Ristretto Blend Herbal

Day 11 of the Plum Deluxe herbal advent. My partner got home today from a work trip. We went out to dinner at a nice Italian place in our neighborhood to celebrate. It’s strange, earlier in our relationship we could spend months apart and it sucked but we managed, but now we get all sappy about spending just a few nights apart. This seems like it would be the perfect after-dinner beverage for that meal! I brewed up the whole packet in a large mug and added oat milk. I had it plain yesterday and found it a bit thin, so I hoped that more leaf-to-water and some oat milk would give it more heft. It still doesn’t really hit the right thickness though. I also can’t help but compare it to Teeccino because it’s meant to be a coffee blend. Maybe if I used even less water, it would be more similar. As it stands, chicory and cacao are the dominant notes almost to the point of drowning out the cinnamon and dandelion root entirely. Which is tasty! But doesn’t taste coffee-like. As a latte, it’s mostly just tasting like chocolate milk. I think this would be more aptly called “roasted chocolate” or “cinnamon hot cocoa” or something like that. Would recommend for that flavor profile, but not as a coffee substitute. Straight chicory will get you closer.