. She could tell I was distressed and offered to make me a cup of tea. It was just Celestial Seasonings’ peppermint tea, but it was exactly what I needed. The tea itself, the comfort it represented, the ritual of making it… I was enchanted. I’ve loved tea ever since.

I’m partial to strong, intense flavors and prefer loose-leaf to bagged, but I also appreciate the convenience of bags and sachets. I mostly drink my tea straight but once in a blue moon I’ll add a little plant-based milk, generally oat.

I live in Maryland, USA, with my partner, three dogs, and one cat, and I’m an editor at an animal welfare nonprofit. I use she/her pronouns. I’ve actually been a Steepster reader for years and years, but only started posting in late 2021. :)

When I’m not drinking tea (or sometimes WHILE I’m drinking tea!) I’m reading, rewatching comfort shows on Netflix, going for a run, knitting, embroidering, hiking, or puttering in the garden. You can find me on Instagram at @kelmishka. (My account is private, but feel free to send a request!)

Favorite ingredients, flavors, etc.

Maple (all-time fave flavor!), vanilla, caramel, and all things dessert-y

Jasmine, lavender, violet, and most floral flavors

Most spices, although I go through phases and sometimes get bored of generic-feeling winter spice blends

Most fruity flavors

Matcha and other vegetal flavors

Not-so-favorite ingredients, flavors, etc.

Bergamot (I tolerate it, but it just doesn’t do it for me)

Hibiscus

Overly artificial flavors (banana, coconut, mango)

Overly herbacious blends, although this varies!

Stevia, monkfruit, and other sugar-alternative sweeteners — blech

Chocolate — it’s hard to get it right in tea, though I love real chocolate!

Animal products, including honey (long-time vegan checking in!)

My ratings

90-100: The best! Will almost definitely repurchase.

75-90: Really good, and potentially worthy of a restock.

60-75: Decent, if not terribly memorable.

50-60: In the “meh” range, but possibly for personal taste reasons.

35-50: I’m not a fan, and this is not very good tea.

20-35: Varying degrees of bad.

1-20: Actively bad. Like really bad. I can’t imagine anyone disagreeing.

Location

Maryland, USA

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