For some reason, I find it hard to separate out Della Terra’s minty black teas in my mind. They’re all pretty similar, as far as I can tell, with just slight variations on the mint/vanilla/chocolate theme. This particular example has little cow shaped candies! I thought they were all white at first, but there are also some black and brown cows in the mix. Too cute!
I gave 1 tsp of leaf about 3.5 minutes in boiling water. No additions. It certainly smells minty and sweet, a little like mint hot chocolate. To taste, the most prominent flavour is chocolate. That surprised me a little, as mint can be so dominating. The vanilla comes out next, and it’s smooth and creamy, adding a hint of sweetness to the chocolate which is actually fairly bittersweet. None of the Della Terra artificial chocolate here! The mint comes through primarily in the aftertaste, adding a crisp, cooling twist. It’s pleasantly refreshing after the chocolate/vanilla headiness of the initial sip. The black tea base is unobtrusive, but smooth and astringency free.
Overall, this makes for a pleasant sweet treat. It’s similar enough to some of DTT’s other mint/chocolate/vanilla blends that I don’t need it around all the time, but it’s certainly a pleasant variation on the theme. A worthwhile try.