Teeccino

This one is named pretty accurately. The main flavor is the coffee-like base that’s a little too strong/acidic for me. On top of that, I taste a zingy fake raspberry. I don’t really love the raspberry flavoring they use – maybe it’s too acidic with the already acidic base? But with enough soy milk, this blend is decent enough, and it tastes even better after resting 24 hours in the fridge. I didn’t really enjoy the resteep – too heavy on the coffee.

This tastes really nutty from all the almonds in the blend. I might get a little vanilla too, but definitely some general dessertiness. This is different from other Teeccino blends I’ve had, and I might prefer this milder seeming base to the other one. I like having this one with almond milk to accentuate the nuttiness. I’d consider buying a larger bag.

For a while everyone on here was on the Teeccino train and I was admittedly curious, because I actually like coffee, but the acidity of it gives me GI troubles so I rarely drink it these days. I really love mugicha (roasted barley) tea because it tastes like coffee to me, so I figured these would be up my alley. Sadly, this is not a widely available brand in my area; there were no teabags at my local grocery, but I did find three different flavors in a coffee grounds style bag over in the coffee section, and I grabbed the French Vanilla one. It really does look like coffee grounds inside the bag, too.

I made one hot cup and was very surprised how much it did remind me of coffee. It was dark and roasty and had a very coating mouthfeel. The French Vanilla flavor reads as coconut to me, though; thankfully I like coconut, so I’m not particularly bothered by that.

Now I just use this for cold brew, which I like even better because instead of having that coating mouthfeel that makes me feel like I need an accompanying glass of water with my tea, it goes down really slick and smooth and refreshing. I can also get a lot of use out of the “grounds” as well; two full teaspoons in a fillable teabag left in a liter of cold water overnight creates a strong dark roast sort of brew, and I usually reuse the bag for another liter, which creates a light roast style brew.

I will likely try out the other two flavors available to me next time I’m at the store and need a restock.

I think I enjoy Teeccino blends more with soy milk than with skim because the soy really helps to cut the acidity of the base. This one tastes pretty rich and chocolatey. It also has a strong supporting coffee flavor. The resteep tasted mostly like coffee. I prefer other Teeccino flavors, but this one is pretty solid. Apparently this one has hot pepper in it? I finished my sample (three large mugs plus resteeps) and never noticed a hint of spice.

This one tasted very similar to some of the other Teeccino blends. I still prefer the Mocha blend over this one. I didn’t taste anything in this blend that made it more “java” or “coffee” flavored than some of the others. Overall, it was tasty but didn’t stand out from others I’ve tried.

Sipdown (2113)!

Admittedly found myself underwhelmed by this one. It definitely didn’t taste unpleasant though. Like pretty much all the Teeccino blends it had the same strong roasted foundation, though it did seem less sweet than most of their formulations. I think the let down was that it wasn’t spicy/chai-like enough. Most of those flavours only kicked in at the tail end of the sip and it was a somewhat vague and non-descript “spice” note. A hodge podge of cinnamon, clove, ginger and other shit, if you will. No real clarity and not intense enough to hold up to the already full bodied and bold flavours of a Teeccino blend. They could have (and IMO should have) gone way stronger.

This does taste like pumpkin spice, but unfortunately that flavor is mostly covered by the bitter coffee flavor. I don’t like coffee, but I wasn’t too bothered by its presence in the other Teeccino teas I’ve tried. I guess it’s too strong and bitter for me here. It took me four days to finish one cup of this, so I’d better pass the rest along.

I can’t remember who wrote it or about which tea specifically, but someone recently wrote a tasting note about a chocolate mint tea and it made me want one today. So I was pleased to find this teabag in my stash! The coffee base flavor is pretty weak but the chocolate and mint are really nice. Made as an oat milk latte, it tastes like a minty hot cocoa. Not really a tea or a coffee substitute but it is delicious and hitting the spot.

Ashmanra’s Sipdown Challenge | January 2023 | It’s National Coffee Break Day! Take a break today with a coffee-flavored tea!

I loved this reminder to break out the Teeccino! I used to drink it fairly regularly, but I got out of the habit. With only two bags of the Hazelnut flavor in my tea chest, I figured it was ready for a sipdown!

I’d forgotten just how coffee-esque Teeccino is! This one in particular is so roasty and rich, with a really great mouthfeel and body. It sashays right up to the edge of bitterness without going over the line, the same as a good coffee does (to my tastes). And then a whisper of hazelnut comes through on the back, just enough to add a smidgen of nuttiness. Yum.

There’s also a bit of sweetness from the dates and figs. This is where it diverges from coffee (for me, at least, because I drink my coffee black 95% of the time). But not in a bad way! It’s its own thing, and it’s good.

Now I want to buy more Teeccino…

2023 sipdown count: 11/75

Day 24 of the Teeccino advent calendar, and here endeth this particular advent-ure. I’m glad that I did this one, as it allowed me to sample a wide variety of Teeccino’s offerings, but now that I’ve done it I don’t really feel the need to do it again. Especially tasty were the Maple Pecan, Candy Cane, Hazelnut, Maca Chocolate, Dandelion Coconut, Vanilla Nut, Chocolaté – and this one, the Dandelion Caramel Nut! I made it as an oat milk latte. It’s got notes of caramel, chicory, carob, dandelion, and a nuttiness that I can’t place but the wrapper says is almond. Extremely solid entrant in the flavored coffee dupe category, and an excellent end to the advent calendar.

