This has been my morning brew for the past several days and it serves that purpose well in terms of what I look for — full flavor, decent body, dark, robust, high caffeine but not so much that I get the zoomies.
The aroma of the dry leaf is overpoweringly boozy, like a chocolate liqueur mixed with amaretto. It reminds me a lot of Silencio’s aroma. The leaf itself is very chopped. It’s uniform in size with the cocoa husks.
Steeped up, the boozy aroma is still strong and it transfers lightly into the mouth as a much more pleasant undercurrent of amaretto. The sip is thin but it really thickens up in the back of the mouth with an impression of creaminess from the Assam black tea base. I have a hard time figuring out if the cocoa husks and/or flavoring are the main culprits for the cocoa flavor or if it’s part of the base tea but it’s present mid-mouth along with dense maltiness and the citrusy and rye-reminiscent high note of the caraway seeds that weaves its way around.
I wouldn’t say the tea is sweet; if it is, I feel like the natural flavoring is responsible for the impression of liqueur-like sweetness that’s present in the aroma. The overall vibe is more malty-savory-brisk but creamy. There also seems to be a bit of spiciness but not in the heating way. Unlike other reviewers, I found this tea to possess no bitterness and only a little astringency.
Overall, I’m happy with Leatherbound as a morning brew but I still prefer teas without flavoring added and probably won’t purchase again. I think it would make a great gift, though!
[Western, 3.5g, 212F, 10oz, 4 and ? min both stacked in a 20oz thermos]
Flavors: Alcohol, Chocolate, Citrus, Cocoa, Cream, Malt, Rye, Spicy
I enjoy your associations and voice. And Dead Can Dance. Good pick for the tea.
I adore Dead CanDance and Leatherbound and associations. It’s 5:30 am. Thanks, neighbour’s. Not listening just now.
Why are they making so much noise so unspeakably early?
From my past experience though 3:30am -5:45 a.m may possibly be the best time to listen to DCD (but maybe with some comfy headphones) :P
Comfy headphones, yes! (no idea where those might be currently.)
Not noise so much as whatever devices they are plugging in? Using? I have no idea what they might be—wireless / Bluetooth something or other? All their wifi etc. Command stations are set up on the adjoining wall. They are avid exercise buffs who have ALL the things—peloton,wii, video games, etc, etc. And they have a large extended family. And they keep odd hours. She stays up late doing whatever wired / wireless things she does. He comes home late—3? 5? And they argue and/or exercise in one form or another. It is the electromagnetic current that wakens me and then I hear the activity.
And/or he wakes early to work out. There are also two kids that get shuttled around at various times by/with friends/family. Babysitting arrangements? Shift work of babysitters? Who knows.
I’ve been woken up/prevented from sleeping by the hum/whine of electrical equipment. Can’t even sleep in the same room as my cellphone or have my laptop or PC turned on in the adjacent room.
That’s a lot of tech in close proximity.