Overboard Traveling tea box
Hmm, I’m pleasantly surprised with this one. Unsweetened, it was something I wouldn’t mind drinking, but adding a touch of sweetener really brought the hazelnut out and covered up the remains of the rooibos taste. I wonder how this would taste with some cacao thrown in… hmmmm. Might have to keep this one for experimental purposes.
(omg the remains of the first steep with a tsp of cacao husks and a tsp of cacao nibs and some sweetener is… really yummy)
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That does sound delicious! Where did you get your cacao husks and nibs?
@rosebudmelissa: The nibs you can get at any “gourmet” or specialty grocery store – although I often find them cheaper at HomeGoods (or Marshalls/Tjmaxx). The husks, on the other hand are a slightly bigger pain to get a hold of, even though they are the casts off in the chocolate making process. There are a few brands that sell husks: Herbal Infusions, Tisano, Teaobroma, though I’m sure there are others.
Thanks! I love chocolate, so I think I may have to look into this. I noticed that there’s a discussion about chocolate tea, where someone mentioned that the shells have a lot more flavor. Do the nibs add much to the flavor in your opinion, or should I just go for the shells? And do you know anything about how they compare to brewing chocolate like Crio Bru? (can you tell I got distracted researching this after I asked my question? :)
@rosebudmelissa: In my opinion the nibs add some flavor, but not a heck of a lot and the husks and the nibs need to be steeped for a long time before you get much flavor, and when you get flavor, it’s not sweet chocolate like many would expect, so I almost always add some sweetener. I did a LOT of research on the husks myself… in fact, I wrote a lot about it in this tasting note (http://steepster.com/jeweledthumb/posts/231665#likes). I’m half tempted to buy the beans, roast them myself and get the husks for tea and have a (probably horrible) attempt at the chocolate making process just to see.
(You don’t want to know how many articles and youtube videos I watched on the chocolate making process after trying “chocolate tea” for the first time – so I totally understand!). When I learned that the husks are the cast offs, I was really annoyed that the “chocolate tea” is so expensive. Most places probably get the husks for free or close to it!
Thanks for the information. I look forward to trying it out for myself.
That does sound delicious! Where did you get your cacao husks and nibs?
@rosebudmelissa: The nibs you can get at any “gourmet” or specialty grocery store – although I often find them cheaper at HomeGoods (or Marshalls/Tjmaxx). The husks, on the other hand are a slightly bigger pain to get a hold of, even though they are the casts off in the chocolate making process. There are a few brands that sell husks: Herbal Infusions, Tisano, Teaobroma, though I’m sure there are others.
Thanks! I love chocolate, so I think I may have to look into this. I noticed that there’s a discussion about chocolate tea, where someone mentioned that the shells have a lot more flavor. Do the nibs add much to the flavor in your opinion, or should I just go for the shells? And do you know anything about how they compare to brewing chocolate like Crio Bru? (can you tell I got distracted researching this after I asked my question? :)
@rosebudmelissa: In my opinion the nibs add some flavor, but not a heck of a lot and the husks and the nibs need to be steeped for a long time before you get much flavor, and when you get flavor, it’s not sweet chocolate like many would expect, so I almost always add some sweetener. I did a LOT of research on the husks myself… in fact, I wrote a lot about it in this tasting note (http://steepster.com/jeweledthumb/posts/231665#likes). I’m half tempted to buy the beans, roast them myself and get the husks for tea and have a (probably horrible) attempt at the chocolate making process just to see.
(You don’t want to know how many articles and youtube videos I watched on the chocolate making process after trying “chocolate tea” for the first time – so I totally understand!). When I learned that the husks are the cast offs, I was really annoyed that the “chocolate tea” is so expensive. Most places probably get the husks for free or close to it!
Thanks for the information. I look forward to trying it out for myself.