Day 23 of the Teeccino advent calendar. The dark chocolate flavor of this one is spot on. It’s specifically dark chocolate, too, with that hint of bitterness. I would have loved to try this as an oat milk latte, but, alas, did not have any oat milk available when I drank this.

Day 21 of the Teeccino advent calendar. This tastes like something I had earlier in the calendar… not quite as chocolatey as the Chocolaté, but very similar to the Maca Chocolate. I described that one as having “big mocha latte vibes,” which this blend does too (made as an oat milk latte). Short of a side-by-side, I’m hard pressed to find a meaningful taste difference between them based on memory alone. This made for a very tasty latte, delightfully enjoyed in the evening!

Day 20 of the Teeccino advent calendar. I accidentally overbrewed this by half an hour, but that doesn’t seem to have done any harm to the flavor. There’s no astringency or bitterness here. I’d have to do a side-by-side comparison to be sure, but this tastes to me a lot like the Turkey Tail Astragalus from a couple of days ago. It tastes like coffee, but thin, weak coffee. Drinkable, but just not as robust as the classic Teeccino base.

Teeccino Advent. Usually when I want a cup of coffee, I want a real cup of joe. This really does smell and taste like a good colombian dark roast, I like the other teeccino flavors with more sweetness from the dates, or the peppermint that nearly overpowers all the chicory flavors. I would drink this again, just don’t think I need it in my cupboard if there are other tastier flavors.

After the success of Snickerdoodle I was excited for this one; I was up for a sweeter take or a heavy ginger. It went in neither direction. All I’m getting is the chicory.

There’s nothing wrong with it – it’s got the qualities of the darker chicory tea I’m enjoying a lot from teeccino – but it doesn’t have any element that makes me think ginger, bread, gingerbread, dessert, or anything the name might suggest.

sipsby bagged advent, day 14

I had to laugh that I bought the teeccino advent to sample their teas and then it also showed up in the sipsby advent. This flavor wasn’t in the brand advent though, and it’s definitely my favorite of theirs so far.

The scent is absolutely reminiscent of a snickerdoodle, though perhaps it was helped along by my drinking it in a crowded kitchen where actual baking was taking place. The flavor is still mostly the bold chicory I expect from teeccino, but a little milder and certainly sweeter. The cinnamon is barely noticeable in flavor, but it is there. I was sad to finish this cup!

sipsby bagged advent, day 6

Day 18 of the Teeccino advent calendar. The good news is that this thankfully doesn’t taste like the Chaga Ashwagandha from earlier in the calendar. And I like the maple here, plus it does have a nice coffee-like taste. Where it falls short for me is that it tastes like rather thin coffee compared to the robust brew that the standard Teeccino base produces. Because of that, it works better cold – it’s a good mimic for a lightly sweet cold brew coffee. I just personally prefer something heartier.

The reason I got this advent was to try all of these teas, and they can’t all be winners. There is chocolate and there is a hint of heat to the finish, but it is so subtle. If the chocolate mint is 2 ft of snow, this is a dusting. Its all so underwhelming, just like the gingerbread teeccino flavor. Nice to try, but I wouldn’t want to revisit.

Day 17 of the Teeccino advent calendar. It was another early day, this time for work, so I was happy for a tasty coffee-like latte. This one is very seasonally appropriate! It’s like a chocolate version of the candy cane blend from earlier in the calendar. All chocolate and peppermint on that great classic Teeccino base. This was a perfect start to my day as an oat milk latte.

I’m finding that I am really enjoying the classic-base blends as my first cup of the morning. I forgot how badly I missed coffee and having the substitute is really nice. The only down side is that, because the flavors are so robust, they linger for a long time afterwards and that can make it a bit of a project to clear my palate for other teas.

Day 16 of the Teeccino advent calendar. This is better than I thought it would be. It’s still not something I’d voluntarily drink again, but I don’t want to pour it down the drain! I taste cinnamon and berries in this, but also something a little tart and acidic that I can’t place and am not enjoying. Alas, this one is not for me.

Day 14 of the Teeccino advent calendar. This one is better than I expected! While I still prefer the “standard” Teeccino base, this one also has a coffee-like flavor. Whereas that one is more robust and rounded, this one feels more like an old-school cup of black coffee. It’s slightly bitter and acidic, with a distinctly rose floral note. Not something that I would necessarily seek out, but not something that I would turn down in the future either!

When I pulled this as an advent tea today, I knew I had to do a cup to cup taste test vs the Chocolate Mint I just opened yesterday. The dandelion mocha version certainly tastes like coffee, and this actually balances better with the strong minty flavoring that Teeccino uses. The dandelion does provide a bit of a nutty hay note here as well. Nutty, coffee, minty, cocoa. I would happily sip down a bag of either this Dandelion Mocha Mint or the Chocolate Mint. I do think I prefer the latter now that I have the correct water to herbal tea ratio, it really is like a peppermint patty candy.