Della Terra Teas

I got this in the fall Try Me pack. When I saw the fall one, I HAD to get it. I love anything fall and winter. And, while it may be fall in some places, it’ll still be a few months here in Texas before it gets below the triple digit weather.

My mom and I decided to try this tea first. It’s definitely chocolatey. It has the same good creamy chocolate flavor as their Chili Chocolate Truffle. I’m also picking up hints of smoky campfire flavors. I don’t think there was any flavor left in my cup from other things, so I’m assuming it is this tea. It doesn’t seem mentioned in the description, but I like the smokey hints!

Normally, I don’t like adding milk to my tea. But I always feel like I need to add milk to chocolatey teas. I tried it here, and I actually liked the tea better without the milk. It was still good with milk in, but it almost seemed to hide the flavors instead of enhancing them. Any chocolate tea that doesn’t need milk is great in my book!

Della Terra Teas is a small company, and they’re very good about communication with customers and paying attention to their suggestions. Huge points for them in my book. Also, they have lots and lots of giveaways on their facebook page. That’s actually how I got this tea. I won a giveaway on their facebook page and received what looks to be about 2 ounces of this, and generous sample packs of a pumpkin pie tea, and a holiday themed tea. And they were all packaged up with pretty paper.

This tea smells like some delicious coffee concoction in the bag. My mom had to make me go make the tea and stop standing around sniffing the bag. The chocolate in here has a really nice taste. It’s creamier like a milk chocolate, but not overly sweet. I added milk to see what would happen, and it really enhances the chocolate. It started reaching into hot chocolate range. As for the chili part, I got just a hint of it on the back of the sip, especially as it cooled. It was a slight tingle on the back of my tongue. I’m thinking a longer steep time will bring out the chili heat more. At three and a half minutes, I had no bitterness, so hopefully it can handle longer steeps!

Thanks for this, Della Terra Teas!

To reward myself for trying to move away from “dessert” teas lately, I switched it up and got to go back to a nice, sweet dessert while lesson planning! I’ve reviewed this tea before and it’s just as good the second time! This time, I heated up some vanilla soy to steep with my water, though, so it’s like a little blueberry cream latte. Perfect for this mild January morning!

Oh. My. Goodness. It might just be the mood I am in right now, but this tea is FANTASTIC. After dinner tonight (vegan “chicken”, vegan mac and cheese and green beans, thank you very much) I REALLY wanted something sweet, but didn’t really want to go get dessert. Then I remembered I bought some German Rock Sugar from Teavana on a whim yesterday… The wheels started to turn… Let me say first that I NEVER EVER sugar my tea (I don’t really like to eat a lot of sugar, in fact) but I was CRAVING sugar tonight. So into my infuser went some sugar, and some of this tea. Into my mug went some soymilk and 4 minutes later… pourrrrr and sipppp and…. Blisssssss. Each sip is perfectly blueberry and creamy and sweet and EXACTLY what I needed tonight. I can’t attest to how it would taste without soymilk or sugar but I can guarantee you that WITH it, I am in heaven. Now goodbye while I slip away into blueberry creme paradise….

I’m enjoying this. The chocolate has a deep, dark chocolate-y flavor, but, I do notice a slight artificial note to it that seems to be expressed most when I really focus on the flavors. This note doesn’t really detract from the other flavors, though, and the rest of the flavors are very enjoyable, so this is still worth a try, especially for those who enjoy the contrast of a spicy chocolate tea.

What really won me over with this tea is the chili and how it plays out. It starts out very subtle, with just a hint of spiciness … I wouldn’t even call it “spicy” but rather a gentle warmth. But by mid-cup, the heat has developed and there is a warm twinge throughout my mouth, starting from my lips, all the way to the back of my throat. It is that tempting heat that says “take another sip for even more fire” and being someone who loves spicy, I comply!

But it doesn’t ever become such an inferno that I need to rush to the kitchen in search of something to help clear my palate. I like the way the heat lingers. It’s a very enjoyable sensation … at least for those who enjoy spicy!

ICED…this IS REALLY nice! I like this one both HOT and COLD and can’t really decided which one I like better. They are both lovely! It might be even MORE velvety and creamy-smooth when cold. This is wonderful!

The sample I received didn’t say ICED on it so I will do a HOT review and a COLD review. Starting with the HOT…

It smells AMAZING prior to infusing.

The taste is Mellow, Malty, near Creamy, with lovely mango and peach notes paired with a gentle-medium strength black tea base. The aftertaste has velvety-yet-floral and slightly fruity hints that linger.

This is a darling flavored black tea! Looking forward to the other half of cup that will be iced! Excellent HOT!

This is soooo excellent cold. The flavor is lighter when it is cold steeped but it is super refreshing.

Tried this in snow ice cream today. Mom & I made vanilla first and then started wondering if tea would make good snow ice cream.

Steeped about a tablespoon of this in 3/4 cup hot milk for about 5 minutes. Added 1/3 cup sugar, a dash of salt and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and let it cool. Folded enough clean fluffy snow to make a firm ice milk.

It’s not bad. I love this tea cold but have never tried it with sugar or with milk. I’m not sure I like the fruit and milk together. Which is odd – I like peach ice cream. I think this experiment needs to be repeated with chai. Even though I’m not a spice ice cream person I do love milk with chai. Now… where to find more snow… :)

No rating since I’ve rated this tea before and this isn’t really a fair tea experience. :)

Mmmm… this is mighty cooling. It sounded so refreshing when I saw it on the site. It did not disappoint. The fruit flavors are very good, not fakey tasting. The tea base goes well with the fruits.

I can’t even tell you why I ordered the iced tea bags rather than the regular loose leaf version of this, but I would certainly keep either version in the stash. I also think my southern aunties would like this one. :)

Well, this is not a tea about which I can find much nice to say. :(

It’s very pretty before steeping. The dry smell had something odd… what is that… don’t think I like it… what is it… oh, it’s like liquid Tylenol. Like medicine. Okay. Not looking forward to trying this. Hopefully it’s just the smell, right?

Nope. It tastes like cough syrup or the liquid medicine you get as a child. Not because it is sweet. No, it is simply medicine-y. I can taste maybe a bit of blueberry and some of the vanilla. It’s a very smooth tea.

Perhaps that is the rooibos. I haven’t tasted many rooibos teas to be able to tell – they aren’t my favorite. I think I have had about 2 that I like and they were all blended with black teas.

Anyway. This is not my cuppa. I couldn’t make myself drink it all. I’m not even sure I could drink it to be polite if it were given to me.

Perhaps others would like it better. I foresee it coming up in a swap offering. :)

Smells lovely, just like pineapple. The taste is definitely pineapple. I don’t pick up much coconut, though. Mildly sweet.

Not bad. Not sure I like it enough to keep it around, but I’m trying to be in reduction mode so that may be affecting my thoughts on that. ;)

It definitely needs the 5 minute steep time recommended. It is a very light tea.